News from Spain

Spain criticised for Desalination Plants

2007-06-20T11:14:00.000+02:00

World Wildlife Fund Criticises Construction of Desalination Plants in Spain

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has criticised the ‘frenetic construction’ of desalination plants in Spain and their negative impact on the environment and climate change. According to the study Spain has one of the largest capacities for desalination but it has warned that this is not the best way of guaranteeing the supply of fresh water.

The director of the World Fresh Water Programme for the WWF, Jamie Pittock highlighted this week that desalination is a very expensive form of obtaining fresh water and uses a high amount of energy to do so therefore contributing to the greenhouse effect. Furthermore he claims it is destroying the coastline.

The WWF has warned that many countries with water shortages are looking to desalination as a solution to their problems. Among those countries are Australia, the Middle East, the US, Spain and the UK as well as India and China. In all of these countries there are densely populated areas with little or no natural fresh water supplies.

The present Spanish government proposed the construction of desalination plants as a way of tackling the country's water shortage when it cancelled the contraversial Ebro project planned by the previous government and intended to divert fresh water from northern river supplies to other parts of the country.

Related:
Spanish drought

Spanish cinemas on strike

2007-06-18T17:09:00.000+02:00

Spanish Cinemas are closed today due in protest over new law

The Spanish Federation of Cinemas (FECE), which includes 90% of all cinemas in Spain, has called on its members to strike for 24 hours in protest over the proposed new Cinema law. The Managing Director FECE, Rafael Alvero, has accused the government of failing to negotiate with his organisation which is why the decision to strike today was taken. He also said it was just the first measure they would be taking in order to get their point across.

Last week Rafael Alvero said that FECE had spoken to nearly all the political groups in the Spanish parliament except for PSOE given that the period for amending the proposed law before it was passed finishes next week. In fact he said that today’s strike was a call for Spanish cinemas not to be forgotten by politicians.

As well as the strike Spanish cinemas have prepared some advertisements to publicise the problems they face which will be screened in cinemas through out the country. According to Alvero their tone is quite belligerent given the present situation which clearly favours the production sector.

The main demands of the FECE are that the quota for screening a film are reduced, competition is regulated, cinemas have the rights to screen a film for six months and that more efforts are made to combat piracy.

The last time that Spanish cinemas went on strike was in 1993 in another protest over the law governing cinemas and as far as Alvero is concerned they are facing the same battle today although he also admitted that perhaps the number of spectators had gone down partly due to a possible excess of cinema screens in Spain. However, he said that this was another matter not directly related to the proposed Cinema law.

Today’s strike is estimated to cost cinemas almost one million euros in lost ticket sales - cinemas are free to decide whether to participate or not

Spain Celebrates 30 Years of Democracy

2007-06-14T15:21:00.000+02:00

Today is the 30th anniversary of democracy in Spain. To mark the occasion the King, Don Juan Carlos I, spoke yesterday in parliament where he asked for ‘unity and understanding based on sincere dialogue in order to confront the important issues facing the country’. He said that the future depended on the citizens of Spain who in his words had the ‘capacity to lead the way to a better future’.

The king also spoke about terrorism saying that Spaniards had suffered the brutal consequences of terrorism over decades and that the country needed to support and remember the victims and families affected.

The first elections following the death of Franco were held on 15th June 1977. In July 1976 Adolfo Suarez was appointed by the king as president of the provisional government. He was given the task of overseeing Spain’s transition to democracy. His objective was achieved with the elections held in June 1977 less than a year later.

Political reform began in October 1976 and political parties, including the Communist party which had led the struggle against the dictatorship, were legalized in April 1977. See this video of the electoral promises of the newly legalised political parties.

The June elections in the same year were won by the centre UCD (Union de Centro Democratica) led by Suarez with 166 seats followed by PSOE (the Spanish Socialist party) with 118 seats. The Communist party won 19 seats and the Alianza Popular (now the PP), which included former ministers from the Franco dictatorship, won just 16 seats.

Last week Aldolfo Suarez was honoured with the Toison de Oro the highest honour for his part in the transition. However, he was unable to attend the award ceremony due to ill health.

Bob Dylan Awarded the Principe de Asturias Prize for the Arts

2007-06-15T09:30:00.000+02:00

The American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has been awarded the 2007 Principe de Asturias Prize for the Arts. Bob Dylan has been chosen above other nominees which included the Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires, the architects Frank Gerhy and Rafael Moneo and the British musician Andrew Lloyd Weber.

The jury for the Principe de Asturias Prize for the Arts who also awarded a prize for International Cooperation to Al Gore the ex US Vice-President is presided over by José Lladó , the former Spanish Trade Minister.

Pedro Almodovar was the last person to be awarded this prize. Other past winners include Woody Allen, Miquel Barceló and Paco de Lucía.

In total there are 8 Principe de Asturias prizes awarded annually. Prince Felipe usually presents the awards in person at a ceremony in Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. Each prize consists of a statue designed by Joan Miró and 50,000 euros.

According to the Principe de Asturias jury Bob Dylan, who first performed in Spain in 1984 in the Rayo Vallencano stadium, is a ‘living myth in the history of popular music and a light for a generation that dreamed of changing the world’. Carmen Calvo, the Spanish Culture Minister, considers the American singer to be a ‘guru for various generations throughout the world’. Gay Mercader, a music promoter, said of Dylan that ‘he was the first to give weight to popular music and his influence on his peers is enormous’.

