Driving offences in Spain

Yesterday the Interior Minister announced changes in the driving laws in Spain. José Antonio Alonso informed Congress that the use of mobile phones while driving or failure to use car seat belts will be considered serious offences, and will result in points being taken off offenders' driving licenses in a new points system to come into effect next year. Until now both offences have been considered "light", and it is not at all unusual to see drivers talking on their phones while driving. Despite frequent campaigns on television and radio stressing the importance of car seat belts, a big percentage of Spaniards do not take any notice of back seat belts (use was only made compulsory a few years ago and many families have simply not got used to belting their children up in the back of the car).

The Interior Minister said that the points system about to be introduced in Spain will be similar to the one used in France. Driving licenses will have a credit of 12 points, in the case of experienced drivers, and 6-8 during a new driver's first 2 years of driving. He said that if someone is caught speeding for example, 3 points would be taken from the offender's driving license. If a driver loses all 12 points, the driving licence will be withdrawn for a year, and once the year is up, the driver will have to take a special test and a course, aswell as the usual theoretical and practical driving tests in order to be given a new license.

The Spanish Government hopes that these new measures will help to reduce the number of deaths on Spanish roads - Spain has one of Europe's worst road safety records, and one of the highest rates of deaths caused by traffic accidents.

Gay marriages in Spain

Congress holds a debate today in what is the first step towards legalisation of marriages between homosexuals in Spain and also towards a law aimed at recognising the rights of stable couples who live together but are not married.P

The majority of members of parliament are expected to appove four motions (proposed by the Catalan parties, CiU and ERC, and the leftist Izquierda Verde) to give unmarried couples the same sorts of rights as married couples, and another motion (proposed by the Socialist Party and heavily criticised by the Catholic Church) to approve the procedure which should lead up to the eventual legalisation of weddings between homosexual couples. The Government hopes to have pushed through legislation recognising the legality of gay marriages, and so fulfill another electoral promise, by the beginning of 2005.

Princess Anne's visit and Gibraltar's tercentenary celebrations

Today Princess Anne arrives to Gibraltar on an official visit and the Spanish press and government have greeted the news with surprise and indignation. Government officials call the visit "inopportune" because it coincides with the celebrations of Gibraltar's 300 year anniversary of British rule (the Spanish press and politicians call it British occupation rather than rule).

The Spanish government is so annoyed at the visit and the celebrations, that apparantly on Saturday the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernardino León, summoned the British ambassador to Spain, Stephen Wright, to his office so that he could convey in person the Government's "anger and disappointment" at the Tercentenary Celebrations and the official visit of Princess Anne. According to León, "although the British government claims that this official visit bears no relation to the Tercentenary of British occupation of Gibraltar, it is obvious that one does bear a relation to the other, because of the timing of the visit".

Security has been tightened for the visit, and although today's programme has been announced, officials are not giving any information about events programmed for tomorrow and Wednesday. A spokesman for the Gibraltar authorities has said that for security reasons, the programme will be revealed on a daily basis.

Finally, according to El Mundo, Spanish President Rodgriguez Zapatero and US President Bush had a seven-minute (!!) meeting yesterday evening just before the official dinner held for world leaders at the NATO summit in Turkey. It is the first time both presidents have met, and the first time they have spoken since Zapatero ordered the withdrawel of Spanish troops from Iraq.

Spanish military air crash in Turkey - families given wrong bodies

After a year of speculation, campaigning by the victims' families, constant denial by the previous PP government of any malpractice or mistakes in identification procedures etc. DNA tests carried out last month prove that important mistakes were made in the identification procedure of at least 20 bodies in the days following the air crash over Turkey of a military plane carrying members of the Spanish peacekeeping corps.

When the crash occurred last year, political and media critics at the time accused Aznar of hiring one of the cheapest planes available to bring the troops home from their mission in Afghanistan (the Defence Ministry contracted an old Yakolev-42 run by a Ukrainian charter company) and of rushing to bring the bodies home, at the cost of proper identification, so that funerals could go ahead quickly and any political damage would be minimised. When the bodies were returned to Spain the relatives were given closed coffins after a state funeral service at a military airport in Madrid presided over by King Juan Carlos and attended by grief-stricken and angry relatives.

The Defense Minister at the time strongly denied any mismanagement of the crisis, as did the generals sent over by the PP Government to carry out the process of identification and repatriation of the corpses. They accused their critics of trying to make political gains out of a tragedy. Despite the fact that the Turkish authorities warned that 30 corpses had still not been identified when the Spanish military authorities arrived to repatriate the bodies, and claimed it was materially impossible for the Spaniards to have identified the bodies in the short time they were there before flying back to Spain with the coffins, Aznar's government refused to carry out new DNA tests to prove their case, and the families were repeatedly told that no mistakes had been made.

