catalan

Multinational companies, railway operators, port authorities and government representatives met in the European Parliament to demand a boost of goods transportation by rail in Europe. They are pushing for the use of longer and heavier trains, able to transport more goods at a lower cost, with the consequent increase in competitiveness. These trains would circulate along specific corridors, such as the Mediterranean Railway Corridor, which will link the Gibraltar area with Central and Northern Europe passing through Spain’s Mediterranean ports and main industrial centres. The lobby organising the event, FERRMED, complained about the absence of representatives from the Spanish Government’s train operators.

Isabel Coixet, who has worked with top stars such as Tim Robbins, Ben Kingsley or Penelope Cruz, has released her new movie, ‘Yersterday never ends’, which is a stark portrait of the economic crisis. The film premiered at the last Berlinale. Coixet talked to ACN about the movie and the problems which are shaking the foundations of Spain. She also highlighted the movie was made without receiving public funds, as it would have been contradictory with the drama picture on the screen.

The Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) has introduced a world pioneering technique which allows four out of five patients who cannot undergo surgery to survive the illness. This technique causes less after-effects than the traditional radiotherapy. Furthermore, statistics show that with the regular treatment, two thirds of these patients die. However, Ferran Gadea, the Head of the Radiotherapy and Oncology Service, says that the best option to cure a lung cancer is still to undergo the operation when possible.

The Barcelona-based company Applus+, partially-owned by the Carlyle Group and specialized in automobile technical inspections, reports and certificates, has bought the Chinese company EDI. The transaction, whose cost is unknown, allows the company to increase its capacity in the Asian market. The acquisition of local companies is one of the usual tactics by the Catalan corporation to reach new markets worldwide. Applus+ is present in 65 countries already and most of its revenue comes from international markets. Besides, the operation reinforces Barcelona’s position as an international centre of the automation industry.

The Catalan three-Michelin-star restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, considered over the last two years as the second best in the world by the British magazine ‘Restaurant’, will publish a book about its 25-year history this spring. The volume will include illustrations of 90 detailed recipes and a catalogue of its 240 most outstanding meals The Roca brothers’ cuisine is famous for its free-style, avant-garde techniques and an re-interpretation of traditional Catalan cuisine. The English edition will be published by Librooks.

Eric Roth, writer of “Forrest Gump” or “Munich”, will be joining him in the making of this new movie. Juan Antonio Bayona, after conquering the world of Spanish cinema with his movie “The Orphanage” and entering the worldwide market with “The Impossible”, is now undertaking a project to direct a science fiction film in Hollywood. Few details have been revealed so far, but the announcement has raised great expectation given the enormous success of the first two films by the Catalan director.

The boss of all public prosecutors in Spain, Eduardo Torres-Dulce – appointed by the Spanish Government – announced on Monday that he is starting the process to dismiss his subordinate, Martín Rodríguez Sol, for having said in an interview on Sunday it was “legitimate” that a majority of citizens ask to vote on Catalonia’s political future, although “within the legal framework”. Rodríguez Sol believes that it is not possible to organise an independence referendum as such although he said that with the appropriate question, a legal self-determination vote could be held. He also stated that the legal framework should be adapted to social changes. The Catalan President, Artur Mas, has accused the Spanish Government “of having little democratic sensibility”. In addition, Mas reminded everybody that last week another army general threatened with a military intervention in Catalonia “and nothing happened” but if an attorney general says that people should “express themselves within the legal framework”, he is fired.

The number of people unemployed and registered as such by the end of February at the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC) increased by 3,359 people compared to the January figures. This is the lowest unemployment increase registered in the month of February in the last six years. In total, there were 661,176 people in Catalonia who were without a job and were looking for a new one. This sets a new historical record, with 23,228 more people unemployed than a year ago, representing a 3.62% increase. In the whole of Spain, unemployment increased by 59,444 people in February and for the first time the number of people officially registered as jobseekers topped 5 million individuals. Within the last 12 months, unemployment in Spain increased by 328,124 individuals, 6.96% more than those registered in February 2012.