Online banking profits soar in Spain

2007-06-11T12:04:00.000+02:00

Online banking profits soar by 71.4%

It wasn’t long ago that online banks in Spain accumulated losses. However, a couple of years ago online banking began to be more profitable due to an aggressive commercial policy aimed at attracting new clients and this year's figures indicate that Spaniards are using e-banking more and more.

In the first financial quarter of 2007 Spanish online banks Inversis, Bancopopular-e, Uno-e and Openbank gained 12.32 million euros in profits which is 71.4% more than for the same period last year according to figures just released published by the Spanish Association of Banks (AEB).

The main reason for such a sharp rise in profits for online Spanish banks has been the phenomenal growth of Openbank, a member of the Santander Group, whose profits quadrupled to 4.3 million euros for the first financial quarter this year.

Inversis also experienced a substantial rise in profits of 1.58 million euros for the first quarter this year compared to just 460,000 euros in the same period in 2005. Uno-e, an internet susidiary of BBVA, increased profits by 53.9%, to 5.24 millon in the first quarter of 2007, compared to 3.4 million for the same period last year which makes it the most profitable Spanish online bank.

Bancopopular-e, saw its profits fall and was the only online bank not to improve on last year’s performance. In fact it only registered a profit of 1.18 million euros in the first quarter of 2007 which is 56.4% less than last year.

Openbank was the clear winner when it came to savings accounts with its clients depositing 3,901 million euros, 84% more than all the other Spanish online banks put together. The online branch of Santander Consumer Finance began 2007 by rising interest rates on deposit accounts.

Uno-e came second with deposits of 1,183 million euros followed by Inversis, with 613.5 million euros and Bancopopular-e with 331.04 million euros.

However, the online branch of Banco Popular conceded the most credit to its clients at 1,065.5 million euros followed by Uno-e which granted 967.9 million euros in credit, Openbank came far behind granting just 199.2 million euros to its clients and Inversis came last conceding just 126.6 million euros in credit.

Related:
Ranking of Spanish banks
Spanish banks
E-commerce in Spain

Spanish election results

2007-05-28T13:15:00.000+02:00

PP get more overall votes than PSOE but fewer Councillors

According to the results of yesterdays local elections held throughout Spain, the Partido Popular (PP) gained 35.60% of the overall number of votes (7,914,084) compared with 34.9% of the votes obtained by Spain's ruling Socialist party PSOE (7,758,093). Even though the PSOE have 24,026 councillors compared with 23,347 for the PP, the PP has an overall majority in 2,871 town halls compared to just 2,322 for PSOE. This inevitably means that both parties are claiming victory.

The left wing Izquierda Unida party (IU) is now Spain’s third largest party having obtained 5.47% of the overall votes. The level of abstention was higher than elections four years ago - 63.78% Spanish population voted yesterday compared to 67.68% in 2003

The PP won a landslide victory in Madrid and Valencia (both in the Town Hall and Regional parliaments) but lost its overall majority in the Balearic Islands. The PP also retained power in Castellon. The Regional governments of Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura remain in the hands of the Socialists, while La Rioja, Murcia, Castilla y León, Ceuta and Melilla voted once more in favour of their respective PP governments. The Socialists are expected to retain power in Aragon, Asturias and Cantabria by signing a pact with left-wing or regionalist parties.

In the Basque Country the ANV (backed by the political wing of ETA) got 120,000 votes and won control of town halls in Hernani, Mondragón, Oiartzun and Pasajes.
Odón Elorza (PSE) has retained his position as mayor of San Sebastian and Iñaki Azcuna (PNV) will also remain as mayor of Bilbao.

PSOE could take control of the town hall in Jaen, which is currently run by the PP, if it makes a pact with IU and PSOE will also retain power in Sevilla if it makes a pact IU although the PP received the most votes in the Andalucian capital in what was one of their best electoral performances in the traditionally left-wing Andalucia.

Spanish mayor worked as a GP without a degree in medicine

2007-06-09T10:28:00.000+02:00

Popular Party Mayor admits working as a doctor without being qualified

José Miguel Llorca Senabre, former Mayor of Villajoyosa, a small town on the Costa Blanca where the PP lost their absolute majority in the recent local elections, has been forced to stand down and renounce his seat on the council after the press revealed that he has worked as a doctor for years despite never having completed his medical studies. He has used an open letter addressed to the citizens of Villajoyosa to announce his decision.

His resignation comes days after the media published stories questioning his academic background and accusing José Miguel Llorca Senabre of practising medicine in a clinic without ever having qualified as a doctor. José Miguel Llorca Senabre admitted that personal circumstances prevented him from completing his medical studies and that he took full responsibility for that. With regards to ‘the error’ he committed in his youth he asked how anyone could throw the first stone without analysing their own life first.

He said that he was leaving a strong cohesive PP team in the town hall who were in his own words prepared to die for Villajoyosa. Llorca Senabre had been Mayor of Villjoyosa for the last 8 years. Speaking of his time in office he said that it hadn’t been a bed of roses and that he had been continuously persecuted through lawsuits taken out against him and false accusations which he had overcome only through the belief that he was working for the good of the town.