During the election campaign, Zapatero pledged to find out the truth and promised to offer logistical support to relatives who wanted to carry out DNA tests. One of the first trips abroad of Socialist Defence Minister José Bono was to Turkey last month when he accompanied 152 relatives to the area near the Black Sea where the chartered plane crashed and participated in memorial ceremonies in Macka and on the mountainside where the crash occurred.

The Association of Victims Families is expected to give a press conference today, and José Bono has said he will appear in Congress next week to explain the findings in greater detail. He said he would not use the issue to attack or discredit the previous government, but said that the Spanish people needed to know the truth. He is also expected to make some changes in top military posts in the Spanish army.

European Constitution referendum in Spain

Yesterday José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, President of Spain, announced that he would put the draft European Constitution to the Spanish people in a referendum to be held as soon as possible. In an appearance before Parliament called so that Zapatero could explain the terms of the constitution and its implications for Spain, the Spanish President said that he would urge his own party and all other political parties to work together to encourage voters to participate in the referendum.

Zapatero said "This government thinks it is in Spain's interests to be one of the first countries to ratify the new Union Treaty; we want to be among the first to act in this new crucial stage of European integration and by showing our example help to combat any possible scepticism or attempt to go backwards"

The general lack of interest shown by an election-weary Spanish electorate in the European elections was actually underlined by the low attendance of MPs during yesterday's parliamentary debate. Television images showed there to be almost as many empty seats as occupied ones. Zapatero referred to the possibility of very few voters taking part in the referendum: "Some people will say that it is risky to hold a referendum given the low participation in the last elections", but he said that it was important to try and fight voter apathy with arguments and said they must trust the Spanish people's judgement.

Zapatero intends to meet with all political parties to decide on a date for the referendum and to agree on the text of the question to be put to the Spanish electorate but yesterday's debate illustrated the fact that he will find it difficult to achieve consensus. Apart from the PP and Canary Islands party (Coalición Canaria), all the other parties were either ambiguous or critical of the European constitution. The ERC Catalan republican party spokesman announced his party's intention to campaign for a "No" to the proposed constitution, because the draft text doesn't include Catalan as an official European Union language. The PNV Basque nationalist party parliamentary spokesman was also critical of the treaty, saying it came far short of what his party had hoped for the Basque country.

The referendum is expected to be held in the next 6-12 months.

Disagreement over future law to tackle domestic violence in Spain

The draft legislation drawn up by the socialist government to tackle rising cases of domestic abuse in Spain received a serious setback yesterday when the majority of the Commission within the General Council of Judicial Powers responsible for studying the legality of new legislation, made public their conclusions. In the opinion of the majority of members of this Commission, the draft law is "incompatible with the Spanish Constitution" and some of its clauses are "misplaced, unacceptable and unjustified". Their verdict will have to be ratified by all members of the General Judicial Council next week to become final, but even so it is headline news in all Spanish newspapers today.

There are five members in the Commission, three designated by the Popular Party (one of whom was the author of the final report, and all of whom voted in favour) and two designated by the PSOE party (who voted against the report's conclusions).

The PP members of the commission center their criticism of the law on the following aspects:

1. "It is constitutionally wrong to condemn threats and force when only women are the victims... The fact that these crimes are based on the perpretrator being male, and the fact that by presuming his intentions, the legislation can lead to the suspect being prosecuted, are both incompatible with the Constitution"

2. In response to the Government proposal to create special courts to deal with domestic violence cases throughout Spain: "There can be no justification to create a new category of courts, just for women, which will lead to new jurisdiction based on the intentions of the aggresor and the sex of the victim. If special courts are not set up according to differences of race, ideology or beliefs, then neither should they be set up because of sex differences"

3. While the Commission recognises the serious degree of the domestic violence problem in Spain and the fact that the problem is "especially serious" for women, it doubts the "rationality and efficiency" of the new draft legislation. It also claims that it would have been better "to wait a while and evaluate the results" of legislation passed by the PP government last year to protect victims of domestic violence.

4. The Commission is critical of the fact that the draft legislation limits its scope to domestic violence against women. "Women will not be especially protected just because a law exists which only protects them, and excludes children, the elderly or, even, men"

Meanwhile, the two PSOE members of the commission have criticised their colleagues, and claim that the draft legislation is constitutional. One part of the final report claims that violence against elderly people and children is even more serious than violence against women because the elderly and children have no way of defending themselves or reporting the violence. The two PSOE members said yesterday "To make a claim like that is to deny that the social problem of domestic violence is a problem of one sex against the other, of men against women, and is a result of the dominating and possessive attitudes some men subject women to" The two minority members accuse their colleagues of failing to accept that "macho, sexist" attitudes lie at the root of a social problem, and are the reason why some men treat women as if they are inferior and as if they belong to them.

