Barcelona celebrates its victory

Hundreds of thousands turn out to welcome Barcelona football team home

Yesterday afternoon the triumphant Barcelona football team arrived back in el Prat airport, Barcelona at 6 o’clock. They were welcomed home by hundreds of thousands of fans who lined the streets of the city for the team's victory parade on an open air double decker bus and packed into the Camp Nou where the celebration ceremony was held.

The city was awash with Barcelona's colours and organisers said that about 750,000 citizens of Barcelona turned out to see the victory parade on a 7 kilometre route around the centre of the Catalan capital culminating in Camp Nou. The bus took almost two and a half hours to reach Camp Nou which was filled to bursting point.

Pep Guardiola motivated his players with opera

Barcelona’s decisive 2 – 0 victory over Manchester United in Wednesday’s final could be down to manager Guardiola’s unusual way of motivating the team before the match. It turns out that he told the warm-up trainer that he wanted 7 minute's of the team's warm-up time, so the players were called off the pitch early and taken to the dressing room where Guardiola was waiting with a film compiled by him and Catalan journalist, Santi Padró. Guardiola turned out the lights, asked for silence and put the film on.

The video which was shown on a giant screen in the player’s dressing room consisted of clips from the Oscar winning film Gladiator starring Russell Crowe. The video also included clips of the players’ faces as if they were the gladiators and showed some of their most brilliant pieces of play together with some spectacular goals. It was accompanied by the emotive soundtrack from Gladiator.

The film finished to the rousing music of the final act of the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini was played at full volume while the following words appeared on the screen: We are the centre of the pitch, we are precise, we are our effort, we are attackers who defend, we are defenders who attack, we are respected by our rivals, we are recognised by our rivals, we are every goal that we score, we are those who always look for our opponent’s goal, WE ARE ONE.

It has been reported in the Spanish press that when the lights went back on in the dressing room some of the players were moved to tears.

Benidorm's beach loses blue flag

The two most emblematic beaches along the Costa Blanca lose their blue flag status
The blue flag is awarded according to the cleanliness of both water and sand and for the level of facilities available. And while the province of Alicante has 43 beaches fit to qualify for a blue flag, this year two of its most emblematic and most popular beaches (Playa Postiguet in Alicante and Playa Levante in Benidorm) have had their blue flag status withdrawn due the negative results of tests analyzing the quality of the water and sand.

Other beaches that have had their blue flat status withdrawn along the Costa Blanaca areeaches la Albufereta (Alicante), Muchavista (El Campello), Centro (Guardamar) and Les Bovetes (Dénia). The withdrawal of the blue flag status for some of Alicante’s beaches has arrived at the worst possible time in the middle of the economic crisis and at the start of the busiest touristic period of the year.

The news of the loss of the blue flag status for Levante beach in Benidorm, previously considered to have some of the best sand in the world, was a bombshell for Benidorm town hall. Josefa Pérez, who is in charge of its beaches, told Spanish press yesterday that the decision was unfair because, according to her, Benidorm and Barcelona are the only cities in Spain that carry out weekly checks on the quality of their waters and sand. She claimed that the analysis on which the decision to withdraw the blue flag from its main beach was based took place a year ago and that although the analysis had showed some negative results, the town hall had sent a biological report with the results explaining the reasons for this. Pérez said that there had been a lot of rain and the sand had recently been regenerated both of which had caused turbulence in the water when the analysis was carried out.

According to the Ministry of the Environment the Comunidad Valenciana has received 80 blue flags for its beaches and 12 for its marinas.

Predictions of fall in Spain's GDP

Spanish savings banks forecast GDP falling by 3.8%

The Foundation of Savings Banks (Funcas) has predicted that the Spanish economy will shrink by 3.8% this year and by 1.2% in 2010, figures which are 7 and 8 points worse than previous estimations (-3% and 0.5% respectively).

Funcas says that it has made these changes in its forecast using the latest economic indicators available and figures for the first quarter of 2009 which show that GDP has gone down by 3% compared to the same period for 2008 and by 1.9% compared to the previous quarter. According to Funcas these figures show that the Spanish economy is performing worse than expected.

Funcas also said that the fact that the sharp fall in the economy which has significantly affected the housing and banking sectors and which is also influenced by the global recession will further slow down economic recovery. The savings banks do not expect a growth in GDP until 2010 at the earliest.

Funcas estimates growth in savings and the reduction of debt and the recovery of consumer spending due to low inflation will begin in the first quarter of 2010 when household spending will start to increase although figures will remain negative until the second quarter.

With regards to the construction sector in Spain, Funcas has predicted that the prospects for construction in the housing sector will remain ‘very negative’ and that the sector will not start to recover until the surplus stock of housing has significantly reduced. According to its predictions this will not happen until employment figures being to improve and prices adjust to potential demand. In these terms it predicts that residential construction will fall by 22.9% this year and by 16.3% in 2010.