He also said that his privacy had been invaded and that it had begun to affect his family life which for him is sacrosanct and for this reason he couldn’t go on. Despite the scandal of the doctor who never was, Alicante's local provincial government, also PP, backed the former mayor and advised him not to resign, whereby the more powerful Valencian PP Regional government stepped in and forced the resignation.

Related:
English-speaking doctors in Spain
Healthcare in Spain
My heart opertion in Spain

Political reaction to ETA's ceasefires

2007-06-06T14:46:00.000+02:00

A Spanish blog published an interesting comparison of reactions of the then main opposition party (PSOE) to the news that ETA had decided to break the 1999 ceasefire after holding talks with Aznar's PP government, with reactions of the PP, now opposition, to the announcement that ETA was breaking its 2006 ceasefire made public two days ago.

President Zapatero has repeatedly asked the PP opposition to join all other political parties in their support for Government policy towards Basque terrorism and to give their support to the peace process. The following comparisons offer an interesting contrast in reactions of the respective oppositions to the 1999 and 2006 ceasefire break announcements.

Comparison of Opposition Reactions to the end of the ETA Ceasefire both in 1999 and 2007 according to Spanish blog A la Sombra del Tomate

PSOE Socialist Party - then opposition - reactions to ETA's announcement in 1999:

JOAQUÍN ALMUNIA - Then leader of the PSOE party, then opposition to the PP
29th November in to EFE
"It is clear that the only group responsible for the end of the ceasefire is ETA. We are facing a moment of unity and consensus where those responsible for this are Aznar, Ibarretxe and possibly myself. If the president of the government wants to speak to me I’ll answer his call. All democrats need to put aside our differences and look for what we have in common which is basically the defence of peace and our commitment to work together to achieve peace, democracy and freedom".

MANUEL CHAVES - Socialist President of the Andalucian Regional Government and Secretary General of the PSOE party, 30th November
Insisted that his party would never be guilty of electioneering when it comes to the terrorist problem and that it would back all (PP) Government initiatives in order to redirect the situation and guarantee the ceasefire

CRISTINA CARBONA - then a prominent member of the PSOE party and today Minister of the Environment, 29th November
The attitude of the terrorist organisation can’t be blamed in any circumstances on errors committed by the government or how the government has acted during the peace process in the Basque Country. It is not a moment to appear disunited but to promote the position that all democrats take against this u turn and to trust that ETA will regret its mistake and not return to violence once again.

RAMÓN JAÚREGUI, General Secretary of the Basque Socialist Party, 29th November
Pleaded to political parties to "make it as difficult as possible for ETA to go back to killing", by fostering dialogue between all political groups and insitutions fundamentally between the President of the Government, the Lehendakari (the leader of the Basque Parliament) and the General Secretary of PSOE.

PP - today's main opposition party - reaction to ETA's announcement in 2007

MARIANO RAJOY (Leader of the PP), 5th June
“To give in to a terrorist organization is a mistake that would only serve to strengthen that organization. I ask the Spanish Government to rectify its position. I ask for clarity, certainty, security and under no circumstances that it act ambiguously. The president’s declaration this morning was not clear in any way. I ask that there will be no cession or negotiation with ETA and that he puts into use all the mechanisms of a democratic state and the law. And I ask for facts and proof that all Spaniards require that the government will not give in’’

ESPERANZA AGUIRRE (PP President of Madrid), 5th June
"The President of the government had a mandate to verify that ETA had given up its arms. However, that mandate was never carried out. ETA "has always used ceasefires to rearm itself and that the end of this ceasefire came just two days after it achieved control of some townhalls and 250 million euros towards extorsion and killing".

IGNACIO ASTARLOA, PP Justice and Security Spokesman, 5th June
"The PP told PSOE that this peace process was ridiculous and would only lead to total concessions to the terrorists and their return but this time stronger. I regret that all this has happened in a scenario of total cession on the part of the government".

LEOPOLDO BARREDA, PP Spokesman in the Basque Country, 5th June
“…Over the last 14 months ther was nothing real or certain about this ceasefire. It gives the impression that everything has been deliberate given that the ceasefire was broken only after the local elections because it was important for them to get back into local government. "

UN Secretary General calls on ETA to reinstate ceasefire

2007-06-07T14:38:00.000+02:00

During his official visit to Spain yesterday, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, called on ETA to reinstate the ceasefire which it called off just 2 days ago. He also expressed his firm support for the Spanish government and Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

During a press conference with the Spanish president Ban Ki-moon said that he denounced violence and was sure that the international community would stand by Spain. He also added that there was no justification for terrorism. He urged ETA to make an effort to return to the ceasefire and said that all conflicts of opinion should be resolved peacefully and that there could not be dialogue if there was violence.

This statement was made on his own initiative. Yesterday the European parliament also gave its support to the Spanish government when the European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Franco Frattini, denied a representative from Batasuna the right to hold official talks.

Ban also praised the ‘Alliance of Civilisations’ which has been promoted by Zapatero whereas Zapatero spoke about Spain’s support for multilateralism and said that Spain identified itself with the objectives and methods followed by the UN – peace, human rights and world stability. Spain has 2,800 troop in different parts of the world such as Lebanon, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Bosnia, helping UN peacekeeping efforts.

