catalan

The medical director of the Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya (the coordinating committee of the human towers of Catalonia – CCCC), Daniel Castillo, has announced that the tradition is just as dangerous as practicing any other sport. Two weeks ago, a casteller (Castell participant) was seriously injured in Barcelona during the construction of a Castell. However, in an interview with the CNA, Castillo highlighted how that historical tradition is, in fact, becoming safer with only 2.5% of the 6,500 Castells of 2013 collapsing. “During the 1990s about 7% of Castells collapsed”, he noted. Castells is a tradition unique to Catalonia and in 2010 was declared a UNESCO element of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Catalan Presidency Minister and Government Spokesman, Francesc Homs, said in a press conference on Tuesday that the draft of the bill develops the powers granted by the 2006 Statue of Autonomy, while complying with Spanish law and constitutional framework. He added that it is an instrument to strengthen the external activities of the government of a country “that aims to become free” and is the first bill of the government focused on its foreign relations. Homs also said he is confident that, sooner or later, the European Commission will publish its opinion about the legal consequences of independence in Catalonia and Scotland.

A report issued by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism reveal how Catalonia has received €7.68 billion from foreign tourist expenditure between January and July of this year. The figure represents an increase of 9.8% on 2012, and also means that Catalonia received 23.9% of Spain’s total foreign tourist spending, higher than any other area. Meanwhile, each tourist spent an average of €878 during their visit – 4.4% higher than last year’s figures. The average daily expenditure also increased by 1.2% on last year to €123. The Canary Islands received the second highest amount of foreign tourist expenditure with €6.24 billion, while The Balearic Islands were third with €5.67 billion.

During the 1960s a form of music emerged in the Raval district of Barcelona that combined the passion of the flamenco rumba with the speed and rhythm of the mambo and of rock. It became known as the Catalan rumba and was created by Peret and his peers. The documentary is called ‘Cuchibiri cuchibiri’ and will be directed by filmmaker Carles Prats. It will reveal the origins and evolution of the Catalan rumba through the life of Peret who is considered a founder of the genre and a key figure within the gypsy community of Catalonia. Prats noted how Peret is an “important figure” and is the Catalan rumba’s equivalent of “Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley”.

This coming 11^th of September – which is Catalonia’s National Day – pro-independence supporters have organised a gigantic human chain called the ‘Catalan Way Towards Independence’ that will cross Catalonia from North to South stretching 400 km and passing through some of the main cities, such as Barcelona, Girona and Tarragona. After having organised the 1.5 million-strong demonstration of 2012, the civil society platform Catalan National Assembly is preparing a new massive demonstration that calls for independence from Spain. This year’s peculiar demonstration is inspired by the ‘Baltic Way’ of 1989, which gathered 2 million people forming a 670 km-long human chain crossing Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The ‘Baltic Way’ was organised exactly 24 years ago and issued a manifesto that read “a common European home can only by set up if all European nations are granted a free right to self-determination”.

According to figures released by the Spanish Institute of Statistics, overnight hotel stays among foreigners in Catalonia have increased by 2.5% during July compared to the same month of 2012. While there has been an increase in the amount of foreigners visiting, the rate of hotel stays among the Spanish population in Catalonia is down by 7.3%. In total, the amount of overnight stays among foreigners in Catalonia during July was 5.82 million, while for Spanish nationals this figure was 1.57 million. Catalonia accounts for 23.2% of total hotel stays among foreigners in Spain, second only to the Balearic Islands with 37.9%.

Since January, 8.7 million foreign visitors have come to Catalonia, a rise of 5.1% on the same period of 2012. Catalonia has become the main tourist destination in the whole of Spain during July, with 2.1 million foreign visitors, according to a survey carried out by the Institute of Touristic Studies. This figure represents a 3.1% rise on July 2012. Catalonia now receives 26.7% of Spain’s total international tourists. French tourists account for the largest share, with an increase of 1.9% on last year, representing a third of all foreign tourists. However, it is Russians that have contributed most to this significant growth. Spain as a whole received 34 million tourists since January, with July setting a new record.

The Spanish Deputy Minister for Trade, Jaime García Legaz, acknowledged on Thursday that Catalonia is the “main exporting community” within Spain. Between January and July, Catalonia’s exports had a value of €29.23 billion, representing 24.6% of Spain’s total in that period. During his speech, García Legaz failed to confirm the statement made by Madrid’s regional Government that more than 1,000 Catalonian companies have moved to Madrid since 2010. He insisted that he lacks “reliable data” on this issue and is therefore “not in a position to make an informed judgement”. A total of seven Autonomous Communities within Spain have experienced an increase in their exports this year.