As far as unemployment is concerned, Funcas says that the slight growth in the economy in 2010 will be insufficient to reactivate the employment market which will continue falling during 2009 and 2010. More specifically the number of full time jobs will fall by around 6.5% this year and 2.9% in 2010. Funcas expects unemployment to grow to 18.3% this year and to 21.5% in 2010 which means that unemployment will be around 5 million by the end of next year.

Spanish prosecutors to investigate President of Equatorial Guinea to

Spanish Prosecution service to investigate Obiang in Spain for money laundering

The Spanish Anti-Corruption Prosecution Service has decided to investigate bank accounts and property investments in Spain held by Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the president of Equatorial Guinea – one of the richest men in the World according to Forbes. Some of his relatives and also some ministers in his government will also come under scrutiny. Luis del Río Montes de Oca, who Works for the Spanish Prosecution Service has given his support to a lawsuit brought about by the Spanish Association for Human Rights for the presumed crime of laundering money. Obiang is accused of illegally transferring 26.5 million dollars (19 million euros) from the US to a bank account in Las Palmas.

Last week Del Río presented a document in which he gives the courts in Las Palmas the power to investigate the facts and which also asks the judge, Ana Isabel de Vega, to ask Santander Bank to provide details and bank extracts of an account opened in Las Palmas under the name of a Panamanian business called Kalunga Company, SA. Representatives of the Anti-Corruption Service in Las Palmas have also requested that the Service for the Prevention of the Laundering of Captial (Sepblac) for the Bank of Spain provides reports on transactions from this bank account.

An inquiry by the Sub-Committee for Investigations on behalf of the US Senate found that Teodoro Obiang was the owner of a Petrol Bank account for Equatorial Guinea held in the American bank Riggs, from which 16 money transfers were made to a Spanish bank account between 7th June 2000 and 11th December 2003 with a total value of 26,483,982 dollars.

At this time it is alleged that the Equatorial Guinea bank account held up to 700 million dollars and that the American Petrol companies Marathon y Exxon Mobil made payments into this account. It is also alleged that the bank did not follow anti- laundering regulations and helped Obiang and his children to create phantom companies and open bank accounts according to the investigations by the US Senate.

The Spanish bank account held under the name of Kalunga Company, SA, appears to be a mystery. According to sources close to the investigation, the Bank of Spain has not provided any information to the US Senate so far (legislation prevents it from doing so) but that it alerted the Spanish Anti-Money Laundering Service of suspicious transactions from this account. Obiang or his relatives did not appear as account holders or had any authorising signatures for the bank account held in Las Palmas and only a couple of Russian citizens, who are presumed to be front men for the real account holders, were authorised to withdraw money from this account.

Those bringing the lawsuit against Obiang and members of his family and government allege that they illegally used public money obtained from the sale of petrol to fund the bank account in Spain and have linked 16 transfers from the account in Riggs with the purchase of 6 houses and 3 garage places under the name of Obiang and several of his ministers in Madrid, Alcalá de Henares, Gijón and Las Palmas.
The US Senate Sub-Committee found that Kalunga Company, SA, under whose name a bank account was opened in Las Palmas is totally or partially the property of Obiang. In addition the account held in Riggs from which transfers were made to Spain is undersigned by Obiang, his son Gabriel and Melchor Esono Edjo, his former Secretary of State for the Treasury. Obiang’s signature was necessary for the transfer of funds from this account. The bank account in Las Palmas was subsequently closed down and Santander alerted Sepblac of its suspicions.

However the question of what has happened to the 26.5 million dollars remains a mystery. On 23rd February 2003 the directors of Riggs asked Obiang and his associates from Equatorial Guinea in Washington about money transfers made to Kalunga Company, SA. However, the dictator refused to answer any questions. Months later the American bank closed the accounts held by Obiang and his associates in Washington.

Judicial sources have said that in order to link money laundering activities to Obiang the prosecution service must demonstrate where these illicit funds came from. The investigation by the US Senate will play an important part in this given the fact that money transfers to Spain came from the account held in Riggs, a bank which has been accused of numerous irregularities in the management of funds received from Equatorial Guinea.

Impact of the crisis on tourism in Spain's Costa Blanca

Foreign Tourism falls by 21.7% in the Costa Blanca

The economic recession in the UK, which is especially acute in Northern British cities such as Liverpool and Manchester (two of the biggest sources of tourists for Benidorm) has made the Costa Blanca the biggest loser in terms of foreign tourism compared to the rest of Spain. Figures published by the Ministry for Industry, Tourism and Commerce for the first four months of 2009 show that foreign tourists visiting the Costa Blanca fell by 21.7% compared to a fall of 11.9% for the rest of Spain.