Meanwhile, Spanish government officials who met with Ban spoke of the need for more Spanish representation in the UN organization and according to official sources Ban asked for a list of names in order to correct this situation.

ETA announces end to cease-fire

2007-06-05T09:32:00.000+02:00

At 2.00 am this morning, ETA sent a press release to the Basque paper Berria declaring an end to the "permanent ceasefire" which the Basque terrorists originally announced in March last year (see ETA ceasefire).

Recent events suggested that a formal announcement of this nature by ETA was imminent - although the terrorists did of course in effect end the ceasefire in in December when they planted a bomb in Madrid's main airport killing two civilians. After the bomb, the terrorist group claimed that it had not intended to kill civilians, that the bomb had been intended as a warning and that the truce was still in place. However the the Spanish government called off peace talks with the group and demanded an end to violence.

A break-through in the peace process has since looked increasingly unlikely given and the following events all tended to point to an eventual end to this latest ETA truce:

Several thefts of explosives in France suggested that the terrorists were re-arming and arrests were made in France of armed ETA suspects
The Spanish authorities continued to pursue and capture ETA suspects, and refused to postpone any trials pending negotiations
Mobilisation by the PP of victims and supporters has led to several anti-negotiation with ETA rallies being held all over Spain. The opposition party has been ruthless in its criticism of the Government, and for the first time in Spanish history the opposition used terrorism as an anti-government weapon in the recent election campaigns
Last week an unusually large number of Basque businesses received letters demanding a payment of 150,000 euros to the ETA cause so that the Basque terrorists could "carry on fighting for the cause" at what the letters said was a "key moment in the fight for freedom"
A video obtained by Spanish television channel Tele Cinco last week showed ETA paramilitaries instructing how to make bombs and how to shoot to kill
Refusal of the political wing of ETA to condemn violence throughout the peace process

In its announcement made this morning, ETA says it will consider the ceasefire to be officially over as from midnight tomorrow, 6th June. The terrorists claim that "the minimum conditions required in order to continue negotiations no longer exist" and that "Zapatero's Government has responded to the cease in armed actions with arrests, tortures and persecutions". ETA accuses Zapatero of going back on his original predisposition in favour of "facism which leaves citizens and parties with no rights".

President Rodríguez Zapatero is expected to address Spain this morning and the opposition party will make a statement after the President's address. Zapatero is expected to appeal for calm, to reassure Spaniards that the government will remain firm in its fight to end terrorism and to ask for the support of all political parties in the fight against ETA.

Breakthrough hand transplant by Spanish surgeons

2007-06-04T15:46:00.000+02:00

Valencian Hospital in Pioneering Hand Transplant Operation

In the Virgen del Consuelo hospital in Valencia doctors have carried out a pioneering hand transplant operation on a man who lost use of his only hand after suffering a stroke.

The man, who had lost his left hand 40 years ago, had been unable to use his right hand since suffering from the stroke which had paralyzed the right hand side of his body three years ago.

Pedro Cavadas led a team of doctors who firstly converted the man’s right hand into a left hand by changing the place of the thumb and then transplanted it on the man’s stump where his left hand used to be, on the side of his body which can function normally.

The operation, the only one of its kind in the world, took place on 29th April this year. The patient will have to do some rehabilitation exercises over the next few months and should be able to use his ‘new’ left hand ‘reasonably well’.

Condoleeza Rice critices Spain prior to visit

2007-05-31T11:19:00.000+02:00

Rice criticises Spain over Cuba 2 days before official visit

Condoleeza Rice, the US Secretary of Sate, criticised Spain over meetings with officials from the Cuban government. while speaking to journalists on a flight bound for Europe on Tuesday.

Rice referred to the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, who visited Cuba recently and met with members of the Cuban government but not with any members of dissident groups.

She said that she was ‘not sure whether Spain and the US coincided with each other’ in reference to their policies towards Cuba. Although she did state that she was sure that both countries agreed over the need for democracy in Cuba and that a country like Spain which has been capable of overcoming years of authoritarian rule peacefully and hand freedom to its citizens understands that Cubans deserve the same.

She also went on to say that it wasn’t clear how meeting with the current regime, whose objective is to continue undemocratically, could further this aim. Whilst Moratinos had meetings with important Cuban government officials another member of his team, the General Director for Iberoamerica, Javier San Domingo, only spoke to representatives from dissident groups by telephone.

Nevertheless Rice did stress that Spain was an important NATO ally. She also emphasised that the two countries had worked well together over Afghanistan.
Rice is due to visit Spain on Friday during a week long trip to Europe where she will be attending a meeting of the G8 in Potsdam, Germany. She is scheduled to meet with government officials including Moratinos. This will be the first time a member of the Bush administration has visited Spain since Zapatero became president in April 2004.

Islamic terrorism suspects arrested in Barcelona

2007-05-30T11:17:00.000+02:00

16 arrested in operation against Islamist terrorism in Spain

An operation headed by the High Court judge Baltasar Garzón has led to 16 people being detained this week on suspicion of involvement in Islamist terrorism in Spain. Those arrested are accused of looking for recruits to send to terrorist training camps in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

13 of the arrests took place in Barcelona, Igualada and Santa Coloma de Gramanet. The rest were in the Madrid neighbourhood of Aranjuez and in Malaga. Information held on computers discovered during the raids is now being analysed.

