Opinion poll in Spain shows support for Spanish Government

Zapatero’s government keeps hold of mainstream support during economic crisis - PP damaged by reports of internal spying

Despite the current economic uncertainty a recent opinion poll carried out by Metroscopia for El Pais has placed support for PSOE almost 8 points above that for the PP main opposition party. The survey consisted of 800 interviews which were carried out between the 22nd and 27th January in the middle of the scandal surrounding accusations of a spy plot in the heart of the Popular Party regional government in Madrid.

Last year opinion polls carried out in March before the general election placed PSOE just 3 points ahead of the PP.

The survey asked four questions – three were about the economic crisis and one was about voting intentions. The authors of the poll have explained the somewhat surprising results as circumstantial.

The UPyD party under Rosa Díez has seen its support quadruple to 3.6% to the same level as the IU which has seen its support grow slightly.

73% of those questioned believing that the crisis would end up being very difficult (in the case of PP supporters this figure rose to 85%). Only one out of every four people questioned was optimistic saying that in the end the crisis would not be something to worry about. The authors of the poll believe that many people think worse is yet to come in terms of the economic situation and highlight the pessimism expressed by those aged between 35 and 54 years old - something which they put down to the direct impact that unemployment would have on this age group.

According to the opinion poll most people questioned believed that the arrival of Barack Obama to the US presidency would help bring an end to the crisis sooner – 52% (above all supporters of PSOE) expressed this point of view compared to 42% (mostly supporters of the PP) who did not believe this. The conclusions that those compiling the opinion poll drew from these results was that most people agreed with Zapatero in placing the origins of the crisis in the US.

What appears to be clear is that despite pessimism regarding the economy support for the government has not suffered at all. At the same time support for the PP appears to have dropped or at best stagnated at 3.9%.

Metroscopia has pointed to the latest internal conflicts within the PP which have prevented it from capitalizing on the current economic situation in order to increase its support and also the fact that many people believe the cause of the crisis lies elsewhere.

The survey was carried out at the same time that the scandal surrounding the PP and an alleged spy plot within Madrid's government came to light, in which certain PP party members are believed to have been spied on by ex members of the police force and ex civil guards. The leader of Madrid's regional government, Esperanza Aguirre, denies all knowledge of the alleged plot.

Santander bank to compensate victimos of Madoff fraud

Santander clients affected by Madoff scandal will recover 100% of their initial investment

Santander bank has decided to face up to the damage that the fraud carried out by the wall street stock broker, Bernard Madoff, has done to its clients faith in the bank despite declarations by Emilio Botín to the contrary when the scandal first came to light.

Private clients affected by the fraud perpetrated by Madoff and which affected the bank’s ‘Optimal’ fund will get 100% of their initial investment back. However, no solution has been offered for institutional clients of the bank who have also lost large amounts.

The cost to the bank is expected to be around 500 million euros which is expected to be taken from the 2008 profits for Santander due to be announced on 5th February.
Compensation will be given via means of the emission of 1,300 euros in shares with an annual rate of return of 2% with the option of Santander buying them back alter 10 years.

According to a statement by Santander bank the group took the decision to make good the losses incurred by private investors due to exceptional circumstances and also for commercial reasons so that the bank could maintain its business relations with these clients.

A spokesperson for the bank said that ‘the sale of these products has always been transparent’ due to the number of supervisory bodies in the US such as the SEC which did not detect anything despite the fact that Madoff securities was regularly inspected in recent years.

The compensation package for private clients of Santander bank was announced on Monday this week at a meeting of Santander shareholders. Botín in reply to criticism said that the bank’s ‘clients were of the upmost importance’. He went on to say that the bank had 80 million clients worldwide and it was this that formed the base of the bank. He added that the bank would continue to look alter its clients.
Botín said that Santander was analyzing all aspects of the Madoff case and looking at possible legal action.

The losses incurred by Santander clients as a result of the Madoff fraud saw 120 million euros disappear from their accounts. Clients affected included private investors which lost up to 150,000 euros each to institutions such as colleges and foundations which lost up to 10 million euros. All of these clients are asking for compensation from Santander and have formed an action group numbering around 600 investors.

The first case against Santander and its subsidiary ‘Optimal’ has been brought to court in the South of Florida in a case where dozens of investors have presented their demands for multimillion losses made by the 'Optimal Strategic US Equity Fund'.