The general opinion in the Spanish media today is one of surprise and, to a certain extent, unease. Everyone is aware of the horrifying stories of domestic violence which hit the headlines almost daily lately in Spain. Women need to feel more protected in this country, and potentially violent men also need to be disuaded from using violence more than they are by current legislation. Domestic abuse carried out in the home affects the whole family anyway and for children to be protected, women victims need to feel stronger and more confident that the law will look after them. It is important that the draft legislation does not become a political football, while the violence continues.

Pope receives Zapatero in the Vatican

The Spanish President has an audience with the Pope today in Rome, and is expected to have to listen to some criticism regarding recent policies outlined by Spain's new government from one of the most conservative Popes in recent Catholic history.

The relationship between the PSOE Socialist party and the Spanish Catholic Church has often had its tense moments since democracy was reestablished in Spain after Franco's death. Many Socialists just could not forgive the Catholic Church for its excellent relationship with Franco, and for the Church's privileged position and role during the Spanish dictatorship. And the Spanish Catholic Church has often been critical of past Socialist government initiatives, for example legalisation of abortion and the decision to provide an alternative subject to religious education (which, along with maths and language, was a compulsory subject at all primary and secondary schools throughout Franco's dictatorship).

The Vatican has already expressed its disagreement with some of the new policies announced by the new Socialist government, including the legalisation of homosexual marriages and the decision to fully legalise abortion (in Spain in theory the right of women to abort is restricted by three main conditions - danger to the mother or baby's health if the pregnancy is to go ahead or pregnancy caused as a result of abuse - although most private clinics carry them out anyway). On Friday in the ceremony held to welcome the new Spanish Ambassador to the Vatican, the Pope condemned abortion and homosexual marriage and asked the new Spanish government to guarantee the right to life, to protect the family and marriage between men and women, and to defend religious education in state schools.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has told Spanish reporters that it is logical that he and the Pope will agree on some issues (e.g. Iraq) and disagree on others, but that his main message to the Pope will be his government's desire to have a good relationship with the Catholic Church, in spite of having different opinions about the above issues.

Finally, Spanish headlines today are dominated by Spain's quick exit from the Eurocup. Nobody expected Spain to lose, and players, management and half of Spain are all devastated having lost to a side they beat 3-0 just a few months ago. The general opinion here seems to be that they played a defensive match, and played it badly. When Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos was asked about the result at the end of an interview with Cadena Ser this morning, he said was very disappointed and put the loss down to the Spanish players "conservative" approach to the game. "That's what happens when you are conservative...you stay back and hope things will stay as they are. That's why I'm a socialist - I prefer to be more active in life and seek change"!!

Spanish Government satisfied with European Constitution

After what apparantly was a day full of tense meetings and difficult negotiations, European Union leaders last night finally agreed on a draft for the new European Constitution. Spain's President said he was "satisfied" with the final outcome.

Throughout the two days of negotiation it looked increasingly unlikely that any agreement would be reached at all, and reports filtered through of confrontations between various countries. In Spain this was perceived to be new president Rodriguez Zapatero's first big test in Europe, and when he left for Brussels 2 days ago accompanied by Spanish foreign secretary Miguel Angel Moratinos, Zapatero said he was determined to contribute in a constructive way to a final agreement and he was confident that Spain's role within the EU would be strengthened as a result. He also said it was very important for this meeting not to end in a stalemate as previous meetings have done.

Spain has lost the influence it was given by the 2000 Nice Treaty (something the PP representatives are bound to pounce on today), but has gained ground with respect to the draft agreement proposed, and rejected, during the Italian EU presidency last year.

The Spanish press more or less echoes the satisfaction expressed by Zapatero late last night. El Mundo says "In this new Europe, Spain is small among the large powers and large among the small ones" which is a good way of putting it.

All the main Spanish newspapers applaud the historic draft constitution, and give most of the credit for it to Bernie Ahern and his determination and diplomatic capacity (by all accounts he certainly deserves a good sleep tonight).

Is Barcelona Forum 2004 the mega event it aspires to be?

The Barcelona Forum 2004 is certainly an impressive set up, designed with the same sort of flair and enthusiasm shown by the Catalan authorities when they organized the Olympics in 1992. Located right on the edge of the city overlooking the sea, the whole area around the Forum has been rebuilt and new buildings of flats, offices, a big shopping center etc. have replaced what used to be one of Barcelona's poorest, run-down, post-industrial, polluted areas. The number of new high-rise buildings built in the past 5 years around the Forum itself is quite astounding although high prices probably mean that people who used to live in the area can't afford to buy any of the new homes available. Barcelona is famous for its modern architecture, and the new buildings are another example of the style and confidence of Catalan architects. Also, some of the old factory chimneys have been left standing inbetween some of the flashy new buildings, and the effect is quite impressive.