The figures were announced yesterday in the hotel Asia Gardens in Benidorm during a conference organized Turespaña to look at the situation of the British tourism market which has been clearly affected by the depreciation of the pound against the euro. According to some experts it will be difficult for Benidorm to regain the popularity it once held during the nineties as a cheap tourist destination with competitive prices. This year holidaying in Spain is now 20% more expensive for British tourists who are now turning to alternative destinations such as Turkey. Turkey is Spain’s biggest rival in the Mediterranean for ‘sun and beach’ tourism and this summer Turkish tour operators are offering millions of subsidised flights to British and German tourists.

Yesterday Ignacio Vasallo, the director of the Spanish Tourism Office in London (OET) revealed that so far this year Benidorm has received 127.000 hotel reservations compared to the 140,000 it received in 2008. In fact the British tourism market for Benidorm has decreased by 16% this year which is 3 points more than the rest of Spain (-13%). Sales by major tour operators have fallen by 30% while reservations made by independent tourists flying with low cost airlines have remained constant. Furthermore, adding to these problems is the fact that tourism in alternative destinations such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia has grown by 30%, 20% and 13% respectively.

Speaking at yesterday’s conference Ignacio Vasallo clearly stated that the pound would never, in his opinion, reach the strength it once had over the euro which is why the recovery of tourism in the Costa Blanca would need to depend on factors which were not monetary. According to his forecasts the value of the pound, which has fallen by around 30% over the last few months, could improve slightly but that this rise would not be enough to give it back its former strength over the euro. Vasallo said that previously the pound had been overvalued and now it was returning to a more realistic level.

Despite this Vasallo said that airline companies operating between the UK and El Altet (Alicante airport) had increased their reservations by 9% for next summer with almost 4.3 million seats – something which,in his opinion, reflected the confidence of British Airlines in the Costa Blanca as a major tourist destination.

Spanish Iberdrola opens Europe's biggest wind farm in Scotland

The largest wind farm in Europe has been opened by Iberdrola in Whitelee, to the west of Glasgow (Scotland). The installation consists of 140 turbines which will produce 322 megawatts of energy.

The president of Iberdrola, Ignacio Sánchez Galán, accompanied by the Scottish Prime Minister, Alex Salmond, were both present at the opening of the wind farm yesterday. Salmond is a strong supporter of renewable energy and has already given his authorization for Iberdrola to expand the capacity of Whitlee to 452 megawatts.

According to experts the wind farm located at Whitlee could reach the capacity of 600 megawatts if a viability study gives it seal of approval.

Yesterday, Galán took the opportunity to highlight Iberdrola’s leading position in the British wind power market and underlined the profitability of the megawatts produced by wind power compared to those obtained from other renewable energy sources. He said that ‘wind farms like Whitelee could be profitable without subsidies in the medium term depending on the price of CO2 and petrol but above all on the need for our countries to reduce their dependency on foreign sources of power’. Galán said that currently the EU gets 65% of its energy from outside the EU and in Spain this figure rises to 85%. In Galán’s opinion this is an excessive proportion which should be reduced and replaced by energy sources closer to home.

Galán referred briefly to the debate on energy that the Spanish parliament plans to hold following the summer recess. He said ‘we can’t carry on buying 85% of our energy from foreign sources which is why the debate needs to be intense’. He also said that ‘throughout Europe there is talk of reducing dependency on outside sources of power and on fossil fuels and we will also be part of this process’.

When asked whether nuclear power needed to be part of this process, Galán declined to comment despite the fact that Iberdrola is collaborating in the process of the construction of new nuclear power stations in the UK in a joint project with GdF Suez and Scottish and Southern Energy. In reply to a question over the Scottish government’s opposition to nuclear energy Galán said that ‘Iberdrola did not participate in the nuclear debate in any country and that this question was the responsibility of governments’.

The new wind farm has now taken the European crown from the one in Maranchón, Guadalajara in Spain. It is estimated that it will produce enough energy for 180,000 homes and will save around 500,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, a figure which could be doubled if the wind farm is expanded.

To date Iberdrola has invested 330 million euros in Whitelee. This investment has been made through its subsidiary company, Scottish Power, which the Spanish energy giant took over in 2007.

Iberdrola’s wind farms in the UK produce 750 megawatts, almost half of which are in Whitlee. It is hoped that this figure will be multiplied over the next 7 years with projects underway to produce 5,100 megawatts.