‘El coloso’ - Goyesco but not Goya

Yesterday the Prado Museum in Madrid published a report on its investigations into whether El coloso was really painted by Goya himself or a follower of the artist. The first important conclusion contained in the report documents and verifies that the painting came into the hands of the Prado Museum when it was given to the museum by the family of Fernández Durán – through a donation made by the Duchess of Perales in 1931. This point of verification rules out that it is a later falsification of the painting.

The second conclusion made in the report is that specialists at the Prado Museum suspect that the initials A.J. found at one corner of the painting following its restoration represent Asensio Juliá, a close follower of Goya.

The third conclusion comes from the analysis of the painting itself which has been the subject of an exhaustive investigation is that the painting was made during the first part of the 19th century. They also believe that the artist was not Goya due to some aspects of the painting such as the way the landscape is painted or the crowd or the figure that fills the horizon together with many other details which do not fit with what they believe to be genuinely Goyesco.

Although all the details listed above appear rather technical to a non-expert eye the painting in question it is almost certainly not a falsification due to the fact that it was painted during the first part of the 19th century because Goya did not become a popular sought after artist until half a century later.

The process of investigating the origins and authenticity of El coloso has taken a long time and only came about due to the popularity of the artist and the number of temporary exhibitions of his work. With temporary exhibitions museums must check the condition of paintings and take charge of their conservation. This means that paintings are not only checked for the fragility of their visible surface but are also subject to radiological checks in order to see what is behind the surface.

When anything unusual appears a lengthy process of investigation begins. In the case of El coloso, believed to be by an important artist such as Goya, doubts cannot be aired until their is some solid evidence or conviction that the painting is not by the said artist. What appears to be clear is that El coloso is Goyesco and was made during the first part of the 19th century by a follower of Goya’s style.

Forest fires in Alicante and Valencia

The fires in Costa Blanca and Valencia made worse by 120km winds

Yesterday fire fighters managed to successfully bring both forest fires in the provinces of Alicante and Valencia under control although they have still not all been put out. The fires which began on Saturday have affected an area measuring approximately 1,100 hectares.

The most serious fire in La Nucía in the province of Alicante was brought under control at about 18.00 hours yesterday more than 24 hours after it began. Efforts to extinguish it were hampered by the gales affecting the province.

According to the Centre for the Coordination of Emergencies this fire has burned about 1,006 hectares of land, 960 of which is a forest area. The affected area is larger than that previously estimated by the regional government which put the figure at about 700 hectares.

The fire which was brought under control yesterday is believed to have started on Saturday at around 9.20am. The municipalities affected are: La Nucía, Benidorm, Finestrat, Alfàs del Pi y Polop, which are all in the area of la Marina Baixa.
The fires were extinguished with the support of 10 planes and helicopters although these were prevented from taking off yesterday due to the strong gales affecting the area.

Until the aerial support was available a total of 700 men and women including fire fighters, forest guards, civil guards and soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit all participated in the efforts to bring the fires under control. Although the aerial support has now been withdrawn a close watch is being kept on the affected areas to ensure that the fires do not reappear.

The other fire in the municipality Genovés is believed to have burned around 90 hectares according to the forestry unit belonging to the department for the environment for the regional government.

This fire is believed to have originated in a forested area dominated by pine trees at around 18.30 hours on Saturday afternoon. It spread rapidly to the nearby municipalities of Benigànim and Barxeta, between the areas known as La Costera and la Vall d'Albaida. This fire was brought under control by 225 fire fighters, forest guards and soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit together with the aerial support of four planes and helicopters.

The storms and gales that raged across Spain this weekend have caused 9 deaths, including that of four children in Barcelona who were killed when the sports centre they were in collapsed due to the fierce winds. All Spanish communities, except for Extremadura, remain on red or yellow alert today.

Unemployment in Spain rises to 14 percent

Unemployment nearing 14% - its highest level in 9 years

Unemployment grew in 2008 by 1.2 million – an increase of 66.4% compared to 2007. The official unemployment rate is now 13.9% which is its highest level in 9 years.
The figures provided by the Spanish National Institute for Statistics (INE) were compiled using the results of the survey on the active population carried out by thisorganization. The figures for the increase in the number of unemployed provided by the Public Employment Service (previously known as INEM) show that unemployment rose by 999,000 in 2008.

The total number of unemployed in Spain is now estimated to be 3,207,900 which means that the unemployment rate is at its highest level since 2001. In addition, the number of people in employment has seen its biggest fall since 1976 when figures began to be compiled. The number of unemployed then grew by 620,100 in the space of 12 months and by 489,600 in just one quarter.

