what to do in spain

Spain’s use of the courts to block the pro-independence roadmap has been reported to the 751 members of the European Parliament by three Catalan MEPs. Josep Maria Terricabras and Ernest Maragall, from left wing pro-independence party (ERC), and Ramon Tremosa, representing the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT) have sent a letter to their colleagues in the Eurochamber lamenting what they describe as “democratic regression in Spain”. The letter criticised the summonsing of Catalan elected representatives, such as Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, for “allowing a parliamentary debate on independence”. It also laments that former Catalan MP and current PDeCat spokesman in the Spanish Parliament, Frances Homs, faces trial for co-organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. 

Catalan gastronomy got reinforced and gained even more prestige in the presentation of the Spain and Portugal Michelin Guide 2017, one of the most important events on the world’s gastronomic calendar. There are now 67 restaurants awarded with a Michelin star in Catalonia. The most important ‘star’ went to ‘Lasarte’ Barcelona, which joins the select group of those outlets which have three ‘macarons’ in Catalonia, together with ‘El Celler de Can Roca’, which was named best restaurant in the world in 2013 and 2015, and ‘Sant Pau’, by Carme Ruscalleda. Moreover, ‘Lasarte’, led by Italian chef Paolo Casagrande, who was a disciple of renowned Basque chef Martín Berasategui, is not only the first three-Michelin star restaurant located in the Catalan capital but the only restaurant on the Iberian Peninsula which this year obtained its third ‘star’. 

The European Commission (EC) urged Spain to “enact EU rules on mortgage credit” and to “fully transpose EU-wide rules on mortgages”. “If these Member States fail to act within two months, they may be referred to the Court of Justice of the EU”, the EU executive said this Thursday. The warning was extended to eight more countries Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. Member States had to implement these rules in their national law by the 21st of March 2016, but having missed the original deadline, the EC warned them through letters of formal notice last May. The Mortgage Credit Directive (Directive 2014/17/EU), which was adopted on 4 February 2014, aims to “improve consumer protection measures across the EU by introducing EU-wide responsible lending practices”.

Gerard Piqué, one of FC Barcelona’s most iconic players, will quit Spain’s national team in 2018. The defender stunned reporters after the Spain vs Albania match on Sunday by declaring that he was“tired”of some supporters criticism who “don’t want”him in the squad. The relationship between Spain’s national team and Pique has repeatedly ruffled feathers, not only due to Pique’s commitment to Barça and some jibes aimed at Real Madrid, but also for his clear support for Catalonia’s independence. Piqué’s decision to cut the sleeves from his shirt, which bore the Spanish colours of yellow and red, for the Spain vs Albania match outraged some Spanish fans who linked it to his lack of commitment to the national team. “The thing with the sleeves is the straw that has broken the camel's back”he said and lamented that he “tried everything”but couldn’t “take it anymore”. Pique has made 86 appearances for Spain and won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Euro 2012. He was also part of Spain's disappointing campaigns at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

The former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesperson in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, is testifying this Monday in the Supreme Court for co-organising the 9th of November 2014 informal consultation on independence. The politician arrived at the Court accompanied by former Catalan President, Artur Mas, who, together with other Catalan Ministers, is also facing trial on charges of disobedience and perversion of justice. Homs has been summonsed “for listening to people’s demands and putting out ballot boxes” for the 9-N symbolic vote, the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, said with regret.

The Catalan President warned Spanish politicians on Thursday that the political deadlock will continue as long as they refuse to engage in constructive talks with Catalonia and consider the possibility of a referendum. “It’s a catch-22”, he said a day after Spanish interim president Mariano Rajoy lost his confidence vote in the Spanish Parliament. Puigdemont stated that 36 out of 47 Catalan MPs, all except those from PP and Ciutadans, voted against Rajoy and will do so again on Friday, when a second ballot is expected. “Anyone aspiring to become Spanish president should recognise the reality in Catalonia”, he said, adding that without a solution in Catalonia there won’t be a stable government in Spain.

The conservative People’s Party (PP) and the liberal Ciutadans sealed on Sunday an agreement that they hope will gain enough votes in the Spanish Congress to allow Mariano Rajoy to be appointed as Spanish president. The deal comes after a week of intense negotiations between the two parties and could put an end to an eight-month deadlock in Spain, which has been without a functioning government since December 2015. PP and C’s have agreed on a 150-point plan that includes economic, social and institutional measures. Amongst them, a controversial commitment to introduce a trilingual model in schools that would de facto suspend the current Catalan immersion system and frontal opposition to any kind of independence referendum.

Mireia Belmonte won the 200-metre butterfly this Wednesday and became the first Spanish woman to win an Olympic swimming gold medal. The 25-year-old, trained at Club Natació Sabadell, not only improved her result obtained four years ago in London, where she obtained the silver medal, but registered the fastest time so far this year, 2 minutes 4.85 seconds, beating Australian Maddie Groves by three hundredths of a second. World champion Natsumi Hoshi came third. Belmonte’s gold is to be added to the bronze in the women’s 400m individual medley on Saturday, which was also the first for Spain in any sport at Rio Olympics. The Catalan swimmer’s four medal career haul makes her Spain’s most successful swimmer.

Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’ obtained 40 MPs in the last Spanish Elections, held in December 2015. This was the highest figure ever achieved by a Catalan party. Indeed, besides being one of the most fierce opponents to Catalonia’s push for independence and having denied Catalonia’s right for self-determination, this young party was born and raised in Catalonia and has a Catalan candidate running for Spanish President, Albert Rivera - two aspects which have been emphasised by the party during this recently started electoral campaign. In a press conference at CNA headquarters,‘Ciutadans’ candidate for Barcelona, Juan Carlos Girauta, also defended his condition of being Catalan and called for those “pro-independence supporters” who chose this option because they were “upset” with Spain, to vote for ‘Ciutadans’. “We want to explain to them the advantages of our project”, he said, which is “building a Spain which is worth it”. 

The Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, regretted in a speech on Friday in Madrid that so far the Spanish political class has behaved as if it was “not concerned” by the pro-independence movement going on in Catalonia. Puigdemont urged the politicians that will need to form a new government in Spain to have “courage” in order to negotiate a referendum. According to him, “Catalans’ patience is not infinite”. “We won’t sit still with folded arms eternally”, he warned, asking Madrid to engage in “dialogue” with the Catalan administration. In another event, on Thursday in front of members of the business community, Puigdemont said that his government will never disobey the law while following the path towards independence. “I know that some people use the word ‘disobedience’. I won’t use it nor will my government”, said the Catalan President.

The Spanish King has signed this Tuesday the decree calling an early election in Spain. The main political parties have been unable to reach an agreement to form a stable government and so for the first time since the restoration of democracy, the Spanish Congress will be dissolved only five months after a general election. The calling of early elections has been an open secret since last week, when the King already said that he was not going to offer the leader of any political party the task of trying to form a government. Neither conservative Mariano Rajoy nor socialist Pedro Sánchez have the necessary support to win an investiture debate. Sánchez tried to achieve the support of Congress for a government led by him and C’s but was defeated. Rajoy, the current president, did not even try.

One day after the new Catalan executive was constituted, the Spanish government has announced that the State Attorney will analyse the competences of the new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs, as it may violate some of the Spanish government’s functions. “We will not allow any action which could be contrary to the Constitution or to the laws, whatever it may be” warned current Spanish Government Vice President Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría. This warning comes after the Spanish Government confirmed that a report will be written analysing the taking office ceremony of new Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, during which Puigdemont didn’t mention Spain’s King nor the Spanish Constitution.

The Catalan capital will host the first Amazon express delivery centre in Europe. Similar to New York’s recently opened Amazon ‘Prime Now’ delivery centre, Barcelona will have a centre to attend to customers’ demands quickerand deliver products on the same day. Amazon will establish this centre at 89 Rosselló Street, in Barcelona city. The building was previously the headquarters of the Editorial Gustavo Gili publishing house and its huge basement makes it an appropriate choice considering Amazon’s activities. This operation is to complement the creation of Amazon’s biggest logistics centre in the South of Europe, which will be built in El Prat de Llobregat, close to Barcelona El Prat Airport. 

The Swiss government representative in Spain Thomas Kolly met this Friday with the Parliament's President, Carme Forcadell, and declared that Catalonia's independence is "viable" if and when all the parties involved have political predisposition. Kolly highlighted the importance of "dialogue" between governments and emphasised that Switzerland's position regarding the administrative conflict with Spain's executive has always been "neutral". He insisted that Switzerland won’t mediate between Catalonia and Spain unless all the parts explicitly request it, which is the same answer given to the Swiss MPs from several parties whom asked their executive what would be Switzerland’s role regarding Catalonia’s push for independence. He admitted that the Swiss government and the Swiss companies operating in Catalonia call on those involved to keep "the predictability and the judicial security".

The Spain and Portugal Michelin Guide 2016 added four Catalan restaurants to their prestigious list and awarded them their first Michelin Star. Two of them, Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch’s Disfrutar and Albert Adrià and Paco Méndez’s Hoja Santa are disciples of Ferran Adriá’s El Bulli, which was five times awarded best restaurant in the world. Besides these two restaurants from Barcelona, the Hotel Restaurant Emporium located in Castelló d’Empúries, in the north of Catalonia, and Tresmacarrons, in the coastal village of Masnou, also received the prestigious award for the first time. Mallorca restaurant Zaranda, which is led by Fernando Pérez Arellano (who previously worked in the three-Michelin-star-holding Catalan restaurant Can Fabes and the Coque restaurant in Madrid), adds its second star to its record. There are currently 50 restaurants which have been awarded by Michelin Guides, 22 of which are located in Barcelona.