Norman Foster wins Prince of Asturias Award

Norman Foster, awarded Principe de las Artes 2009 prize

The British architect, Norman Foster (born in Manchester, 1935) has been awarded the Príncipe de Asturias de las Artes 2009 prize. The jury for this year’s prize presided over by the former Minister, José Lladó, highlighted the way that Foster’s work has ‘universal’ appeal and the way Foster knows how to ‘unite aesthetic quality, intellectual reflexion and create a dialogue between territory and citizens through the original use of space, light and material’.

Amongst Foster's latest works are the underground station in Florence, Italy, the Pyramid for International dialogue between religions in Astana, the new capital of Kazajistan and the biggest airport in the world in Pekin, built for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Amongst some of this year’s 26 candidates for the annual Principe de Asturias prize for the Arts were the British actress Vanessa Redgrave, the Spanish film director, Carlos Saura, the American sculptor Richard Serra, the Spanish singer songwriter, Joan Manuel Serrat and the composer, Cristóbal Halffter.

Last year’s prize was awarded to the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. Winners in previous years include, Woody Allen, Miquel Barceló and Paco de Lucía.

Foster is the fourth architect to be awarded this prize along with the Brazilian architect, Óscar Niemeyer (1989) and the Spanish architects Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza (1993) and Santiago Calatrava (1999).

The prize for the Arts conceded by the Principe de Asturias foundation which comes with a gift of 50,000 euros will be presented by Prince Felipe de Borbón in a ceremony which will take place at the end of October in the Campoamor theatre in Oviedo.

Spanish-Portuguese bid to host 2018 World Cup

Raúl and Figo, to represent Spanish and Portuguese bid to host the 2018 World Cup

The Spanish footballer Raúl González (Real Madrid), and the Portuguese player, Luís Figo (Inter de Milan) have both accepted the challenge of representing the Joint Spanish and Portuguese candidature to host the 2018/2022 World Cup.

Representatives of the joint candidature are meeting today in Madrid where the headquarters for the candidature have been established.

Figo and Raúl have been chosen to lead the campaign which also includes other important figures from the world of sport, the arts and science.

Last February the Spanish and Portuguese Football Federations decided to send their proposals to host the 2018 World Cup which can also be extended to include the 2022 tournament. Their proposal will compete against another 10 proposals including the British bid launched yesterday by David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Gordon Brown.

Grants for new cars in Spain introduced today

Government aid for the purchase of new vehicles comes into effect today

Financial help of between 1,500 and 2,000 euros for those purchasing a new vehicle announced by the Spanish government last week is available as from today.

The amount of the financial assistance available depends on which part of Spain you live in as some regional authorities have decided not to participate in the new measure which is designed to reactivate not only the car industry and car showrooms but also the economy as a whole.

The plan consists of the government contributing 500 euros to the purchase of a new vehicle along with manufacturers who have committed to providing discounts of 1000 euros and regional authorities which if taking part in the plan will provide a further 500 euros.

By means of this measure the Spanish, after the Germans and the British who have also introduced a similar measure today, will receive the biggest financial incentive for the purchase of a new vehicle in the whole of the EU.
With this measure the Spanish government hopes to boost car sales which according to figures provided by the association Anfac have fallen by 43.7% during the first four months of 2009 compared to 2008.

The amount of time a new vehicle remains in a car showroom has increased by almost fourfold from 45 days to 180 this year. According to the National Association of Motor Vehicles Sellers (Ganvam) the problem lies with financial entities due to the fact that potential buyers are finding it hard to get loans. It is estimated that sales of vehicles will fall overall by 25% in 2009. The number of vehicles currently in stock has risen to 450,000 already.

Some regional governments have refused to take part in the government’s plans. The government of the Comunidad de Madrid has already said that it will not participate in providing an extra 500 euros as part of the government’s plan although it will maintain its own measure which is a 20% reduction in matriculation costs. Antonio Beteta, who is in charge of the Economy for the Comunidad de Madrid, considers the plan to be limited and says that it will also mean that regional governments will get a deficit in their budgets.

Josep Huguet, Head of Innovation, Universities and Business for the Catalan regional government also said that his government would not contribute 500 euros for the purchase of vehicles in Catalonia. Other regions such as Valencia, Murcia and Navarra will complement the government’s proposals with possible alternatives. Galicia is currently preparing its own plans to help boost the sales of cars and the recently elected Basque government has not made up its mind yet whether to go along with the governments proposals or not.

Airport tax in Spain to be frozen

Spanish government to freeze all airport taxes in 2010

Yesterday, the Minister for Public Works, José Blanco, announced that the government was planning to freeze all airport taxes in 2010 in an attempt to try and stimulate the economy. In a press conference in Las Palmas Blanco said discounts in taxes applicable to air passengers in the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and Melilla would also be increased by up to 30%. Blanco also announced the investment of 342.6 million euros for airports in the Balearic Islands over the next four years.