'Operación Tala' is the result of an investigation into those suspected of involvement in Islamist terrorism in Spain. The investigation, which lasted several months, was carried out by police information squads from Madrid and Barcelona.

During the lengthy investigation evidence was uncovered to suggest that radicalisation of young Muslims took place and the idea of Jihad (holy war) was promoted. Furthermore, those suspected of involvement are accused of having financial links with terrorist camps in North Africa and other countries where there is armed conflict such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Civil Guard Investigating PP in Melilla

2007-05-26T09:54:00.000+02:00

According to reports in the Spanish press, doubts over the validity of postal voting have been raised in Melilla. Following accusations made by members of the Melilla Coalition Party the Public Prosecutor’s office ordered the Civil Guard to investigate possible fraudulent practices related to local and regional elections to be held in Spain this weekend.

Yesterday the Civil Guard searched an education centre in Melilla and found food vouchers each with a value of 60 euros. According to the Melilla Coalition Party these vouchers have been given out to Muslim citizens in exchange for votes in favour of the PP. Furthermore, the food vouchers carried the signature of Hassan Driss the Regional Vice-Minister for Welfare and also the PP candidate for Melilla.

Around 90 documents were discovered including 25 named food vouchers, over 20 applications for postal votes and up to 23 voting cards with the same names as those which appeared on the food vouchers.

During their search of the premises the Civil Guard also discovered 8 envelopes which included all the documentation necessary for postal voting. However, each of these envelopes were votes in favour of the PP

Cheaper mobile calls in Europe

2007-05-25T08:58:00.000+02:00

Mobile calls abroad 70% cheaper from August this year

The 70% reduction in the cost of using a mobile when abroad will come into effect by August this year following the ratification of a ruling over roaming charges in the European parliament yesterday.

The new rule will put an end to excessive charges when using a mobile elsewhere in the EU. A new maximum charge of 49 cents per minute is to be introduced for making calls and 24 cents per minute for receiving a call.

Furthermore the new rule will establish charges for operators too. This is the price that operators charge each other when their clients use other services while abroad, the new charge will be capped at 30 cents. According to Viviane Reding, the European Commissioner in charge of this new ruling, the new caps on prices will reduce standard charges by up to 70% in the current market.

Further information on the new ruling will be published in the official EU newspaper on 29th June and from this moment onwards operators will have one month to introduce the new ‘European rate’ or offer a better alternative to its clients. The new maximum charges will be applicable in August and all clients who have not opted for any alternatives will be covered by the new consumer protection rate by September.

The ‘European rate’ will be reduced following its introduction this year. After one year it will be cut by 2 cents and in 2009, two years after its introduction it will be cut by 3 cents. In 2008 it will be 46 cents for calls made and 22 cents for calls received whilst operators will only be able to charge 28 cents for their services. By 2009 the charges will drop to 43 cents for calls made, 19 cents for calls received and 26 cents for operators.

The new ruling is only applicable for 2 years, following this the EU will review mobile charges and decide whether to prolong the ruling.

The Bank of Spain warns of rise in arrears in Spain

2007-05-24T09:34:00.000+02:00

According to an article published in El País yesterday, the financial sector had a very good year in 2006 according to a report by the Bank of Spain which showed that the net profits made by banks, building societies and credit cooperatives were around 25,717 million euros - 33.6% more than in 2005. Furthermore the number of people getting into arrears was very low. However, it also warns that record profits in the financial sector were down to the amount of credit granted.

Figures from the Bank of Spain show that the number of people or entities getting into arrears doubled its rate of growth in 2006, going up by 10% with respect to the previous year - the rate of growth of arrears in 2005 was just 4.6% which is 15,219 million euros. However, despite this growth, the number of people or entities in arrears continues to be very low at 0.6%.

Credit granted to the private sector amounted to almost 2 billion euros in December last year, a growth of 24.8% compared to 2005. This growth is even higher at 26% if credit granted to companies and Spanish families is taken into account. However, credit granted to families for the purpose of buying a house or flat grew at a slightly lower rate at 22% while credit granted to companies grew significantly by 30.3%.

The real estate sector adds weight to these figures in that credit to building firms rose by 33% and credit to property developers rose by 50%. The Bank of Spain highlighted that this was the most notable growth for ten years. One reason for such a high level of growth in the building sector could be companies trying to avoid extra cost when new rules that are due to come into effect soon on the quality of building work.

The Bank of Spain also underlined the ratio of people getting into arrears is still very low especially for mortgages for which the rate is just 0.4%. Nevertheless, it warned that with interest rates on the rise people or entities getting into arrears will probably increase and that ‘complacency should be avoided’ and ‘the evolution of costs’ should be monitored closely.

Condoleeza Rice to visit Spain

2007-05-22T09:06:00.000+02:00

Condoleezza Rice to Visit Spain on 1st June

The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, will visit Spain, Germany and Austria between 29th May and 1st June, according to information from the US State Department published by the Spanish media today.

The visit to Spain which is expected to take place on 1st June, is the first official visit from a member of the Bush government since President José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero became president and relations between Spain and the US deteriorated because of the Spanish President's decision to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq.

