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On Tuesday the Catalan Council for Constitutional Guarantees (CGE) declared that the Spanish Government decree cutting €3 billion in education does not respect 2 Constitution articles and 5 other articles from Catalonia’s Statute of Autonomy, being thus unconstitutional and going beyond Madrid’s jurisdiction. The Catalan Government following the CGE’s unconstitutionality assessment decided to bring the education decree to the Constitutional Court(TC), as it did last week with Rajoy’s health decree. However, after the Spanish Government threatened to bring approved initiatives from the Catalan Executive to the TC, the Catalan Government decided to modify the decrees through dialogue and bring the decrees to the TC as a last option.

Spain is once again the favourite team going into Euro 2012. After breaking an international jinx of 44 years in 2008, they have not looked back since and possess a squad oozing with quality. Of the 23-man squad Vicente del Bosque is taking to the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine six are Catalan players. Their first match of the tournament is against Italy on June 10th.

Barça Regal took the first game in the Final play off series of the Spanish basketball league with an astonishing comeback in the last quarter, crowned by a three pointer from inside his own half by Marcelinho Huertas. Barça Regal were 17 points down in the third and 12 the beginning of the fourth quarter. Navarro (21 points), Lorbek (18) and Mickeal (17) outstanding for the hosts.

After some months of uncertainty about the future of this training centre in the Pyrenees, the Spanish Government confirmed that NCOs will be able to continue their studies in the academy, although its activity will be reduced. In the last few months, the Platform for the Pyrenees University presented some alternative uses for these facilities, with the objective of converting them into a civilian academic centre. Another platform, Acadèmia Sí, was created at the same time to fight for the maintenance of the military academy, as it is one of the key actors in the local economy.

The Spanish Finance Minister, Cristóbal Montoro, presented the budget data from January to March 2012. The Autonomous Community Governments together had a 0% deficit in this period. Among them, Catalonia’s had a 0.45% budget surplus, while in the same period of 2011 it had a 0.65% deficit. Montoro emphasised that the data shows “the big effort” the Autonomies are making.

After 13 years, the Constitutional Court has denied the appeal presented by the Spanish Government in 1999 against a Catalan Parliament Law that allowed the Catalan sports federation to compete internationally. However, the Court states that Catalan teams cannot compete “in sports where no Spanish federation exists”. According to the Catalan Government, this sentence is “a first step” on the road to the international recognition of “all sports federations”. In addition, the Platform for Catalan said that Spanish legislation does not apply internationally and that International Federations are private organisations; it is thus their decision, as the CAS confirmed in 2008. They also mentioned the case of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The seven FC Barcelona players in Vicente del Bosque’s squad for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine joined their team mates on Friday morning at the Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas. Carles Puyol and David Villa, who are a regular feature of Spain line-ups, but are recovering from their respective injuries, visited the 23-man squad.

The President of the Catalan Government has organised a summit with all the parties at the Catalan Parliament to discuss a new fiscal scheme for Catalonia. According to official studies, Catalonia gives 8.5% of its GDP each year to pay for investments and services in the rest of Spain, an amount that represents more than €17 billion per year. Some parties state that the current model is unsustainable for Catalonia and represents a plundering of its finances. Others have a more moderate opinion. Nonetheless, all political parties in Catalonia now believe that this amount is excessive and that the fiscal scheme between Catalonia and the rest of Spain should be reviewed. However, they significantly disagree on the formula and the timing.

FC Barcelona have won their 26th Copa del Rey title after beating Athletic Club, the team with the second most Cup titles in the competition, by 0-3. This was Pep Guardiola’s 12th final on the Barça bench, he leaves the team after winning 11 of those finals and only losing one.

Athletic Bilbao and FC Barcelona will appear in a remake of that unforgettable final of 2009, this time at the Vicente Calderón stadium in Madrid, in what will be Pep Guardiola’s last ever match on Barça’s bench. Without Alves, Puyol, Villa, Abidal or Fontàs, Barça have problems at the back.

Using its absolute majority, the People’s Party (PP) has approved the Spanish Government’s budget for the current year refusing 3,100 amendments from the opposition. Only 3 minor amendments from the opposition parties have been accepted. The budget does not respect the current legislation, which obliges to guarantee a minimum investment percentage to be made in Catalonia in order to compensate for an historical lack of money being put into the Autonomous Community. According to Catalan law, approved by the Spanish Parliament, Catalonia should receive at least 18.66% of all the territorial investment made throughout Spain; however it only receives 11.04%.

Esperanza Aguirre, one of the main representative from Spanish Nationalism, has asked to postpone the game or playing it in an empty stadium in order to avoid supporters whistling and booing the Spanish National anthem and Prince Felipe, as was the case in 2009. This season’s Spanish Cup Final will be decided in Madrid between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club of Bilbao, a Catalan and a Basque team. Catalan politicians have criticised Aguirre for mixing football and politics. CiU and the PSC have coincided in pointing out that Aguirre is ready to talk about the Cup Final but not about Madrid’s public deficit deviation. Besides, an extreme-right demonstration in Madrid organised on the same day has been authorised.

The Catalan Government will adjust its budget by €4.295 billion in 2012, through spend cuts of €2.680 billion and increasing revenue by €1.615 billion. With this plan, the Catalan Government will meet the 1.5% deficit target. The Council of Fiscal and Financial Policy (CPFF), which brings together the Spanish Government and the 17 Autonomies, has approved Catalonia’s budget adjustment plan for 2012-2014. The Spanish Government would pay part of the money owed, but not all of it. The Catalan Government has included a plan B in case the Spanish Government does not honour its fiscal obligations towards Catalonia.

The 15-M Movement, also known as ‘The Indignados’, ‘The Outraged’, or ‘the Spanish Revolution’, which occupied squares throughout Spain in May and June 2011, celebrates its first anniversary. Last summer protesters abandoned the squares and the movement was kept alive in neighbourhood assemblies. One year after the first square occupation, the movement has taken to the streets and squares once again. After a massive demonstration on Saturday May 12th, protesters set up a camp in Catalunya Square in Barcelona, which they will leave on Tuesday. Also in other Catalan squares. They will organise assemblies and debates to gather further support for their programme that aims to change the current system.

Leo Messi’s 50 league goals this season have made him the highest ever ‘Pichichi’ (top scorer) in the Spanish League and catapulted him to the head of the ranking of ‘Golden Boots’ of all time.