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Furthermore the Catalan multinational announced it was expanding its shares within the MedGaz pipeline to 14.9%, which is one of the five pipelines that transport Northern African gas to Europe. The natural gas company reported that its profit levels for the first half of this year have increased by 1.7% from 2012 to €780 million. The Catalan multinational company highlighted how this increase was the result of the international growth of the industry which counteracted the relative stagnation in the domestic market. Gas Natural Fenosa’s EBITDA was also up on last year and totalled €2.63 billion, representing an increase of 2.9% compared to the same period last year.

In March of this year the Catalan Supreme Court (TSJC) cancelled the Catalan Government’s allocation of the publicly-owned Aigües Ter-Llobregat (ATLL) – which supplies water to the 5 million people of Greater Barcelona – to the joint venture led by Acciona and including the Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual. The Government presented an appeal but the TSJC confirmed on the 19^th July its previous decision. Now, the Catalan Government has decided to take the issue to Spain’s highest court to defend the allocation. The Government is convinced the tender process was done correctly, but the other main contender, Agbar, states the opposite. In addition, a Catalan Government’s internal body overlooking public tenders stated that Acciona’s offer should not have won.

The Spanish National Police has allocated more than half of its recently graduated agents to be sent to Catalonia. Of the 418 that passed the police training this year, 231 are destined to work in Catalonia, a figure which represents 55% of the total. The Director General of the Spanish Police, Ignacio Cosidó, stated how these figures show that the force “has a strong willingness to remain in Catalonia”. He also added that the Spanish Government prioritises security within Catalonia. However, the Catalan Police, called the Mossos d’Esquadra, has the majority of police power in Catalonia, except customs control and the fight against international and organised crime. In the rest of Spain – except the Basque Country – Spanish Police does the majority of the police work.

The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, is expecting an answer from the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, to the letter sent on Friday which formally asked for a self-determination vote to take place in Catalonia. “I think Rajoy will answer the letter, but we will see when and how he does so”, stated Mas on Monday. The letter was sent in order to formalise in an explicit manner the willingness of the majority of the Catalan people to hold a self-determination referendum to decide on Catalonia’s collective future and its hypothetical independence from Spain. The formal request was part of the parliamentary stability agreement between the governing Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU) and the Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC).

The Catalan bank, which is the highest financial entity within the Spanish market, obtained a net profit of €408 million between January and June. This figure is 2.45 times higher than that of last year for the same period thanks to the integration of Banca Cívica and Banc de València. The bank which is owned by La Caixa and chaired by Isidre Fainé increased its reserves to €5.38 billion, a rise of 44% on last year. In the presentation of the results, CaixaBank’s CEO, Joan Maria Nin, confirmed the Catalan banking giant will “have a look” at the conditions of the auctions of Catalunya Banc and Nova Caixa Galicia. Nin also recognised that the funding system for SMEs in Spain can be significantly “improved”.

For the first 6 months of 2013 the Catalan company Abertis has made a profit of €293, a 62% reduction on last year, according to a report issued by the company to the Spanish Stock Market Authority (CNMV). This year the company has increased its market share in Brazil and Chile and has received part of its income through the sale of its stake in Eutelsat. In spite of the reduction of net profit, the company’s EBITDA is up 23% on last year to €1.43 billion. Abertis specialises in three business areas: airports, toll roads and telecommunication infrastructures. 65% of the firms’ revenue comes from outside Spain.

The winner of the 25^th Premi Internacional Catalunya, Gro Harlem Brundtland has explained how receiving the award with Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai is “special as both are fighting for women’s rights”. The former Prime Minister of Norway and ex Secretary General of the World Health Organisation also stated how it would be “very strange” if Catalonia were to leave the EU in the event of a hypothetical independence from Spain. Brundtland also encourages Catalonia to invest and establish renewable energy systems as well as gender equality quotas in both politics and business.