Dispute over shipwreck treasure

2007-05-23T09:01:00.000+02:00

US company denies that treasure recovered from shipwreck in Atlantic was found in Spanish waters

Odyssey Marine Exploration, a US company, today affirmed that it has recovered more than half a million gold and silver coins, valued to be worth more than 371 million euros, from a shipwreck at the bottom of the Atlantic. However it also denied that the treasure was recovered from HMS Sussex, a 17th century English ship which is thought to lie somewhere to the East of the Gilbraltar straits.

The US company which has headquarters in Florida denied that the ‘Black Swan’, which is the name given to the shipwreck discovered last Friday, was the same as HMS Sussex, for which the company obtained a permit from both Spain and the United Kingdom for its identification it but not for extracting any cargo. It also denied that it was found in waters near to where the remains of HMS Sussex are thought to lie.

Nevertheless, Odyssey Marine Exploration is waiting for the Spanish government to name some divers who will have the responsibility for overseeing the US company whilst they carry out further exploration in the Mar de Alborán aimed at locating the wreck of HMS Sussex. In a statement to the press Odyssey Marine Exploration said that they had no further information on the identification of the shipwreck.

According to the US company the treasure was discovered in a undetermined part of the Atlantic but out of territorial waters or the legal jurisdiction of any country.
There has also been speculation over the origins of treasure from a shipwreck at the bottom of the English Channel between the United Kingdom and France for which Odyssey Marine Exploration recently applied for permission from a US court for the recovery its cargo.

A lawyer from the company indicated last autumn that the company believed that it had found the remains of a 17th century merchant ship which had sunk with a valuable cargo around 65 kilometres off the South coast of England. A judge awarded the US company the exclusive rights over the recovery of this shipwreck just days before it announced the discovery of 500,000 coins last week. To date Marine Odyssey Exploration has refused to say whether the coins are from the shipwreck in the English channel.

The Spanish government has opened an investigation to find out where the US company discovered the gold coins, from which shipwreck, what permission it had and most importantly whether the treasure was found in Spanish waters. The Spanish Minister for Culture, Carmen Calvo, emphasised that when the matter was clarified the government would act accordingly as Spanish law states that anything discovered off the Spanish coast belongs to Spain

Controversy in lead up to local and regional elections

2007-05-19T13:40:00.000+02:00

Possible mal practice regarding the electin Castelló Town Hall

According an article published this week in the Levante Newspaper the Town Hall in Castellon, run by Spain’s main opposition party the PP, has allowed the inscription of 117 Rumanians on the electoral register. However, all 117 are registered as residing at the same address which happens to be the headquarters of Cáritas, a charity run by the Catholic church.

This situation means that as a result of registering numerous residents at the same address, approved by the local government, more than 100 people who possibly may not really reside in the area have been given the right to vote in the forthcoming local elections.

Conditions at the headquarters of Cáritas, which in reality is only an advice centre, are not those of a residence and according to the paper it is impossible for 117 people to live there.

The discovery of this situation opens the controversy once again over the race for the Rumanian vote in the local elections and the reports of PP run Town Halls in and around Castellon registering fictitious inhabitants on their electoral register.

So far the local government has not questioned the validity of the 117 Rumanians residency at the Caritas headquarters in Castellon and when a reporter from Levante Newspaper went to Castellon to investigate whether 117 Rumanians really lived in the Cáritas Headquarters nobody answered the doorbell.

This is the latest in a series of controversies in the lead up to elections next weekend. In several regions around Spain, parties have accused eachother of trying to inflate the electoral register in order to increase their own votes.

Spanish actor Javier Bardem receives standing ovation in Cannes

2007-05-21T13:21:00.000+02:00

Javier Bardem received a standing ovation for his performance in the latest Coen brothers film, ‘No Country for Old Men’, in which he plays one of the leading roles.

‘No Country for Old Men’ is considered by film critics as one of the best pieces of work by the Coen brothers in the last decade. It is based on the novel of the same name by the American author Cormac McCarthy, about a relentless persuit on the US – Mexican border. Apart from Bardem, the film stars Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and Kelly Macdonald.

In a press conference held after the screening of the film yesterday, Bardem, candidate for the best actor prize at this year’s Cannes film festival after what many consider to be one of his best performances until now, said that he had had the time of his life while making the film and that working with the Coen brothers was like a dream for him.

Bardem said of working with the two brothers that he was very surprised to discover that they slept in separate beds, referring to the way in which the Coen brothers work so well together, a comment which brought laughs from those present. He also said that he had been very unsure about whether or not to accept the role, because he can't speak English and he doesn't like violence. But the chance of working with the Coen brothers was an offer too good to refuse.

Spanish film critics seem to agree that while the Coen's latest film is very good, it isn’t completely successful in that it doesn’t maintain the same level of tension right to the end and there are too many loose ends. However they all do seem to agree that Bardem’s performance adds weight to the film. The Spanish actor starred in The Sea Inside which won an Oscar a couple of years ago.

