The Catalan Minister for Agriculture Josep Maria Pelegrí visited Berlin this week to greet the 23 Catalan companies that were exhibiting at the Fruit Logistica fair in Berlin. Catalonia has a significant fruit production industry and it exports fruit all over Europe.
Catalan Journalist Cristian Segura has been awarded for his Catalan novel,'El cau del conill' (The Rabbit's Burrow) while Alicia Giménez Bartlett picks up the Nadal Award for her book 'Donde nadie te encuentre' (Where nobody can find you)
The new Catalan Minister for Social Welfare and Family was the CiU’s representative in the Catalan Parliament for this portfolio for the seven years in which the CiU was in the opposition. He comes from the scout and volunteering world, in which he has been very active over the last 40 years. He also worked with the Catalan Government in secondary positions in Jordi Pujol’s times.
Pelegrí has already been a Minister of the Catalan Government, but for Public Administration (2002-2003). Now, Pelegrí becomes the new Catalan Minister for Agriculture, Stockbreeding, Fishing and Environment. In his early years in politics, in the 1990s, he worked on environmental issues. He is discrete and loyal to the Christian Democrat leader, Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida.
Finally, after having tried in 2003 and 2006, Artur Mas is invested President of the Catalan Government. The economist has been working in the public sector since 1982. He was a type of Catalan Prime Minister between 2001 and 2003, in the last government of the CiU’s historic leader Jordi Pujol. In fact, Pujol elected Mas as his successor, an image that Mas finally abandoned. During these 7 years leading the opposition, Mas built his own profile and is perceived as a serious, efficient and moderate politician.
Diverse Catalan singers, musicians and directors performed in Leipzig, Hamburg, Cologne and Weimar on Thursday. Tenor singer Josep Carreras teamed up with Andrea Bocelli and David Garret to raise funds and awareness for the fight against leukaemia in Leipzig. Jordi Savall played Jean-Philippe Rameau in Cologne and Montserrat Caballé sung in Hamburg.
The second most important person within the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition, Convergència i Unió (CiU), will not form part of the new Catalan Government. Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida will remain in Madrid as the CiU’s spokesperson in the Spanish Parliament. He will be the Catalan Government’s main negotiator with the Spanish Prime Minister, Zapatero. The new Catalan Parliament resulting from the 28th of November elections will be formed next Thursday and the 129th Catalan President will very likely be elected before Christmas.
An exhibition in Brussels looks at the cities that the “most read” Catalan writer explored during his youth
The orchestral director Josep Pons will take over Michael Boder’s position as musical director at the famous Barcelona opera house, the Liceu Theatre. Pons will direct 6 seasons beginning in 2012-2013.
The Catalan Minister for Innovation, Universities and Businesses, Josep Huguet, has called out to tourist agencies, asking them to develop more creative touristic offers. His plea comes at a time when the tourist industry is rising. The month of August shows a 90% occupancy of the hotels along the Catalan coast.
The wine cellar ?Mas Blanch i Jové? is obtaining worldwide recognition for both its quality products and innovative projects. The cellar has recently begun a project entitled ?The Vineyard of Artists,? for artists to pay homage to the world of wine.
The bureaucracy that comes with starting a company in Catalonia has been reduced from almost a month to just two days, according to the Minister for Innovation, Universities and Business.
Today the Poetry Market of Paris has begun with Catalonia as its special focus. Catalan poets have read their poems in the 28th edition of the most important poetry fair in Europe.
Research and Development in Catalonia is on the good track but still presents important weaknesses to be solved. The Catalan Government stresses the strengths underlined in the OECD study and says that the report is in line with its own action plan.