However, Francisco Alaya, the spokesperson for the PP in the Parliamentary Commission for Public Works, has criticised the government’s plans to freeze all airport taxes saying that this measure has arrived a year too late and should have been introduced in 2009. Alaya said that the PP had proposed an amendment for the General State Budget for 2009 in which it asked for airport taxes to be frozen in the face of the significant fall in the activity of this sector. However, the amendment was rejected by the government.

Alaya said that his party had also asked for a 50% discount in taxes in air navigation for the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, something which was also rejected by the government. He said that now the government was adopting measures considered essential by the PP a year too late.

With regards to the plans to introduce discounts of up to 30% in taxes applicable to air passengers in the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and Melilla Alaya said that this measure was discriminatory and said that the discount should be as high as 50% and apply to all territories that are not connected by land to the rest of Spain.

The effect of the crisis on Spain's economy

Spanish economy shrinks by 2.9% during first three months of 2009

The Spanish economy went down by 2.9% in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period for 2008 and by 1.8% compared to the previous quarter. In both cases these are the worst figures registered in one quarter since 1970 when the Spanish National Institute for Statistics (INE) began recording statistics on the economy.

This fall in the economy coincides with figures offered by the Bank of Spain at the end of April. Government forecasts for 2009 for the performance of the economy estimate a fall of 1.6% while international bodies have placed this figure at 3%.

According to information provided by the INE today the fall in GDP in the Spanish economy was the result of fall in national demand which was only partly compensated by positive results in the exports sector. The fall in GDP by 2.9% is the second quarterly fall in the economy following the fall of 0.7% in the last quarter of 2008 compared to the previous year. It also contrasts sharply with the 2.7% growth in GDP registered in the first quarter of 2008.

The variation in the economy in terms of the results for previous quarters shows a fall of 1.8% for the first quarter of 2009 compared to falls of 1% and 0.3% for the fourth and third quarters of 2008 respectively. These results show that GDP has shrunk for three consecutive quarters. The Spanish economy officially entered into a recession at the end of 2008 after negative growth for two quarters in a row.

The figures published today coincide with the estimations made by the Bank of Spain in its latest economic bulletin in which it said that the fall in GDP had intensified in Spain during the first three months of 2009 in the context of a recessive world economy characterized by lack of confidence in the financial system, the collapse of international commerce and instability in financial markets.

Spanish government new economic crisis policies

In Spain's annual State of the Nation debate Zapatero announces 11 economic initiatives to combat the crisis

In yesterday’s debate in the Spanish parliament over the state of the nation the president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero outlined 11 initiatives aimed at revitalizing the economy placing special emphasis on initiatives to help the car industry, the housing sector and small to medium sized businesses.

Firstly Zapatero outlined the government’s plan to change the current tax allowance for the purchase of a property to live in. The current system which gives a tax allowance of 9,015 euros for the purchase of a house will continue for all those who have purchased or purchase their properties before 2011. However after this date only those with incomes inferior to 17,000 euros will benefit from this tax allowance. Furthermore this tax allowance will disappear for those households with incomes above 24,000 euros.

Therefore with only 17 months left before the new regulations come into effect the government hopes to revitalize the housing sector which currently has a surplus of 800,000 houses and flats. After 2011 only those on low incomes will be entitled to tax allowances for the purchase of a property.

Zapatero also announced more help and tax allowances for those who rent and said that the government would invest more money in subsidized housing. He said that there would be a 60% tax deduction for those renting which would rise to 100% for those under the age of 30.

Plans to help small to medium sized businesses aimed at fighting rising unemployment were announced yesterday. Zapatero said that 5 points would be taken off taxes charged to all small and medium sized businesses with fewer than 25 employees and with a turnover of under 5 million euros that maintained or increased their workforce until December 2009. This initiative is also aimed at helping the self employed.

The car industry which accounts for 11% of Spain’s GDP and generates 2.6 million jobs for the economy will benefit from a further investment of 600 million euros which will be added to the current Plan Renove. There will also be direct help for those who want to purchase a car with a subsidy of 2000 euros, 500 of which will be provided by the government, 500 by the regional government and the other 1000 euros by the manufacturers. This measure will come into effect from 1st June this year and will apply to all vehicles costing less than 30,000 euros.

Zapatero announced measures to help local investment with funds totalling 5,000 million euros for work related to improving the environment, technology and work related to helping people with physical disabilities. There will also be a fund of 20,000 million euros for economic sustainability.

Plans to renew Spain’s public transport system were announced. Buses more than 10 years old will be replaced by new ones. The government will therefore support the purchase of up to 2000 new buses. Companies will also be encouraged to provide their workers with bus passes which will result in a reduction of 24% in the cost of transport.