The last quarter of 2008 was especially bad when unemployment grew by 23.44% which is the highest figure on record. In fact almost half of the total increase in the number of unemployed occurred in the last quarter of 2008 when 609,100 became unemployed.

Overall in 2008 620,100 jobs were lost which meant the number of the active population in employment fell below 20,000,000 (19,856,800) - 3% less than in 2007.
According to figures publish by INE the number of the active population grew by 3% to 23,064,700 in 2008. Jobs occupied by Spaniards fell by 619,600 in 2008 compared to a fall of 600 for foreigners. (-3,52% and -0.02% respectively).

Last year the rate of unemployment among men grew more than among women. Unemployment among women grew by 470,700 (+44.9%) while unemployment among men grew by 809,600 personas (+92%).

According to these figures the unemployment rate for men is 12.96% with an inter-annual increase of 6 points and unemployment among women grew by 15.14% with an increase of four points.

One of the consequences of the sharp growth in unemployment is the growth of 827,200 in the number of households in which all members are unemployed.

Number of British tourists in Spain falling

The devaluation of the pound leads to first fall in number of British tourists visiting Spain in 10 years

The significant fall in the value of the pound with respect to the value of the euro over the last 12 months coupled with the recession in the UK means that fewer British tourists visited the Costa Blanca in 2008 which is the first fall in 10 year. The fall in the number of British tourists visiting this part of Spain, estimated to be about 2.3%, compared to previous figures has alarmed the tourism sector in this region which has suffered one of its weakest winter seasons in a decade.

The Costa Blanca is not the only region of Spain to see falls in foreign tourism although paradoxically overall figures for foreigners visiting the region were up by 0.2% in 2008. The average fall in the number of foreign tourists visiting Spain was 2.6%. Catalonia recorded a fall of 6.7% and Andalucia a fall of 4.1%. The Costa Blanca also saw the number of foreign tourists from other European countries grow. For example the number of German tourists grew by 2.4%, the number of Belgian tourists grew by 38.8% and the number of Swedish tourists grew by 60%.

The Secretary of State for Tourism, Joan Mesquida, announced yesterday that the total revenue received by the tourism sector in Spain was 50,000 million euros in 2008 which is the same as for 2007. However, given the sharp rise in costs due to the rising price of petrol over the last 12 months this news is not viewed as particularly positive for the sector.

Yesterday the Association of hotel owners complained to the new Director of Tourism policy for the Costa Blanca, Gema Amor about the lack of promotion of the region. For example cinema advertisements in London and Manchester, designed by her predecessor Sebastián Fernández, have been stopped. The association reminded Amor of the importance of the UK market for regional tourism.

Business leaders for the tourism sector also complained that the regional authorities were not making use of economic resources available from Turespaña. For example the company in charge of promoting Barcelona abroad has just signed an agreement with Turespaña, to finance 50% of a campaign promoting it in various US states.

British Airways which operates daily flights between Alicante and London published the results of a report yesterday which revealed that going on holiday in the UK was now up to 15% cheaper for Spanish tourists compared to a year ago. It stated that Spanish tourists could save up to 100 euros on a weekend trip to the UK. British Airways is not the only company that operates between Alicante and London. Ryanair, Easyjet, Monarch and Thomsonfly also operate on the same route. According to the latest figures reservations between Alicante and London have grown by 30%.

Madridfusion 2009

The environment, the economic crisis and scientific research - these three subjects that tend to monopolize politics nowadays will also be the centre of attention at this year’s Madridfusion which brings together Spain’s most important chefs such as Juan Mari Arzak, Pierre Gagnaire, Heston Blumental, Thomas Keller and Ferra Adrià.
Madridfusion 2009 starts today and takes place in the Palacio de Congresos de Madrid and finishes on Thursday. The organizers of Madridfusion, which is Spain’s most important annual culinary conference, will discuss issues which are the daily concerns for many in the sector such as what the best business model for dealing with the difficult economic situation in which many people now find themselves is, what the limits on culinary creativity are and what limits should be placed on taking risks and breaking down barriers.

Spain’s most important chefs and some international ones too will have the responsibility of trying to answers these and many other questions. To begin this year’s conference Paco Ron –a fan of both Arzak and Berasategui – and Petter Nilsson – a young Swedish chef that is causing a revolution in Paris – will talk about ‘high class cheap cuisine’ under premise that ‘creativity and accessible prices can be achieved without compromising quality of service’.