The General Workers Union (UGT) issued a report stating that the Catalan economy experienced 567,099 job losses between 2007 and 2013. The figure represents a reduction of 16.86% on the total number of jobs that existed in Catalonia 6 years ago. While presenting the report, the UGT’s Secretary for Union Policy, Camil Ros, warned that figures do not show “a recovery of job creation”. Ros criticised the Spanish Government for “lying” and presenting macroeconomic figures in a way that “do not correspond to reality” since there are no signs of economic recovery. “At most, the job reduction has slowed down [its pace]”, he added.

The Catalan bank was nationalised in 2012 and is going through an important restructuring process before being privatised again. Currently, the financial entity is owned by the FROB (Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring), which is run by the Bank of Spain and the Spanish Government. The FROB has been delaying the auction to sell CatalunyaBanc and is now proposing to layoff 2,453 workers of the bank and its subsidiaries, according to trade unions. This would represent firing some 34% of its staff. The company is proposing a compensation of 20 days worth of salary per year worked for those it plans to layoff, following the labour market reform, with a maximum of the equivalent to 12 months salary being given. CatalunyaBanc ended the first half of 2013 with a net profit of €183 million, after having transferred part of its real estate toxic assets to the so-called “bad bank” SAREB.

Catalonia’s main SME association PIMEC and the Catalan Business Circle (CCN) have criticised the regional Government of Madrid for issuing a report not sufficiently backed-up by economic data. In addition, they have accused Madrid’s Finance Minister, who presented the report, of offering a politically-biased version by saying that companies have left Catalonia due to the self-determination debate. PIMEC and CCN stated they do not have data supporting Madrid’s statement. On the contrary, they have data proving that foreign investment has not reduced. In addition, CCN accused the Spanish Government of building a “Greater Madrid” as an economic centre, at the expense of other areas such as Catalonia. PIMEC emphasised the Catalan industrial tradition and the vigour of its economy, although admitted that taxation is higher in Catalonia than in Madrid.

In the last three years, 1,060 companies have moved their headquarters from Catalonia to the region of Madrid, according to a report published by Madrid’s regional Government. The report states that most of them took the decision because of the lower taxes that exist in Spain’s capital, compared to other areas such as Catalonia. Since 2010, 5,000 companies based in the rest of Spain decided to move to Madrid; 21.4% of them were from Catalonia. Paradoxically, 43 cents out of every euro paid in taxes in Catalonia is to pay for investments and services made in other parts of Spain, which turns into an annual fiscal deficit of 8.5% of Catalonia’s GDP, meaning that Catalans are obliged by the Spanish Government to give away €16.5 billion. Meanwhile, the Catalan Government is under-budgeted and obliged to implement severe budget cuts and raise taxes to balance the budget.

The airline group formed by British Airways and Iberia, IAG, announced it will buy up to 220 new Airbus 320 between 2015 and 2020, 120 of which will be for the recently-purchased Catalan company Vueling. IAG bought the Barcelona-based airline last spring and the operation was authorised in July by the competition authorities. Vueling is currently one of the few profitable airlines in Europe, with a business model evolving from a low-cost airline but offering business services and flying to the main airports in Europe. In fact, the company links Barcelona El Prat with 104 destinations (in Europe, the Middle-East, Russia and Africa) and it has operation bases in Madrid, Paris and Amsterdam, among others. Last July, Vueling increased its number of transported passengers by 18% and flights by 13% on July 2012 figures.

This Wednesday, the world premier of the chamber opera ‘Wow!’ takes place at the Festival of Peralada Castle, located in northern Catalonia’s Costa Brava. The libretto is inspired by texts written by Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman, building a relationship between the two poets. The opera will be staged in the cloister of El Carme Church in Peralada, which has a capacity of 400 people. The play is structured in a single act with a prologue and four scenes. It explores the themes of dreaming, death, ascension and immortality. The score and the text are the work of Catalan composer García Demestres, while the stage director is Xavier Albertí, who is the new Director of the National Theatre of Catalonia (TNC).

The multinational energy company has confirmed it will continue operating in Panama for at least 15 more years through its subsidiary companies Edernet and Edechi, which control 65% of the country’s electricity market, supplying more than 500,000 clients. Gas Natural Fenosa owns 51% of both Edernet and Edechi, while the rest of the shares are controlled by Panama’s Government. The Catalan multinational entered Panama in 1998. According to Gas Natural Fenosa, it has invested more than €400 million to strengthen the electric power network of the Central American country and it foresees an additional investment of €230 million within the next 4 years.