You Can't Argue with the Facts

Spain is strongly limiting growth and development opportunities for the people living in Catalonia, both at the individual and collective level. We will try to summarize the most relevant issues involved in this situation. Here are the facts ad the figures.   Taxation deficit A taxation deficit occurs in a particular territory...

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Spanish Government rules out a new inter-territorial fiscal scheme, despite the current one having legally expired

Spanish Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro On Wednesday, the Spanish Finance Minister, Cirstobal Montoro, refused to start negotiating and launching a new funding scheme for the Autonomous Communities before 2016, even though the current model had to be reviewed before January 2014. The Catalan Government has been insisting on its review...

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How much will Catalonia pay for Spain's Economic Policies

The budget for 2013 will be difficult due to the economic and financial context in Catalonia and the whole Eurozone. But it will be even worse due to certain decisions taken by the Spanish government that will further negatively affect the budget. A list of these decisions will be useful to understand why they will all damage the Catalan...

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Catalonia in the International Spotlight

It seems that The Times has begun a media crusade against the possible independence of Catalonia. Two days ago the headline of its Editorial cried out that the separation from Madrid would be at least as bad [financially] in Catalonia as in the rest of Spain. A few days earlier, the same newspaper published an article by journalist Matthew...

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"The Mediterranean Corridor": A key infrastructure for Catalonia

The Mediterranean Corridor is a trans-European rail line that provides faster, more economical and cleaner transport in comparison to sea and air freight. The Mediterranean Corridor is of crucial importance for the future of Catalonia because it is a means of opening up its trade to the European market, driving Catalan exports to...

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Andorra and the Euro

I always say that reality is stubborn and its head sticks out when you least want it to. One of the great threats Spaniards make to pro-independence Catalans is that Catalonia will not be able to use the euro if it becomes independent. Well, I have attached the entry of the Official Journal of the European Union from 17 December...

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Els de “la pela és la pela”

It is no news that in Spain, the Catalans are said to be stingy. We are a people who, unlike other societies, have for centuries based a great part of our economy on foreign trade. That explains why we were pioneers of the Industrial Revolution in the Iberian peninsula, or why the word peseta (the currency in Spain before the Euro) comes...

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Catalonia in Contention

On September 11, during the eve of the Scottish independence referendum, another Western European independence movement was brewing 1,300 miles to the south. Hundreds of thousands of residents of the Autonomous Region of Catalonia gathered in the streets of the capital city of Barcelona to demand a vote for their region’s independence...

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If I Were Swedish

If I happened to be Swedish and I was watching one of the TV reports these days about those people with tall hoods and all the typical religious celebrations in the streets of Spanish towns, which are so baroque flavoured, as if time had stopped and stood still right there, my first thought would probably be to go there some time and attend...

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European Parliament demands improvements to the nomination process of Guindos and express 4 reservations

MEPs expressed reservations about: - the selection procedure, - ender balance within the ECB, - procedure, - the timing of the appointment and the political independence of the nominee MEPs want the Council to engage with the Parliament to improve the process for future appointments. The committee decision will have to be confirmed by Parliament as a whole, in a plenary vote planned for March. Parliament is consulted on...

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How will Spain pay her debts? Japanese investors deserve to know

Rajoy's recent trip to Japan featured bland smiles, diplomatic niceties, and the customary announcements about closer cooperation. It is clear, though, that the Spanish prime minister failed to address some key issues of interest to Japan. Among them, the fate of the Spanish national debt. Faced with Catalonia's decision to resume sovereignty,...

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