In addition, concepts such as ‘Gastrobars’ which is a new culture emerging from traditional Spanish tapas and which is popular with great chefs like Paco Roncero (Estado Puro), Benito Gómez (Tragapatas), María José San Román (LaTaberna del Gourmet) and Carles Abellán (Tapaç 24) will be discussed. Or ‘small plates’ which are also derived from traditional Spanish tapas and which are causing a stir in the US and will be presented by the chefs David Chang and Sotohiro Kosugi (an expert in sushi and Japanese cuisine) who are in charge of Mamofuku and Soto (respectively) - two of the most successful restaurants in Manhattan.

Madridfusion 2009 will also discuss some of the controversial issues that arose in 2008 in relation to the limits on innovation in the world of cuisine. Ferran Adrià, will lead the debate accompanied by his colleagues Joan Roca, Andoni Luis Aduriz, Carlo Cracco or Quique Dacosta. Each one will speak at this year’s conference to defend their concepts and creations.

The third most important issue at Madridfusion 2009 will be the environment and cuisine with chefs such as Sébastien Bras, Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, Paco Morales, Rodrigo De La Calle and Skye Gyngell discussing subjects such as ‘gastrobotanics’ or restaurants which grow their own vegetables and fruit (farm food).

To end this year’s conference the most important chefs of the last decade will be honoured: Pierre Gagnaire, Heston Blumental, Joël Robuchon, Pierre Hermé, Gualtiero Marchesi, Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter, Nobu Matsuhisa, Ferran Adrià, and Juan Mari Arzak will all receive the prize called the ‘golden apron’ (Delantal de oro) for the influence that their work has had on the world of cuisine.

Eating out with one euro in Valencia

Set daily menus for one euro

A restaurant in an industrial estate - Fuente del Jarro de Paterna - in Valencia has decided to offer all its dishes at a price of just one euro each. The decision to launch this initiative was taken by the owners of the establishment after they noticed that the number of their clientele had significantly decreased over recent months, a situation they put down to the economic crisis.

According to Silvestre Méndez, the initiative has proved an immediate success and the number of people having lunch in the restaurant has doubled.

The restaurant offers ten different dishes such as paella, noodles, pasta, chicken in breadcrumbs, hake and a choice of desserts all for just one euro which means that people can have a lunch for two or three euros.

Méndez pointed out that the quality and quantity of each dish is exactly the same as before. He said that he had been forced to reduce his profit margins but that the objective of the initiative was to maintain his business during difficult times. He said that the restaurant earned the same now with 120 clients as it had done with 60. The owners of the restaurant decided to take action after they noted a significant decrease in the number of their clients because they could not afford to pay 6 or 7 euros everyday.

The results of the initiative have been better than expected and the restaurant now has new clients from all over the industrial estate as well as other clients who after hearing about the price of lunch decided to try it out. A retired couple from L'Eliana (Valencia) who had lunch in the restaurant said that they didn’t understand how the restaurant could offer dishes at such low prices adding that ‘everything is expensive in the shops’.

Clients who used to eat in the restaurant for 6 or 7 euros are also very pleased saying that people now had to look for good offers. They also said that it was cheaper to eat in the restaurant than at home and said that other restaurants should follow the example of Silvestre Méndez.

Conflict between Spanish government and judiciary

Government challenges the right of judges to strike and accuses them of putting pressure on parliament

Yesterday, Mariano Fernández Bermejo, the Spanish Minister for Justice attacked a planned strike by judges in June this year. The strike which is planned to take place on 26th June this year has been called by four professional associations belonging to the judiciary. The Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, also criticised the decision of the associations for deciding to organize the first ever strike by the judiciary and said that the 2009 budget for the judiciary would not be revised and that salaries would not be raised by more than 5%.

The Minister for Justice attributed the decision to call a strike by the four associations as a threat and a way of putting pressure on parliament so that the contents of any reforms proposed by the government would ‘be what judges want’. In an interview with a major Spanish news channel he also suggested that the action was related to the case of Mari Luz and the judge Rafael Tirado.

Federico Trillo speaking on behalf of the main opposition PP party said that while his party understood the serious situation that the lack of adequate resources had placed the judiciary in organizing a strike was not a suitable measure.