The Forum itself is made up of enormous colourful buildings housing the various exhibitions, conferences, dialogues, concerts etc. All the dialogues are held on one side, and all the exhibitions on the other. A concert is held every evening. The Forum 2004 organisation describes the event as "A new and creative space for reflection and experimentation in relation to the main cultural and social conflicts that humanity is faced with at the outset of the 21st century", and the design of the whole area certainly reflects this core objective. The courtyard in the middle of the two largest buildings needs a bit more shade, and some stands selling cool drinks would be welcome.

Inside, the spacious exhibitions are equally impressive, although you can't help experiencing a certain feeling of improvisation, especially as far as the organization of the dialogues is concerned. It is obvious that the building was finished quite hastily and some faults are apparant - just two days ago part of the Warriors of Xian had to be closed because rain leaking through the roof was threatening to damage the exhibits.

We asked local people (mostly taxi drivers because there weren't many adult locals in the Forum itself - most of the visitors during the week are non-Catalan except for the hundreds of school children, ages ranging from 5 to 18) what they thought of the Forum. Most reaction was quite sceptical. I'd read an article in El Pais last week in which the Mayor of Barcelona admitted that the Forum hadn't managed to "connect" with a significant part of Barcelona's population, and this was certainly the impression we got. One taxi driver criticised the prices and said that they were so high that he wouldn't be able to take his family (a day pass costs 21,00 € (adults), 15,80 € (ages 17-25), and 12,60 € (ages 7-16, pensioners and disabled people). Visitors are not allowed to take their own sandwiches and drinks, which makes a visit even more expensive. The driver commented that people living in Barcelona should have been offered a discount or a complementary family day pass or something similar. He also asked how local people could possibly feel part of something they simply couldn't afford to visit. Good point.

The Barcelona Forum 2004 is a spectacular set-up inspired by impressive ideals. And if it does turn out to be a regular event that succeeds in encouraging international dialogue and debate of important global issues, then it is an initiative we should welcome and support. But it might take time, and some organizational readjustments, for more people to be attracted to the event. For this to happen, the glossy image portrayed by the Forum with its really exceptional array of cultural events, conferences and exhibitions, will need to be accompanied by policies capable of attracting, accommodating and integrating local people aswell as one-off visitors.

Links:
Euroresidentes summary of practical information - prices, how to get there etc.

Euroresidentes visit to Barcelona Forum 2004

We are visiting the Barcelona Forum 2004 today to see first hand whether it is the amazing cultural experience its organizers make it out to be. More later today.

Spain's Constitutional Court to be chaired by a woman.

For the first time in Spanish judicial history a woman has been chosen to preside the Spanish Constitutional Tribunal, Spain's most important judicial tribunal. Her main rival, Guillermo Jiménez, lost by 3 votes (the final vote was 7-4), and decided not to contest the vice-presidency.

The Constitutional Tribunal prior to the vote was divided into two groups. The progressive sector supporting Maria Emilia Casas Baamonde and the more conservative judges who supported Guillermo Jiménez.

More and more women are occupying key positions in the Spanish political, legal and social structure. For the first time a woman occupies the vice-presidency of the Spanish Government, half of the Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's executive are women, and a woman was recently appointed new director of Radio and Television Española.

Property market in Spain

According to a study carried out by the BBV bank in Spain and quoted yesterday in the Spanish newspaper El ABC, 150,000 houses are purchased by foreign residents in Spain each year - adding up to 15% of the overall property market.

The housing market in Spain is double (in terms of real estate sales) what it was ten years ago and there have been reports that it will be slowing down in the coming years,at least in urban areas. The article contains a few interesting figures. 1.800,000 houses in Spain belong to foreign tourists, attracted to the country because of the climate, housing prices and the quality of life.

More and more tourists are purchasing second homes here in Spain each year (90.000), and the number of immigrants living and working in Spain buying homes is also on the rise (45,000 per year). Most of the houses bought by tourists from other European Union member states are situated along the Mediterranean coast or just a little way inland where property is generally cheaper - the difference in price between property in coastal areas and property in rural areas is considerable. In Campello a beautiful coastal village on the Costa Blanca for example, a small two bedroomed attached house with sea views and a shared garden and pool area can cost around 200.000 Euros, whereas a large villa with its own garden and pool located 20 km or so inland can cost half that amount.

Most EU nationals buying property in Spain prefer areas in which other nationals of their home country are already living. The Spanish refer to these areas as "colonias". While many do not need to integrate into Spanish life and culture because their neighbours speak their own language and their local shops belong to expats too, more and more EU nationals use the Spanish health service, for example this experience of a British man who recently had heart surgery in Spain.

Links
Reasons for living in Spain
Beautiful places in Spain

Spanish European Election results

As predicted by most polls yesterday, the Spanish Socialist party won a narrow victory over the Popular Party yesterday. Turn-out was the lowest of any elections held since democracy was restored in Spain after Franco's death - over 50% of the Spanish electorate chose to stay at home in spite of the fact that, as usual, polling was held on a Sunday and voters could go to their polling station from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.