Zapatero announced plans to help improve technology in schools with the purchase of 420,000 laptop computers for classrooms, wi-fi internet connection in schools, the installation of digital blackboards and training for teachers in the best use of technology for educational purposes.

Another initiative related to education is the announcement that university graduates aged between 25 and 40 years old receiving benefits will be entitled to study for a Masters degree free of charge. It is believed that this initiative will cost the government around 70 million euros.

Zapatero announced cuts in the general state budget of 1000 million euros which will be added to the cuts of 1,500 million euros announced in February this year saying that special effort was needed to combat the current economic crisis.

Finally Zapatero announced plans to help restructure the banking sector. This initiative is aimed principally at banks reinforcing their own resources. The president said that the government was currently in the process of designing a new scheme and added that this was being carried out in collaboration with the PP and the Bank of Spain.

Availability of the morning after pill in Spain

Morning after pill will be available at chemists in Spain without prescription

Trips to health centres in search of the morning after pill will soon become a thing of the past in Spain when this form of contraception becomes available at chemist’s throughout Spain without the need for a prescription. The Minister for Health, Trinidad Jiménez, announced yesterday that the morning after pill will be available to anyone who asks for it over the counter at Spanish farmacies and will cost 18 euros.

Every year in Spain around 500,000 women use the morning after pill in order to avoid early or unwanted pregnancies which are on the increase in Spain. In 2007 more than 112,000 abortions were carried out in Spain 6000 of which were for women under the age of 18 and 500 for girls under the age of 15. According to the Ministry for Health these figures show that unwanted pregnancies are a serious problem in Spain and one which requires measures such as the introduction of the morning after pill without prescription.

The issue of abortion and unwanted pregnancies has always divided Spain and while certain sectors of the medical profession have been asking for the morning after pill to be made more freely available, the announcement made by the Health Minister yesterday was not welcomed by representatives of a sector of the medical profession whoe claim that the pill is a method of abortion and believe that its availability over the counter will only serve to make people more promiscuous. The Popular Party's shadow Minister for Health, Ana Pastor, agrees with this sector and claimed yesterday that its introduction without prescription represented a step backwards and was nothing more than a political move.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers the morning after pill to be an essential medicine, one which any women of reproductive age might need at some time in order to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. In 3 months time when this form of contraception becomes available without prescription Spain will join the list of 46 countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the US, India or Portugal where the morning after pill is available over the counter.

The new measure which forms part of the government’s strategy on reproductive and sexual health also aims to put an end to inequalities that exist between different regions of Spain with regards to the availability of the morning after pill. In some regions such as Madrid or Galicia, it is very difficult to get access to it through the public health system whereas in other regions such as Andalucía, Aragón, Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Navarra, Cataluña, Extremadura, Galicia or the Balearic Islands it is handed out free of charge in family planning centres. In 2008 540,000 units were handed out by doctors compared to the 100,000 units in 2001 when it was legalised in Spain.

However, some sectors of the medical profession are against this form of contraception. Luis Chiva, the spokesperson for Gynaecologists in Defence of Life’ defines its introduction over the counter as ‘madness’ and a ‘barbarity’ and says that it will increase sexual promiscuity. He also says that people will start to use it as a normal form of contraception rather than only for emergencies. However, Javier Martínez Salmeán, the head of Gynaecology in the Severo Ochoa hospital of Madrid and a member of the government’s advisory committee of experts believes that making the morning pill available without prescription is a great advance. He also said that the possibilities of suffering side effects from this medicine are very low. He also said that the availability of this form of contraception would not lead to a sudden rise in its use but would make it less stressful for women to get access to it.

While the WHO states this form of contraception inhibits ovulation and is not abortive, some doctors refuse to prescribe the morning after pill because they say that it can inhibit the implantation of a fertilised ovule in the uterus at certain times of a menstrual cycle and is therefore abortive. This is also the traditional view of the Catholic Church.

Even now there are some chemists in Spain that refuse to sell condoms and the morning after pill. According to Trinidad Jiménez chemists are ‘obliged to supply the morning after pill’. The president of the Association of Chemists, Carmen Peña, also explained that all medicines should be available in chemists unless there was a problem of supply. She said that chemists ‘did not enter into politics’.

Spanish exports of olive oil and wine

Export market for Spanish olive oil and wine to be strengthened

Spanish wine and olive oil producers have decided to try to boost the export market for their products in order to combat the crisis in prices and falling sales in the domestic market. In both cases campaigns and programmes to promote olive oil and wine will be launched over the next few years with a budget of between 18 and 45 million euros which will be provided jointly by the producers of these goods, the Spanish government and EU

At present Spain is the biggest exporter of olive oil with an annual export market of 630,000 tonnes. However, most exports are sold in bulk and therefore at reduced prices. In the case of wine Spain is the second biggest exporter behind Italy but ahead of France with an export market of 16.9 million hectolitres. However, this product is also sold mostly to other EU countries in bulk at lower prices.