Bermejo, said that the question is not whether a Judge had the right to strike but in his opinion the key was that someone with power of the state could not be allowed the luxury of striking because it was a betrayal of the mandate placed upon them by the citizens of that country.

He also criticised the associations for asking for a new judicial office to be created when parliament had already sent its proposals on reforms to the judiciary to Congress.

In a more measured tone José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said that the government would talk to the judiciary and that he preferred not to think that the threat to strike was related to the case of Mari Luz. However, he also remained firm on plans to raise the salary of judges by 5% given that in his opinion many of the demands of the judges were related to their salaries.

Zapatero also said that it was not the problems of the judiciary that worried him but the problems of citizens in relation to the judiciary which was why the government had doubled investment to modernize the infrastructure of the department of justice and had significantly increased the number of judges and public prosecutors. Specifically in 2008 5000 new posts were incorporated into the department of Justice with the creation of 684 new posts for judges and 484 posts for public prosecutors.

A spokesperson for the largest and most conservative association for the judiciary – the Asociación Profesional de la Magistratura (APM) – accused Bermejo of ‘corrupting the debate’ over the demands of the judiciary and of ‘confusing public opinion’.

In addition a spokesperson for another of the associations said that judges were not protesting at the proposed increase of 5% in their salaries but that their salaries would be subject to review every five years.

With respect to the legality of the strike Gabriela Bravo, said that the decision of judges to call a strike for June this year and the announcement of a protest on 18th February was sensible because six months was sufficient time to make the work of the Justice department and the government ‘visible’.

Number of illegal immigrants arriving to Spain in 2008

46,426 illegal immigrants living in Spain were repatriated in 2008 and the Government claims its policies to deter the arrival of illegal immigrants in boats from Northern Africa are working.

The number of immigrants reaching the coast of the Canary Islands dropped by 26.4% in 2008. Just 13,424 illegal immigrants reached the coast of the Canary Islands in 2008 compared to 18,000 recorded in 2007. Yesterday, the Home Office Minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, said that he was satisfied with the figures saying that ‘hardly anybody got in without being seen’.

The drop in the number of illegal immigrants arriving in Spain is especially significant for the Canary Islands after the number of immigrants arriving there by boat peaked at 31,678 in 2006.

As a consequence of the reduction in the number of small boats intercepted by coast guards the number of repatriations has also gone down from 55,938 in 2007 to 46,426 in 2008. The Home Office attributes the decrease to agreements made with the countries of origin of many illegal immigrants. Rubalcaba said that ‘now fewer arrive and more leave’ in reference to the number of illegal immigrants who are repatriated. However, the number of forced deportations for illegal residence in Spain rose by 12% last year.

Out of the total number of repatriations (46,426) more than 17,000 correspond to those sent back at the border, generally airports and ports. This figure shows a decrease of 29% with respect to the figure for 2007. The Home Office attributes this decrease to the fall in employment opportunities in Spain.

Currently Spain is one of the main beneficiaries from EU funds to help with immigration with more than 131 million euros destined for Spain until 2010.

Spanish government condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza

Yesterday the Spanish president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero underlined the Government's opposition to the Israeli attacks on the Gaza strip. He said that he ‘favoured peace and understanding in the world’. Zapatero also said that he was still waiting for the leader of the opposition PP party, Mariano Rajoy, to ‘say something’ about the Israeli attacks on Gaza. He said that it was his duty to ask for an ‘immediate ceasefire and the start of long lasting peace’ in the area.

These declarations and the Government's support of and participation in the march organised this weekend in Madrid to protest against the Israeli attacks on Gaza has been condemned by Israel. The Israeli ambassador in Spain issued a statement on behalf of the Israeli embassy which criticised PSOE’s presence in Saturday's demonstration, and asks why the organisers of the protest and participants did not organise similar marches to protest against indiscriminate attacks by Hamas which for years has indiscriminately attacked Israeli targets using rockets and missiles. It said that the silence on these attacks and the mobilization today against Israel showed a double morality and bias against Israel. The statement also says that regrettably as in all wars there are innocent victims and cites the examples of NATO action in Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.

Funding of single sex schools in Spain under threat

Andalucian Education department to stop funding single sex schools

In an official bulletin on funding for the 2009/2010 academic year the Andalucian department for Education has given details of its plans to change the rules for funding single sex schools. In the bulletin it states that single sex schools will stop receiving public funding for the next academic year.