The result of the ballot was very close, with PSOE party winning just 2 more seats than the PP. Popular Party leaders and candidates said they were delighted with their party's performance which, according to party spokesmen, proved that Spaniards want a strong opposition. In his end-of-election-night speech, the Socialist candidate Borell thanked voters for their support and said the margen would have been greater if more people had gone to vote.

All Spanish newspapers include headlines referring to the unprecedented low levels of voters' participation in these elections this morning:
- "Abstention reaches an all-time record" (Cadena Ser)
- "Abstention is the winner of the European Elections" (El Pais)
- "PSOE wins elections marked by the high level of abstention" (El Mundo)
- "General indifference" (La Razon)

Infact there has been a feeling of apathy and indifference surrounding these elections right from the start of the campaign. As I mentioned yesterday, it will be a relief not to have any more elections in Spain for a while. Even Cadena Ser substituted its traditional Election Night live programme at the last minute with football commentary from the England versus France match in Portugal, probably because they realised that interest in the elections was at an all time low. They interrupted the match commentary with occasional updates on results and with the speeches made by Borell and Mayor Oreja, but the emphasis was on sports rather than politics.

It is more difficult to explain the level of absentees in France, Germany, Italy.. and especially in in the new member states. Political commentators in the Spanish media stress this morning that given the general lack of interest among voters throughout Europe, and with anti-EU parties getting excellent results in countries like Britain, it is difficult to know how Europe can proceed towards further integration and a constitution, when Europeans seem to be at least uninterested in the whole process, and at worst highly sceptical.

European Elections today in Spain

If the opinion polls carried out in the week leading up to today's European elections turn out to be accurate, headlines tomorrow will talk of a high rate of abstention and a narrow victory for the Socialist party in the European elections held in Spain today.

The election campaign has been a very tense and verbally agressive one, with both main parties effectively ignoring themes such as the future of Europe, the European constitution, what policies they would push for if elected etc. The main focus of the speeches of both Josep Borrell and Jaime Mayor Oreja at political rallies, debates and declarations in interviews has been the whole issue of Aznar's support for the war against Iraq, Zapatero's decision to withdraw troops and the consequences for Spain's future role in international politics, Aznar's record as President of Spain, corruption in the last Socialist government and Zapatero's first weeks as President.

The European elections have arrived too soon after the March general election in Spain, and much of the tension coming out of the campaign is due to the continued resentment of the PP party members at having lost. Popular Party supporters still continue to chant "Presidente! Presidente!" when Mariano Rajoy, (their leader who lost to Zapatero in the elections) appears on stage at political rallies, in direct reference to their belief that he should have won the general elections in March. The new Socialist government, while succeeding more or less in changing the political climate here by promoting more dialogue and consensus, have made a few minor blunders in their first weeks in government, which have been pounced on by the PP representatives as proof of the Socialist's lack of experience and incapacity to govern the country.

Spain seems to have been having elections constantly for the past year. One year ago local and regional elections were held all over Spain in most autonomous regions, Madrid had to repeat its regional elections at the end of last Summer, last Autumn the Catalan regional elections were held and given much media coverage all over Spain as they were regarded as a vital final test for all parties in the lead up to the general elections (the Socialist party won and formed a coalition government with regional parties, and were heavily criticised for doing so by the Popular Party who suffered a very poor result). And the rest of the Winter and Spring were dominated by the lead up to the general election in March. So it isn't surprising that parties haven't managed to fill venues up for their rallies during this European election campaign.

All national Spanish newspapers agree this morning that abstention will be an important factor in the elections. If there is a high level of abstention, the Popular Party will probably benefit most, because they are much better at organising their supporters to get out and vote than the Socialists. Nevertheless, the fact that both parties look to todays elections to ratify (PSOE) or discredit (PP) the general election results in March might encourage some otherwise weary voters to cast their vote. This year 129.989 EU residents in Spain will participate in the elections and it will be interesting to see what sort of impact their vote has on the outcome. The first results will be available from 10 O'Clock onwards tonight.

E-COMMERCE IN SPAIN

The e-commerce sector in Spain is gradually catching on, and experts are cautiously optimistic about the future according to El País today.

Spaniards did not take to on-line shopping and on-line banking as enthusiastically as most of their EU and US counterparts, and Spain has consistently occupied one of the posts at the rear end of the international rankings of number of active Internet users in developed countries. Despite all the hype, by 2000 the numbers of people in Spain using Internet to buy products or services, was well below that of other European countries.

Today however, according to El País, things are changing, and e-commerce statistics are steadily improving from year to year. According to the Electronic Commerce Study B2C (don't open the link unless you speak Spanish and are really interested in the contents - it takes AGES to load), carried out by Red.es and the Spanish Association for Electronic Commerce (AECE), the number of e-consumers in Spain rose by a million in 2003, 35% more than the previous year.