The Spanish Government has presented its project to approve an External Action Law aiming to “centralise services” and to have the Autonomous Communities’ external action “coordinated and subordinated” to the principles and objectives of the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, has “invited” the Autonomous Communities to integrate their teams into those of the Spanish embassies. However, he also recognised that many Spanish embassies and consulates lack business services to assist companies and attract foreign investment. The Catalan Government’s offices abroad are mostly focused on these economic objectives.

The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, accused the Spanish Government of “not having the true will to talk” about Catalonia’s self-determination claims, backed by democratically-expressed ballots. After the weekly Cabinet Meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, confirmed that the Spanish Government will take the Catalan Parliament’s declaration, which states that the Catalan people are sovereign to freely and democratically decide on their collective future and therefore organise a self-determination vote, to the Constitutional Court. The Spanish Government justified its decision by stating that the declaration – with no direct legal impact – might have legal consequences and wants the Court to “clarify that the Catalan people are not sovereign”.

Catalan companies at the Mobile World Congress increased their presence in the international event by 40% in comparison with 2012. 56 companies were supported by the Catalan Government, which grouped 48 of them together under the Catalonia Stand. They also introduced to the technologic market new apps in different fields and closed deals with other international companies. Most of them are formed by small teams of young entrepreneurs who were looking for venture capital and were making contacts with international businesses to launch their latest technological projects.

The Catalan Government has reduced its deficit by half over the last year, dropping from a 4.02% figure to a deficit of only 1.96%. However, despite the significant reduction, the figure is still above the 1.5% target unilaterally imposed by the Spanish Government. The Catalan Executive had been warning the Spanish Government that a 1.5% target was not realistic, as it did not relate to its spending responsibilities managing the basic Welfare State services. The Autonomous Communities had a total deficit of 1.73%. Spain as a whole ended 2012 with a 6.74% deficit, according to the Spanish Finance Ministry, over the 6.3% target imposed by Brussels. The Spanish Government posted a final deficit of 3.83%; Social Security – managed by the Spanish Government – had a 0.96% deficit and local governments a deficit of 0.2%. Barcelona City Council ended up with a budget surplus of €117 million.

Vueling earned a net profit of €28.3 million in 2012, almost three times more than the €10.3 million of 2011. It transported 14.8 million passengers, 20.1% more than in the previous year, with an occupancy rate of 77.7%. The Barcelona-based airline continues with its international expansion, especially in Western Europe, and it has become the third largest airline in Paris-Orly and Roma-Fiumicino. It also increased the passenger traffic share it controls in Barcelona El Prat Airport by up to 30%. The total revenue reached €1.103 billion last year, 27.7% more than in 2011. Vueling occupied part of the market share left by Spanair in Barcelona. Besides. the Spanish Stock Market Authority has authorised IAG’s take-over operation of Vueling, aiming to take total control of the Catalan company.

For the first time since 1982, the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) has voted differently to the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), to which is federated. The PSOE is opposing Catalonia’s self-determination right and voted against the petitions urging the Spanish Government to engage in talks with the Catalan Executive in order to allow the organisation of a self-determination referendum in Catalonia. The Catalan Socialists oppose Catalonia’s independence from Spain but they back Catalonia’s right to self-determination and thus they supported the petitions. As an anecdote, the PSC MP Carme Chacón refused to back the petitions, as she is in the running as a candidate to lead the PSOE. The petitions were finally rejected by 78% of the Spanish Parliament, mostly from the People’s Party – which runs the Spanish Government and holds an absolute majority in the Chamber – and the PSOE, apart from the PSC.

The Spanish Supreme Court has rejected an appeal presented by one family against the Catalan Supreme Court’s decision adopted in March last year that validated the current public school model of linguistic immersion. The Spanish Supreme Court has stated that the Catalan Government does not have to change the entire Catalan school model, which has been in place since the early 1980s. However, it does have to consider individual petitions from families wanting to school their children in Spanish and make Spanish the language of instruction “in the proportion that the Catalan Government considers to be convenient” in “the school and class in which the offspring of the petitioner is being taught”.