The bulletin which contains a list of rules clearly states that all schools receiving public funding must comply with article 84.3 of the law against discrimination passed on 3rd May 2006.

It states that under no circumstances can any discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, religion, opinion be permitted. Currently there are 11 single sex schools in Andalucia that will be affected by the new ruling.

A few years ago the regional government of Castilla La Mancha was taken to court over this issue by single sex schools dependent on public funding. This case resulted in the high court recognising the right of individual regional education departments to demand that single sex schools become mixed sex schools in order to continue receiving public funding.

The ruling also stated that neither the Ley Orgánica sobre el Derecho a la Educación (LODE) or the Ley Orgánica de Calidad de Educación (LOCE) recognise that those in charge of schools that receive public funding have the right to establish a system of education based on differences of sex.

Atheist bus campaign in Spain: Evangelists fight back

Evangelists in counter attack against atheist publicity campaign

Evangelists have decided to take action against an atheist publicity campaign which began in London using a bus with the slogan ‘God probably doesn’t exist. Don’t worry - enjoy your life’.

In a counter attack against this publicity campaign a bus has been circulating an area to the south of Madrid in defence of the Christian faith. The pro Christian bus carries the slogan ‘God exists. Enjoy a Christian life’.

The atheist publicity campaign is funded by private donations made to a humanitarian association. It began in London on 25th December and is due to arrive in Barcelona next week and could even travel to Madrid according to the advertising company Publisistemas which is in charge of organizing advertising on buses belonging to the Municipal Transport Company. At present this company is in negotiations with the Association of Atheists from Madrid and Barcelona who are behind the idea.

In order to beat the atheists at their own game a campaign in favour of the Christian faith is being promoted by the Centro Cristiano de Reunión using a bus with pro-Christian slogans which is currently circulating Fuenlabrada, Leganés and Aluche until the 30th March.

The Evangelical priest, Francisco Rubiales, who is a member of the organisation told Europa Press that ‘we want to communicate to the world that Christ exists’ and that believing in the Christian faith is the way to a better life. He said that everybody should be able to freely express their opinions and that included his organization as well.

Rubiales went on to say that ‘we respect all institutions that publicly demonstrate their opinions, ideas and beliefs’ and said that in the same way the Centro Cristiano de Reunión wanted to reach out to citizens using the same public platform and ’make them believe that the only full and rich way of life is that which follows Jesus Christ’.

New Spanish code on military conduct

Respect for human rights to form basis for new code on military conduct

A new code on military conduct which is due to be approved by the Spanish executive will be based on the respect for human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

Carme Chacón, the Spanish Minister for Defence, made the announcement yesterday saying that the new code would be approved in a few days time. The new code replaces the one drawn up by Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado in 1978 just before the Spanish constitution came into effect following the death of Franco and the transition to democracy.

The new code is applicable to all members of the Spanish armed forces regardless of their rank. It is also applicable to all soldiers regardless of whether they are taking part in an aggressive operation or peacekeeping operations.

For example, the new code states that any form of humiliation or abuse of detainees or prisoners of war is unacceptable. In situations of conflict it also states that members of the armed forces are obliged to give special protection to vulnerable groups such as women and children.

Most of the principles in the new code are already contained in international conventions to which Spain has already subscribed. The difference is that now they are all contained in a code which will be approved by parliament and which will be taught in military academies.

The new code of conduct gives soldiers the right to object to orders given by their superiors if they believe it goes against the code although paradoxically they can only do this once the order has been carried out if not carrying out the order would jeopardize a mission.

In a veiled reference to Israel’s military operations in Gaza Chacón said that the new code of conduct included two principles of maximum importance. The first was to make a distinction between combatants and non-combatants in an attempt to avoid civilian victims and the second was the principle of limitation which excludes the use of certain weapons such as cluster bombs which Israel has used in its attacks on Gaza and which more than 100 countries are in favour of banning.

The code also emphasises the use legitimate force in a proportional manner and also protects cultural monuments and religious buildings. In addition, it states that members of the armed forces should be familiar with the customs and culture of the areas they are deployed in and that they should collaborate with civilian authorities and humanitarian organizations.

One of the most significant aspects of the new code of conduct for the armed forces is the consequences that commanders of the armed forces will have to face if troops under their orders commit offences of genocide or abuses against the local population. The punishments for this are included in the Military Penal Code which is also due to be reformed soon.

Chacón said that the new code of conduct maintained certain deeply rooted traditional aspects of the armed forces. She also stated that the government was now looking at the elaboration of a future law on the rights and duties of members of the armed forces.