El País asks experts why e-commerce trends in Spain have not matched figures in other European countries. In the opinion of those consulted, Spain was always bound to react slower to online buying, because the mail catalogue business was never a big thing over here. For many Spaniards, going out shopping continues to be a big part of their daily and social life. Big supermarkets only started to take off here 15-20 years ago, and many small Spanish barrios still boast an impressive array of successful, small local shops surrounding welcoming plazas with small parks for children and including thriving butchers, fishmongers, ironmongers, fruit and veg etc, still resistent to the increasing presence of larger supermarkets.

According to the El Pais article, the e-commerce market niches which have made their mark in Spain include the sale of bus, plane and train tickets, books and online banking. But, according to sources quoted in the article, Spaniards are still worried about how safe it is to use their credit cards in online transactions, and as many as 22.6% seek alternative ways of paying for their purchases (e.g. pay on delivery).

At the moment 30% of Spain's population uses Internet and the figure is, at last, steadily growing. And 23.2% of these Internet users made an online purchase of some kind or other last year. Also, even though the Spanish population in general remains reticent to purchasing online, Internet is affecting consumer choices here in the sense that almost 77% of Spanish Internet users use the network to compare availability, price and quality of products they are looking for, even though they end up going to a traditional shop to physically buy the product Internet has helped them to choose.

Terra Mítica, Benidorm theme park, faces bankrupcy.

Benidorm's large and controversial theme park Terra Mítica is on the verge of becoming bankrupt and auditors say that it may have to close.

Terra Mítica is one of the most controversial projects undertaken by the Valencian Regional Government during their 8 years in power. Political sectors opposing the project questioned the demand for and viability of a major theme park in this area - although Benidorm does fill up with families and young people in the high season, most of its tourists throughout the rest of the year are old age pensioners who are unlikely to get excited at the prospect of having a ride on Europe's largest roller coaster. Despite the negative results of feasibility studies commissioned by the Government, the project went ahead and was financed with enormous amounts of public money, some private investment, and massive loans from the two big regional savings banks. A company was formed to oversee the running of the Benidorm theme park with the participation of all investors, including the Valencian Government, and the banks.

Five years after opening, Terra Mítica has financial debts of 114 million Euros and liabilities of 387 million euros. Visitor numbers fall far below those required for the theme park to be a viable business venture and, according to the Levante, this year's audit (made public yesterday) warns that the financial state of Terra Mitica reflects uncertainty about the capacity of the company to continue in business.

Last year the theme park had losses of over 71 million euros, even worse than the losses registered each year ever since Terra Mitica was opened, and this year it is unable to keep up with payments of loans owing to 22 different banks.

Gibraltar residents vote in European Elections

Today is the first time residents of Gibraltar have the right to vote in the European Elections. Britain and Holland are holding the elections today and for the first time British legislation will include the 20.000 residents of Gibraltar - "Gibraltareños" as they are known in Spain - in the European electoral process.

In 1994 a citizen of Gibraltar, Denise Matthews applied to vote in European parliamentary elections but her application was refused because. 18 years earlier, when Britain and the then EEC member states signed an agreement to ensure that all nationals of EC member states had the right to elect representatives in Europe, the territory of Gibraltar was left out.

When Matthews was told she could not vote, she took the British government to court and six years later, with strong backing from the Gibraltar government she won her case.

The Spanish government filed a complaint with the European Commission, alleging that non-European Gibraltarians should not be allowed to vote. But in 2003 the Commission released the following verdict (if you can call it that):
"The Commission considers, following an in depth analysis of the Spanish complaint and an oral hearing held on the 1st of October, that the UK has organised the extension of voting rights to residents in Gibraltar within the margin of discretion presently given to Member States by the EU law. However, given the sensitivity of the underlying bilateral issue, the Commission at this stage refrains from adopting a reasoned opinion within the meaning of Article 227 of the Treaty and invites the parties to find an amicable solution".

Gibraltar remains a highly sensitive issue in Spain, and it is unlikely that the Spanish and British governments will every reach an "amicable solution" on issues related to the legal status of the Rock and its inhabitants. Any press conferences held here after a visit to Spain of British Government representatives or to the UK of Spanish Government representatives are generally fuelled by questions about Gibraltar. Only yesterday in a lunch meeting in Luxembourg attended by Justice and Interior ministers, the Spanish Interior Minister, José Antonio Alonso, demanded "a precise and clear exception of Gibraltar" from the new EU norms regulating the creation of the European Agency whose mission will be to control national borders. The new European Agency is expected to be operative by January 2005.

Key arrest of suspected terrorist and UN Resolution on Iraq

Headlines in Spain are dominated by two main themes this morning - reaction to last night's UN Resolution on Iraq, and the capture in Milan of the man said to be behind the March terrorist attacks in Madrid.