According to the Organización Común de Mercado, the wine producing sector in Spain will receive around 16 million euros in EU funds this year, 32 million euros next year and 40 million euros for later campaigns. With the help of these resources the wine industry in Spain has presented more than 500 programmes to promote their products abroad. Half the cost of these programmes will be met by companies involved in the wine industry and the other half by the EU. However, the campaigns will only take place in non EU countries.

With regards to olive oil production different promotional campaigns abroad using funds provided by the EU, the Spanish government and the olive oil industry will be developed. This year a 1.6 million campaign for the promotion of olive oil in non EU countries financed by Icex, the Andalucian regional government and the olive oil industry is in the process of being developed.

For the promotion of olive oil in EU countries such as Holland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France and Spain itself a budget of 5 million euros has been agreed which will be jointly funded by the olive oil industry and the EU.

Solar energy in Spain

Small Spanish village Bullas becomes leading example in solar energy

According to a report in El Mundo today, small Spanish village in the province of Murcia called Bullas, until now known only for its wines, has become a leading example in renewable energy. The solar field in Bullas first began to function in November 2007 generating 21% of the total energy required by this municipality, the equivalent of 42% of the energy required by all households.

According to the spokesperson for Gehrlicher Solar, Fernando Sacristán, the use of this solar field has led to a reduction of CO2 emissions by 8000 tonnes per year in line with the requirements set out in the Kyoto Protocol.

Another advantage of the use of the solar field is that part of the energy produced by the solar panels is used by a nearby water plant which provides irrigation to the surrounding land. The solar panels account for 30% of the plant’s electricity consumption. Part of the land where the solar plaques are located is owned by the local town hall and part is owned by landowners from the area.

The profits from the solar field are being invested in a training workshop on solar energy and there are several solar powered open-air cooking facilities where people can go to have picnic. These cooking facilities can boil a litre of water in 6 minutes.

The solar field is the result of an agreement between Gehrlicher Solar and Bullas town hall run by PSOE. It is managed by Ecoparque Solar de Bullas, a business consisting of 70 small investors from Murcia and provides employment to 15 people.
At present a project of expansion which hopes to double the number of solar panels within a year and a half is underway. In addition, there are plans to install solar panels on public buildings such as schools, sports centres and the town hall itself.
According to Fernando Sacristán ‘the environmental impact of these panels is minimal given that the panels are not permanently fixed and if there is a problem or one breaks down then it can be removed and replaced easily without leaving any waste behind’.

Until now wind has been the preferred source of renewable energy in Spain, and increasing areas of land in Castilla la Mancha and northern Spain have had windfarms installed. However solar energy has taken longer to become an established source of eco-friendly energy, despite the fact that many areas of Spain enjoy more hours of sun per year than most other European countries. The price of solar energy systems for private use has only recently started coming down, making it possible for more and more homeowners to consider the possibility of installing panels. And recent solar energy initiatives like this one reported in El Mundo , aswell as similar ones we have seen in Zaragoza and Albacete offer further proof that Spain may be starting to recognise the country's huge potential to generate renewable solar energy.

Pirate suspects held on Spanish ship

Spanish ship captures 7 shipwrecked pirates

Spain is now facing the dilemma of what to do with the 7 pirates captured in the Indian Ocean. According to the Ministry of Defence a Spanish petrol tanker, the Marqués de la Ensenada, which was travelling through the Gulf of Aden received a mayday call at 11.10 am (Spanish time) from another ship, the Nepheli, which was flying the Panamanian flag and which was being attacked by another lighter vessel.

The petrol tanker which was approximately 15 miles away went to help the Nepheli and sent its helicopter to survey the situation in advance of its arrival. When the tanker arrived in the area it found a capsized vessel and 7 people in the water. It is believed that the evasive action taken by the Nepheli led to the boat to capsize.
When the Marqués de la Ensenada arrived it rescued the 7 people in the water. The Ministry of Defence is now waiting for sufficient evidence to show that the 7 people rescued by the tanker are in fact pirates.

Last night the Ministry confirmed that the captain of the Nepheli, a Filipino, has signed a declaration accusing the 7 men of attempting to hijack his ship which had several bullet holes in its windows and bodywork. Although no firearms were found on the vessel belonging to the pirates some petrol containers, oil containers, a magnetic needle and a GPS system were discovered.

According to the protocol which Spanish sailors are obliged to follow when pirates are detained they must be taken firstly to court in Spain. However, the ship which was being attacked was not Spanish and so according to the current legal code the crime of piracy is not applicable in such cases. The alternative option is to hand the captured men over to Kenya which has signed an agreement with the EU.