Spain's government to cut costs of Spanish bureaucracy

Spanish government to reduce bureaucratic costs by up to 15,000 million euros a year

All new decrees that are approved by the government must also include a report that guarantees that they will not generate new administrative posts or more bureaucratic procedures. The order which is due to be passed this month is part of the government’s commitment to reducing administrative bureaucracy by 30% during this legislature, something which would save between 1 and 1.5% of GDP according to estimates by the EU. This reduction is equivalent to between 10,000 and 15,000 million euros.

In total plans to reduce bureaucratic costs have resulted in the adoption of 80 measures since last summer to which another 50 measures due to be passed in February need to be added.

The commitment of the government to reduce bureaucratic costs exceeds by 5% the demands of the EU for all administrations to reduce bureaucracy.

The Minister for Public Administration, Elena Salgado, who is in charge of overseeing the measures, said that those who would benefit from them would be ‘ordinary citizens who would see individual measures simplified as well as businesses and professionals. She also added that the measures would contribute to the increasing productivity’.

Salgado is not new to reforming public administration. She participated in the reforms carried out by Felipe Gonzalez’s socialist government at the beginning of the 80’s. However, in this instance the emphasis was on the legal security of reforms. This time round the emphasis is on increasing productivity and competition amongst businesses.

According to Salgado the EU strategy of simplifying public administration is particularly relevant for Spain because the distribution of responsibilities between autonomous governments sometimes generates unnecessary procedures which are duplicated between central and regional bodies. She hopes that the simplification of public administration measures will have the largest impact on medium sized to small companies.

The government’s plans define six areas of priority: the rights of associations and societies, fiscal legislation, statistics, public contracts, the environment and industrial relations. Amongst some of the procedures which will be simplified are those relating to the creation of businesses, freeing up resources for the growth of businesses, the reduction of costs and increasing productivity.

The government plans to measure the savings that new procedures will bring by means of a model of standard costs. Although the plans to reduce the costs of public administration is only applicable to central government bodies it is hoped that regional governments together with the Federation of Municipal areas and Provinces will also collaborate. The Spanish cabinet will receive regular reports on the development of the reforms by the Commission on Economic Issues.

Amongst some of the reforms already approved include plans to introduce more information technology in place of paperwork, electronic interconnection between different bodies and the reduction in the amount of time that procedures take. These measures will affect the Ministries for the Economy and Treasury, the Ministry for Work and Immigration, the Ministry for Tourism and Commerce, the Ministry for Public Administration, the Ministry for Health and the Ministry for Science and Innovation.

Most of the new measures will come into effect over the next few days. One example is the speeding up of VAT rebates to small businesses and the self employed who opt to receive their rebates on a monthly basis instead of waiting for their annual rebate.

Change in legal status of Bulgarian and Rumanian workers in Spain

Almost a million Bulgarians and Rumanians living in Spain will be able to work legally as self employed workers in Spain starting this month.

In December the moratorium on working in other EU member states that applied to Rumanian and Bulgarian immigrants which came into effect from 1st January 2007 when Bulgaria and Rumania became members of the EU was lifted in Spain.

This moratorium is a way of allowing other member states to have a period of transition for the free circulation of self employed workers. The period of transition could last up to seven years the first of which is two years long.
According to the latest figures provided by the Ministry for Work and Immigration there are 143,035 Bulgarians living in Spain out of which 130,000 are between 16 and 65 years old. Using figures provided by the Rumanian embassy in Spain the Spanish government has also calculated that there are around 715,750 Rumanians in Spain out of which 650,000 currently work.

According to the Rumanian embassy around 20% of Rumanian immigrants in Spain already work as self employed workers. It also said that a lot of its citizens living in Spain have requested information on the possibility of returning to Rumania because of its growing economy.

This economic growth was the reason that the government of Spain decided not to renew the moratorium on working in the EU according to the Spanish deputy president, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega.

The Spanish government hopes that large numbers of Rumanian and Bulgarian immigrants currently living in Spain will be interested in returning to their home countries. At present the governments of both Rumania and Bulgaria have publicity campaigns aimed at attracting its citizens who have emigrated to work in Spain to return.

Furthermore, as explained by María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, the Spanish government will review its decision in six months time so that it can evaluate the impact of not renewing the moratorium on the Spanish labour market and if necessary apply new restrictions.