Juan del Olmo, the judge leading the investigations into the train bombings in Spain, issued an international warrant for the arrest of Osman Ahmed on Monday, and Italian police arrested him that evening. Ahmed has been a suspect ever since neighbours of the rural house used by the terrorists to make the bombs identified his photo as one of the occupiers of the cottage. According to El Mundo, in taped telephone conversations, the Egyptian is heard saying: "The men who have died as martyrs in Madrid were my beloved brothers. That was my project - a project which took alot of patience and research. It took me two and a half years to plan it". Spain will seek Ahmed's extradition straight away.

The other main headline here this morning, and probably everywhere else too, is the decision by the UN Security Council to unanimously pass a resolution endorsing a "sovereign interim government" in Iraq and a continued US military presence in the country with a fixed withdrawal date.

The main focus of the Spanish reporting of the US Resolution centres around whether or not the new Spanish Government's decision to immediately withdraw from Spain, rather than waiting for a UN Resolution was premature, given the fact that the Resolution has been passed before the original 30th June deadline set by Zapatero. Immediate withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq was met with the approval of the majority of Spaniards, and heavily criticised by Aznar and the Popular Party.

The opinion of political commentators in Spain is even more divided than usual this morning, depending on what radio station you listen to or what paper you read. On the one hand, some commentators allege that since last night's Resolution comes short of Zapatero's requirements for the continuation of Spanish troops in Iraq (i.e. UN leadership of the occupation forces and transition process), troops would have come home anyway, and that far from resulting premature, the Spanish government iniative may well be one of the factors which have persuaded Bush and Blair to seek UN support and consensus (this claim was made to reporters by Spanish Foreign Minister, Moratinos, yesterday).

Meanwhile, commentators critical of the immediate withdrawal of Spanish troops, allege this morning that yesterday's UN Security Council vote has left Spain in diplomatic limbo, with no direct ally to turn to and no natural place in the new atmosphere of international consensus.

It will be interesting to see what Spanish public opinion thinks in surveys published during the next few days.

Venus transit across the Sun: Live transmission via Internet in Spain.

Astronomers in Spain and indeed all over the World are excited today by a spectacle never seen before by living generations: Venus travelling across the Sun. Clear skies throughout most of Spain (check out weather forecast in Spain here) mean that people will be able to see the phenomenon themselves, as long as they use one of the methods recommended by experts and avoid looking directly at the sun.

If you want to witness Venus's singular passage across the face of the sun from the comfort of your computer, here are a few sites in Spain offering live coverage via webcams, satelite photos and/or telescopic images.

University of Extremadura offers this live image showing the progress of Venus throughout the morning. A large, impressive image which you can download onto your computer if you want.

Science Park of Granada offers this live image of Venus and the sun, which although it isn't as big or as clear above, it is more colourful.

The Barcelona Astronomic Observatory at Castalltallat has set up this webcam for viewers to witness the transit of Venus via Internet.

Venus will complete her unusual journey at 13.25 Spanish time.

Farce of live TV debates between Spanish candidates of European Elections

The whole issue of televised debates in Spain is turning into a bit of a farce.

Originally, three debates were announced amidst much speculation, one on each of the main television channels in Spain - Tele Cinco, Antena 3 and TVE 1. The first two have already taken place, and throughout the weekend TVE 1 has been announcing the third debate, apparantly scheduled for tomorrow. However, Antena 3 has also organized a second live debate at the same time tomorrow evening, and while Josep Borrell has confirmed his appearance in the TVE debate, Jaime Mayor Oreja has said that he will be taking part in the Antena 3 debate, and that if Borrell does not turn up his party will take legal action against the Socialist Party. TVE 1 claims that it reached an agreement with both parties to televise a debate on 8th June before Antena 3 announced its intention to show a second live debate on the same day.

TVE 1 is one of the two state-owned television channels, and was often criticised during the past for biased reporting in favour of the Popular Party Government. In declarations to Antena 3 this morning, Mayor Oreja accused the Socialists of using the state television channel to boicot a parallel debate in the private Antena 3 channel and of deceiving the Spanish general public. If the two parties fail to reach an agreement, viewers in Spain will be treated to two much-publicised live debates in which the main protagonists will have no-body else with whom to discuss their ideas and policies.

Hot weather in Spain: Precautions.

The Spanish Geriatrics Society (SEGG) has published the following guidelines to help elderly people avoid falling ill because of the heat. Last year, according to a study carried out by the Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration, the heatwave last year caused 6,500 deaths in Spain.

All people over 65 are advised to take special precautions, but especially people aged 80 and over, or elderly people who:
- live alone or in high buildings with no lift,
- are overweight or underweight,
- suffer physical or mental handicap
- suffer a chronic illness (including heart, respiratory, metabolic...)
- are under heavy medication.