Related:
The Sea Inside wins Oscar

New driving laws in Spain

2004-10-25T22:27:00.000+02:00

Last week the Spanish government passed new legislation aimed at reducing Spain's terrible record of traffic accidents and road safety. Here is a summary of the new traffic legislation in Spain based on the new "points" system:

From now on there will be three main categories of drivers:
"Normal" - 12 points
"New drivers" - drivers with less than 3 years experience - 8 points
"Veterans" - drivers who have lost all their points and have got a new licence - 8 points.

How to win back points:
If drivers successfully complete a course of "sensibilización and reeducación" they will be awarded 4 points.
If drivers drive for three years without committing any breach of conduct they will win back all their points.

Points lost for bad driving:

Drivers lose 6 points for:

Driving under the influence of alcohol (>0,75 mg/l).
Driving under the influence of drugs
Refusing to undergo breath tests
Driving in the wrong direction
Driving in unauthorised races or competitions
Dangerous driving
Driving vehicles which are not permitted on motorways
Speeding over 50% or 30 km over the authorised speed

Drivers lose 4 points for:

Driving under the influence of alcohol ((0,25-0,75 mg/l)
Driving a vehicle with too many passengers (50% more than the authorised limit)
Driving in parallel with other vehicles
Driving a vehicle with no registration plate
Driving a vehicle which has not passed its MOT
Driving irresponsibly
Speeding (over 40-50 km the limit)
Failing to respect right of way
Failing to respect a STOP sign
Failing to respect overtaking laws
Changing direction in dangerous situations, such as tunnels, junctions, motorways and roads where overtaking is forbidden.
Reversing on motorways
Accelerating to prevent other vehicles from overtaking
Overtaking on bends or when visibility is reduced
Failure to obey traffic police
Failure to obey traffic lights.

Drivers lose 3 points for:

Speeding
Not respecting distances with vehicles in front
Driving without lights
Driving with lights which dazzle other drivers
Driving while using other devices which prevent the driver from paying full attention to driving (eg mobile telephones)
Stopping or parking in bends, areas with reduced visibility, tunnels, junctions, dangerous areas or areas which present other drivers with difficulties

Drivers lose 2 points for:

Stopping or parking in: places which make it more difficult for other vehicles to turn; urban areas where lack of visibility represents danger; tram lines; places which make it difficult for other drivers to see road signs; lanes reserved for public transport
Driving vehicles which have mechanisms installed aimed at avoiding police controls
Not obeying rules of overtaking other vehicles (even if other drivers are not put at risk)
Changing direction or reversing against traffic rules
Driving without wearing seatbelts, helmets or other compulsory protective devices (driver or passengers),
Riding motorbikes with underage passengers (12 years) without permission

For practical advice on traffic norms and customs in Spain see:
Driving in Spain and Roads in Spain

Spain falls further behind in new technologies

2007-05-16T11:38:00.000+02:00

Spain falling behind technological advances

According to a study carried out over the last 7 years aimed at finding out which countries in the world are the most innovative in terms of adopting new technologies, the present Spanish government has failed in its pledge to get Spain out of the rut it has occupied in innovation and new technology.

The study, carried out by The Economist, analyses almost 100 quantitative and qualitative parameters. This year Spain comes just 26th out of a total of 69 countries included in the study. The country which tops the list is Denmark for the second time running while he US and Sweden share second place.

The study looked at the infrastructure of information technologies in each country, its use by citizens, companies and the government and its involvement in the development of these technologies. According to the report their classifications allow each government to judge its technological initiatives against that of other countries.

The study also analysed 6 categories under the principle that digital development of a country affected its social, cultural and political structure, technological infrastructure and communications, the business, social and legal setting and the vision of the government and the adoption of new technologies both by companies and individuals. Spain does not make it into the top ten in any of the above concepts and its overall classification is just 7.29 out of 10.

According to the study the quantity and quality of Spain’s infrastructure appears to be its worst category with a ranking of just 6.70 out of 10 - one of the lowest rankings for all the EU countries in the study. This concept looks at the opportunity for individuals to connect to the internet and the availability of broadband internet connection as well as the number of mobile phones. In statistics published in the Eurobarometer Spain is just above the average of 25% of homes with mobile telephones and land lines but below figures for households with computers and access to broad band internet connection.

In terms of government vision and policies in new technologies, Spain earns a mark of 7.25 which is also below other Western European countries, including Malta and Italy, and extremely low when compared with Denmark (9.85).

Spain also ranks badly in the categories of business environment, which analyses the facilities for the creation and development of high-tech companies, and adopting new technologies in a social-cultural setting.

Related:
Domestic use of new technology in Spain
Online shopping in Spain
E-commerce in Spain
E-commerce sector in Spain
Online shops in Spain

Voting trends in Spanish elections

2007-05-15T09:40:00.000+02:00

Spanish Voting Tendencies

Less than two weeks to go for local and regional elections in Spain, el País published an interesting article with the results of a study carried out to describe voting trends in Spain over the past few years. According to the study, rural and industrial areas vote in favour of PSOE (the Spanish Socialist Party) while urban areas tend to vote for the PP (the Peoples’ Party). This political map has remained virtually unchanged since 1995, when there was a large swing in favour of the PP in the local elections.

These voting patterns have recently been examined by electoral experts because it wasn’t always like this. PSOE’s downfall in large urban areas came in 1995. The following year they were defeated in the General elections. This fall in popularity came after a number of national scandals involving the Socialist government of the day. Many Socialist mayors were the first victims of this electoral revolt.