Barcelona-based telecommunications company has bought 16.42% of Hispasat, which added to its previous shares means that Abertis now controls 57.05% of the satellite operator. The Catalan company has bought the shares from the Spanish Ministry of Defence, paying €172.5 million.  The deal included €153.5million to buy the shares, as well as €19million more to take full control of the operator. The transaction now has to be approved by the Spanish Government and the competition regulation authorities. According to a press release by Abertis, the company pledges to “develop the full potential for growth and value” of the satellite operator. In total, Abertis has invested €475million to obtain its current stake in Hispasat. In 2013, Hispasat is expected to generate €200million in revenue and it has a strategic importance for Spain and Spanish-speaking countries.

By the end of June, there were 873,000 people in Catalonia without work and looking for employment, according to the latest Active Population Survey (EPA). This represents 29,300 fewer individuals than 3 months ago, which is the highest unemployment reduction in the second quarter of the year since 2002. However, employment levels have only increased by 11,800 people, which means that this year Catalonia has experienced the lowest increase in job creation for this period of the year since 1998. The Catalan unemployment rate is now 23.85%, while the Spanish average is 26.6%. In the whole of Spain, the number of people unemployed decreased by 225,200, which means that the total number of unemployed people is now below the psychological landmark of 6 million individuals (5,977,500).

Christian Brander is a researcher at the IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute and Scientific Director of HIVACAT, the programme for the development of a HIV vaccine. He graduated from the University of Bern in 1994 with a PhD in Immunology and has spent 13 years at Harvard University focusing on cellular immunity to viral infections.

The Joan Miró Foundation, located in the Catalan capital, is to hold an exhibition in the 2013-14 season that will focus on the horizon as a concept in modern painting. Works on show will explore the development of the horizon in art from the 19^th century to the present day. Among the temporary exhibitions that take place during next season, the museum will also show a selection of prints and lithographs from Joan Miró himself that will examine the experimentalism of the internationally renowned Catalan artist between the 1930s and 1960s. The museum will also have an exhibit of American artist Roni Horn.

The Catalan Parliament has devoted a two-day plenary session to debate the youth unemployment problem and how it could be reduced. According to the latest Active Population Survey (EPA), the youth unemployment rate in Catalonia reached 52.7%. This means that 1 out of 2 youngsters between 16 and 24 years old who want to work cannot find a job. Around 151,000 youngsters are unemployed in Catalonia; 64% of them worked in the service sector and 17% have never worked. The Catalan President, Artur Mas, asked to manage the proportional share of the European Union’s funds allocated to fight youth unemployment in Spain, since the Catalan Executive holds the competences.

On Thursday, the European Space Agency will launch Europe’s largest telecommunications satellite, Alphasat I-XL, into space using technology designed and built by Catalan company MIER Comunicaciones. The device, weighing 6.6 tonnes, will allow secure connections to be made via the satellite and mobile terminals around the world. The company, based in La Garriga (Greater Barcelona), has produced 240 low noise amplifiers capable of receiving signals from mobile terminals up to 36,000km away. The technology created is of a compact design and uses a very low consumption of energy. The satellite will be launched on Thursday from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Between January and June of this year, the port of Barcelona received a total of 1,040,823 cruise line passengers. This figure represents an increase of 15% over last year. The amount of cruises docking in the Catalan capital for at least one night is also up on last year to 351, an increase of 15% over the first six months of 2012. Of the total cruise line passengers that visit Barcelona, 56% begin or end their journey in the Catalan capital. These travellers make a major contribution to the local economy as they tend to spend a few days before or after their cruises exploring the city.

The Catalan president argued that if strict deficit targets are imposed upon his government budget again, it will be impossible to promote growth and create jobs, thus affecting the economy of Catalonia, Spain and the whole of southern Europe. The Spanish government will publish in the next few days new regional deficit targets for 2013 and Catalonia is asking for more flexibility. “If they do not offer us what we need, we won’t be able to stimulate our economy, and if we can’t do that, the whole of Spain and southern Europe will be affected”, stated Mas.