So far Spanish ships which have participated in capturing dozens of pirates have not had to decide over the fate of those captured. The 14 pirates which were captured last weekend remained in the custody of the French ship, the Nivose and were handed over to the authorities in the Seychelles, given that the events took place in its waters.

Spain has contributed 395 military personnel to a NATO operation which is currently patrolling the Atlantic Ocean. In addition the frigate, Blas de Lezo (with 212 sailors) is at the disposition of NATO until the end of June.

Bankruptcies in Spain in 2009

Record number of bankruptcies during first quarter of 2009

The fall in consumption and the sharp growth in unemployment in Spain have led to the number of individuals and companies going into administration to go up four fold in the first quarter of 2009. There have been a record number of insolvencies - 1,588 – which is four times more than for the same period in 2008. If the rhythm of insolvencies and bankruptcies continues at the same rate economic forecasters believe that the number of bankruptcies for the whole of 2008 could be twice that of 2008 (2,902).

The statistics on companies going into administration published by the Spanish National Institute for Statistics (INE) show that the first quarter of 2009 has been the worst phase of the current economic crisis so far with an increase of 44% of companies going into administration compared to the last quarter of 2008. However, what is not clear is whether the worst phase is coming to an end or is set to continue.

Between January and March 2009 the number of individuals declaring themselves insolvent tripled compared to the same period for 2008 with a total of 200 insolvencies being declared. Companies and the self employed who went into administration went up by 278.3%, to 1,358 which is almost four times as many as a year earlier. Out of these 3 out of every 10 were involved in the construction or property sales sectors while the rest were in industry, energy with 17.8% coming from the commercial sector. The majority were either small or medium sized companies with a turnover of less than 2 million euros.

Out of the total number of bankruptcies 1.470 were voluntary (280.8% more than in the first quarter of 2008) 88 were forced (125.6% more). As far as the geographical location of companies and individuals going bankrupt 59.2% were concentrated in Catalonia, Valencia, Madrid and Andalucía.

The new law on bankruptcy which came into effect on 1st April 2009 has been ‘limited’ and has not been able to put a brake on the increase in the number of bankruptcies according to Gonzalo Aranzabal, from the law firm KPMG in declarations made to El Pais today. Aranzabal, believes one of the weakness of the new law is that it has not affected the situation of families and individuals who find themselves with more debts than they can cope with and it has not helped with judicial delays either due to the insufficient number of courts available to deal with the avalanche of applications for bankruptcy.

The Union of Consumers (UCE) has also asked for a law to be passed to deal with people who find themselves in too much debt destined principally at helping families. This law would outline the rights of citizens who find themselves in a situation of too much debt and who suffer pressure from banks and would be similar to laws that already exist in France or Germany.

According to UCE, the current law is based on helping companies. UCE maintains that not only is it too costly but that it involves an over complicated process and is not capable of helping families or individuals who are defenceless in the face of banks and other financial entities.

Basque country's first non-nationalist president

New Basque President, Patxi Lope, sworn in today

The Basque Parliament in Vitoria is paying host this morning to 500 guests and 200 journalists for the investiture of the new Basque President, Patxi Lopez. Media interest in the event is very high and representatives from the Al Jazeera television network will be amongst some of the journalists attending today’s ceremony as well as many others from around the world. For the first time in it's history the Basque Region will have a non-separatist Government led by López, leader of the Basque Socialist Party, and supported by the Basque Popular Party.

Today’s session is attended by the Secretary of Organization for PSOE, Leire Pajín, and the president of the PP, Mariano Rajoy. Spain's new Minister for Public Works, José Blanco, President of the Senate, Javier Rojo, and the President of the PNV, Iñigo Urkullu are also among the guests witnessing this historic event.

The official naming of the new Basque President (Lehendakari) will be published in the Official Bulletin of the Basque Country on Thursday 7th May which is when Lopez is expected to take possession in a ceremony Gernika attended by the third Vice-president and Minister for Territorial Policy, Manuel Chaves.

This afternoon the new Lehendakari will officially publish the composition of his new government which will be made up of 10 regional ministers, 4 of whom will be independent (i.e. not members of the Basque Socialist Party or any other political organisation). Lopez is anxious to refute claims from the PNV nationalist party that his government will be the most biased and confrontational in the history of Basque autonomy.

In his speech this morning, Patxi López claimed that the change that he represents is a "change that demonstrates the maturity of Basque citizens" and he has called on the Basque parliament to "delegitimise" those who refuse to criticise terrorism. López asked for the support of all members of parliament to unite society and end political and institutional confrontation to enable government to direct policy towards solving the real problems of the people.