In fact in the local elections of 1995 PSOE only retained power in 5 provincial capitals out of a total of 52. They improved their position in 1999 and again in 2003 but have never recovered from the huge loss of votes in 1995.

Álvaro Cuesta, a leading member of PSOE has been working with a group of experts who have looked into voting behaviour over the last 3 years. The findings show that voting patterns have been affected by an ageing population, higher incomes, and the fact that young people have been forced to move out of cities because of the constant rise in property prices. In addition to these causes other PSOE leaders have also highlighted disenchantment and lack of political activity in certain sectors of the urban population.

The study found that PSOE leads in areas where there are up to 5000 inhabitants. In this group PSOE received a total of 86,000 more votes than the PP. This represents 6390 Town Halls or just 6.57% of the population. PSOE also dominates in places where the population is between 5000 and 20,000 inhabitants – this represents 882 Town Halls which is 19.7% of the population and just 10.87% of all Town Halls. This works out as 250,000 more votes than the PP.

PSOE leads in populations consisting of 20,000 to 50,000 inhabitants which is 14.82% of the total Spanish population, a total of 126,000 more votes.

Out of 123 Town Halls for areas with more than 50,000 inhabitants PSOE is in charge of 61 as oppose to the 50 which are governed by the PP. The other 12 that remain are in the hands of regional parties or nationalists.

However, when it comes to provincial capital cities where the PP is the clearly in the lead in charge of almost double the number of Town Halls . However, in large industrial areas where there is a large working class population most votes are in favour of PSOE.

The study also demonstrated that in populations with between 50,000 and 250,000 inhabitants, which account for 25.1% of the Spanish population, PSOE governs in 54 cities as oppose to 41 cities governed by the PP.

Out of 12 cities consisting of 250,000 to 500,000 inhabitants the PP has 6 Town Halls and PSOE just 4 with the others being governed by Izquierda Unida and the the PNV, the Basque Nationalist Party.

Finally in populations of more than 500,000 both the PP and PSOE are in charge of 3 Town Halls each. Barcelona, Sevilla and Zaragoza are governed by PSOE and Madrid, Valencia and Malaga by the PP.

Walking holidays in Spain

2007-05-10T11:58:00.000+02:00

The Ministry for the Environment to connect Spain’s major rivers via ‘Natural Green Routes’

The Ministry for the Environment has announced that Spain’s major rivers will be connected via ‘Natural Green Routes’ that can be followed on foot, by bike or by an other non-motorized means. Around 1,359 kilometres of natural routes have already been opened within the programme established by the government which will cost in the region of 384 million euros.

The Secretary General for Territory and Biodiversity, Antonio Serrano, presented the government’s plans for ‘Natural Green Routes’. It aims to help develop sustainable rural development and is in partnership with the Foundation for Spanish Railways.

Serrano explained that the Environment ministry is involved in creating 16,000 kilometres of ‘Natural Green Routes’ with an objective of creating 5,600 by 2008.
He said that the government is hoping to open the first ‘Natural Green Route’ that connects the Delta del Ebro with Finisterre in the Atlantic taking advantage of the International Expo to be held in Zaragoza in 2008 in which water plays a central theme. Furthermore, Serrano highlighted that it is supporting mobility which is non-motorized which is part of the Ministry’s campaign against climate change.

The Director of the Spanish Railways Green Routes programme spoke of the importance of local participation referring both to citizens and to local authorities which she said should set up local organizations.

In the long term there are plans to set up long ‘Natural Green Routes’ to connect Spain, Portugal, France and Italy and to create legislative framework in relation to this.

High speed trains in Spain reach new maximum

2007-05-09T09:03:00.000+02:00

The AVE - top speed 300 km/h

The Minister for Transport, Magdalena Álvarez, confirmed this week that Spain’s high speed train, the AVE will travel at a maximum speed of 300 km/h although the new AVE trains can reach top speeds of 350 km/h.

She ruled out the possibility of trains between Barcelona and Madrid travelling over 300 km/h. Initially there had been plans for the AVE Madrid-Barcelona to reach maximum speeds of 350 km/h by 2004.

The announcement was made in Atocha station in Madrid following the AVE’s arrival from Tarragona in which the AVE reached a top speed of 300 km/h for the first time. The journey took just over 2 ½ hours, cutting 15 minutes off the previous time.

The Minister for Transport also announced that there would be test runs of the AVE to Sant Joan Despí station in Barcelona and that tests would continue until December 2007. When the AVE is finally in operation from Barcelona, the 4 Catalan capitals will be connected to high speed rail links by a system of shuttle trains.

Álvarez mounted the Ave in Tarragona at the beginning of this week accompanied by the President of Renfe, José Salgueiro and the President of Railway Infrastructure, Antonio González. The train left at 13.45 pm and arrived in Atocha 5 minutes earlier than expected at 16.10 pm making just one stop at Zaragoza Delicias. This is the first time that the Ave has reached 300 km/h.

Álvarez said that rail fares would be the same for the whole of Spain and season tickets would be introduced according to demand, the same goes for the shuttle service in Catalunya.

Related:
Rail travel in Spain
Road travel in Spain
Air travel in Spain
Cheap flights to Spain