People in any of the above categories should avoid eating heavy meals and should make sure that they drink much more liquid than usual (non-alcoholic drinks). This will help to avoid stomach complaints and dehydration.

They should also avoid taking walks and going outside during the hottest hours of the day (from 12 O'Clock to 4 O'Clock p.m.) and also avoid crowded public transport. It is advisable to wear light clothing and try to make your home as cool as possible - open windows, put blinds down etc.

During the heatwave, if elderly people feel any of the following symptons, they should contact a doctor as soon as possible: feeling dizzy, headache, leg cramps, sickness or high temperature.

Useful links:
English speaking doctors in Spain
Spanish hospitals

Modern Tate Director declines Reina Sofia Art Museum offer.

Yesterday Spain's Minister for Culture, Carmen Calvo, announced that the new director of the Reina Sofia Art Museum was Ana Martinez de Aguilar, former director of the Esteban Vicente Museum in Segovia.

There has been alot of controversy about the appointment of a new director for Spain's biggest contemporary art museum. Bonet, former Director of the Reina Sofia, sent an angry and public letter of resignation last weekend after reading declarations made by the new Minister in a newspaper interview in which she said she was surprised that he had still not resigned (state museum directors are appointed directly by the Spanish government, and Bonet was appointed by the Popular Party).

The Minister for Culture confirmed yesterday speculation aired in the press this week, that the Socialist government's first choice for the Reina Sofia's new director had been Vicente Todoli, director of the Modern Tate Gallery in London. Todoli declined the offer because he has a five-year contract with the Modern Tate.

Related links:
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
El Prado Museum, Madrid
Lucentum Museum, Alicante

European Elections Spain - foreign resident vote doubles

Today's edition of El Pais publishes a small article today about non-Spanish EU voters. European Union nationals can choose to vote in local and European elections and a total of 129,989 non-spanish European residents in Spain will vote in this month's European Elections, compared to just 64,900 in the last European elections almost five years ago.

According to sources from the Interior Ministry quoted by El Pais, the total census of European citizens with the right to vote (i.e. those registered in a Spanish locality) is in fact much higher - 700,960 - but to be able to vote in Spain in either European or local elections, EU nationals have to have express their wish to do so within the time limit established beforehand. Nearly 130,000 have done so prior to these elections, and will be able to vote in two weeks time.

Related links:
Reasons for living in Spain
Beautiful places to live in Spain
Josep Borrell - leading candidate for the PSOE party
Jaime Mayor Oreja - leading candidate for the PP party.

Spanish Autonomous Regions to field teams in international competitions

Late last night after a long debate in Congress of a motion put forward by one of the Basque nationalist parties, the Socialist Government agreed to promote the presence of Autonomous Regional teams in international sports competitions.

The Basques and Catalans have been pushing for a long time for the right to compete as Basque Country or Catalonia in international sports events, in April the Interntional Ice Skating Federation took an unprecedented provisional decision in deciding that Catalonia could compete in competitions with a Catalan team. In fact only a few days ago, the Catalan Federation said it was withdrawing its team from the World Championship due to be held this year in Canada to avoid a "conflict" pending the final formal decision regarding Catalan participation which will be made by the International Federation in November.

Without doubt yesterday's vote in the Spanish Congress will have important repercussions for Spanish sport. It was received by applause from all the nationalist parties present, and criticism from the Popular Party (the only party to vote against the measure) who are expected to use the vote to back their argument that Spain cannot hope to be strong under a Socialist Government. The Popular Party favours a strong central Government structure in Spain (something which paradoxically has helped the fortunes of regionalist parties in elections) whereas the Socialists say Central Government must be prepared to at least listen to regional governments demands.

Meanwhile, the first televised debate between the two main candidates for the European Elections here, Josep Borrell and Jaime Mayor Oreja, centred around the role of Spain in Europe. El Mundo invites visitors to give their opinion about who won the first televised political debate for ten years. So far the vote is 63% in favor of Mayor Oreja, and 37% in favor of Borrell.

Mijail Gorbachov visits Barcelona Forum 2004.

Mijail Gorbachov visited the Barcelona Forum 2004 yesterday and, according to El Mundo, his visit was a great success. Gorbachov addressed the day's big theme which was "How about doing a global perestroika?" and as well as giving a talk on the subject, he answered questions from the audience. Gorbachov was critical of the US invasion of Iraq and suggested that the troops there should withdraw and be replaced by Moslem military forces.

Gorbachov also gave his opinion about the expansion of the European Union. He said it was important to include more Eastern European states if the EU was to reach real European unification. Organisers were delighted with the size of the audience in the Forum, apparantly the largest yet to attend one of these sessions.

Talking of Europe, the European Election campaign in Spain is hotting up here, with the two main candidates, Jaime Mayor Oreja (PP) and Josep Borrell (PSOE), due to meet in the first of three televised debates this evening. It will be interesting to see which one makes the best impression.