catalan

“Madrid’s refusal to negotiate a fiscal agreement with Catalonia fuels support for independence”, says Québécois analyst

September 7, 2012 12:05 AM | CNA / Maria Fernández Noguera / David Tuxworth

The political scientist Alain Gagnon, from the Université du Québec à Montréal, believes that popular desire for secession is weaker in the francophone territory of Quebec than in Catalonia because Canada has agreed to remodel the fiscal redistribution scheme. He believes that Catalonia is closer than Quebec to becoming an independent state and considers that next Tuesday’s demonstrations on the Catalan National Day could “raise awareness of the situation between Catalonia and Spain at a European level”.

Catalonia’s Shakespeare Festival returns after its cancellation in 2011 due to the crisis

September 5, 2012 11:18 PM | CNA / Laura Quintana

After one year without the Shakespeare Festival, it has now returned. However, it will take place in a new place and with a new partner: La Perla 29, the theatre production company which is directed by Oriol Broggi. The festival will move from the coastal town of Mataró to Barcelona. The event will take place in spring 2013 in the Biblioteca de Catalunya (Catalonia’s National Library), in the city centre. As the event was unexpectedly cancelled last year, this new edition focuses on the adaptation of the festival to the economic crisis and aims to be projected to Europe and worldwide.

New Smart City initiatives to be discussed by international experts in Tarragona

September 4, 2012 11:37 PM | CNA / David Tuxworth

The Smart Cities Meeting Point will be held on September 9th and will welcome experts from across Europe. The event brings together professionals experienced in the area of city development who will put forward their visions for more efficient and sustainable cities. The goal is for Tarragona City Council is to learn about new technological innovations, put itself at the forefront of technology and improve the day to day lives of its citizens.

Priorat famous for fine wine starts conquering grape beer

September 4, 2012 11:26 PM | CNA / Marc C. Griso / David Tuxworth

The creators of Garnatxa Beer, a unique beer made using of Grenache grapes in the Priorat wine region, are seeking to expand their range of products. They are experimenting with other grape varieties to develop new flavours of beer. The Priorat Beer Company’s aims to link its products with artistic and musical activities and maintain connected with their clients who want an “artisan beer”.

Catalan filmmaker David Victori wins Youtube’s competition and will shoot with Ridley Scott and Michael Fassbender

September 3, 2012 11:48 PM | CNA

With the short movie ‘La Culpa’ (The Guilt), the Catalan filmmaker David Victori has won Youtube’s ‘Your Film Festival’ competition, beating 15,000 other candidates. The award consists of a $500,000 audiovisual project which the winner will direct with the assistance of Ridley Scott as the Producer. Furthermore, the actor Michael Fassbender (Shame, Hunger, Inglorious Basterds, Jane Eyre and 300) will play the main character. The project will consist of a science-fiction mini-series with four or five chapters, which will be broadcast on Youtube.

The Spanish Government will study Catalonia’s petition for a temporary loan if the Liquidity Fund is not in place yet

September 3, 2012 11:43 PM | CNA

The Catalan Finance Minister, Andreu Mas-Colell, asked the Spanish Government to set up a temporary short-term loan system if the announced Liquidity Fund for the Autonomies is not in place this September. The Catalan Government has been insisting on the urgent need to define and put into force this financial tool to provide the Autonomous Communities with liquidity now their access to international financial markets is impossible as they face unsustainable interest rates. In addition, Mas-Colell stated that it is very likely that more budget cuts will be needed in 2013 to meet the 0.7% deficit target. He also criticised the Spanish Government for imposing stricter deficit objectives for the Autonomies while Brussels gives Spain greater flexibility.

Barcelona’s Can Framis Museum opened its restructured collection this weekend

September 3, 2012 08:16 PM | CNA

The permanent collection of the Can Framis Museum, located in a functionalist venue built three years ago, reopened its doors this Saturday. The museum, run by the Fundació Vila Casas, has restructured its permanent collection of contemporary paintings originating from the 1960’s onwards. The works are by various artists born or living in Catalonia and includes 45 new paintings, 20 of which are new acquisitions.

The Catalan Police highlight a decrease in thefts in Barcelona metro

August 31, 2012 11:44 PM | CNA / Guillem Sanchez / David Tuxworth

Police estimate that 150 pickpockets operate daily in the Catalan capital’s underground, smart phones being the main target. The way the pickpockets target their victims has changed, no longer operating in large groups meaning that they are more “discreet and difficult to stop”. The police report that pickpockets are mainly “recurrent” and mainly come from South America, North Africa and Romania. The situation is evolving in a positive way, with crime rates in Barcelona’s metro decreasing for the second consecutive year.

Barcelona-based Gas Natural Fenosa signs an estimated €1 billion contract with Indian Gail

August 31, 2012 11:40 PM | CNA

The Catalan multinational company will provide Gail, the largest gas distributor in India, around 3 bcm of liquefied natural gas for three years. This quantity represents 10% of Spain’s annual gas consumption. Gas Natural Fenosa refused to disclose the value of the contract, but sources from the sector estimate it would be worth more than €1 billion. This would be the largest contract in Asia for this Barcelona-based company, which has a significant presence in South America.

Engineering students from around the world compete in Montmeló to be part of Formula 1 teams

August 31, 2012 11:38 PM | CNA / Jordi Pujolar / David Tuxworth

The Circuit de Catalunya hosts the Formula Student Spain 2012 competition with over 700 participants from nine countries. The competition is designed to test the student’s knowledge and engineering skills over four days, in a competition judged by experts from the automotive industry. The competition is valued by the participants as a valuable experience with the chance to work as an engineer with a Formula 1 team.

The Damm Group makes €26.5 million in the first half of the year, 1.1% less than during the same period last year

August 31, 2012 08:39 PM | CNA / David Tuxworth

The Damm Group, manufacturer of the popular Catalan beer brand Estrella, had a turnover of 421 million in the first six months of 2012, a 8.5% increase in relation to the same period last year. The company is not making any predictions for the second half of the year due to the uncertainty over the VAT increase but has stated that sales over the past weeks have “evolved satisfactorily”.

The European Commission states for the first time that Catalonia’s independence would have to be negotiated at international level

August 30, 2012 11:29 PM | CNA

Until now, the EU was refusing to openly discuss the issue and was stating it was strictly an internal matter to be solved within Spain. The President of the European Commission, José Durao Barroso, admitted that “in the hypothetical case of a secession” of Catalonia “the solution should be found and negotiated within the international legal framework”. In this new scenario, Catalonia would not automatically be a member of the EU but this would be part of the negotiations. Barroso was ambiguous about the future of the European citizenship Catalan citizens currently have and said that “EU citizenship is additional”.

The Catalan Government guarantees primary healthcare to all immigrants registered for at least three months

August 30, 2012 11:20 PM | CNA

The decision by Spanish Government to restrict access to the public healthcare system could leave 600,000 people in Catalonia (8% of the population) without primary and specialised medical attention. 180,000 of these people would be foreigners. The Catalan Minister for Health, Boi Ruiz, explained that the measure aims to guarantee the universal access to healthcare to all the population, independent of their legal status, but at the same time avoid healthcare tourism.

The Catalan pharmaceutical company Galenicum enters the Brazilian market

August 30, 2012 04:12 PM | CNA / David Tuxworth

The expansion to Brazil is part of the company’s international development plan, which aims to start operations in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. The company hopes to replicate its successful European business model overseas and has started with the opening of new offices in São Paulo. Galenicum, a developer of generic medicines, is based in Barcelona and produced a turnover of €77 million in 2011, a 542% increase in just two years.