Top Stories

Catalonia

catalonia efimera

Spanish Politics 19th May 2021

Separatist Parties Agree To Form New Government In Catalonia

Nick Ottens (Atlantic Sentinel) | Catalonia’s leading pro-independence parties have reached an agreement to install Pere Aragonès as regional president. Aragonés has been acting president since September, when Quim Torra of the center-right Together for Catalonia (Junts) was forced to step down. Aragonès’ Republican Left won the election in February. The agreement comes after three months of negotiations during which the Republicans raised the possibility of forming a minority government…

Pedro Sánchez falls short of majority but will likely prevail tuesday

Spanish economy 30th August 2020

COVID-19 Has Put Catalan Politics On Hold

Talks about transferring more power to the region, which Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised in return for the support of Catalonia’s Republican Left, were postponed when COVID-19 broke out in March and have yet to be rescheduled. So do snap regional elections Catalan president Quim Torra called for in January.

The agreement on the minimum wage and the relative success of the trip to Catalonia encourages the new government

Spanish Politics 13th February 2020

The Minimum Wage And The Trip Of Sánchez To Catalonia Encourages The New Government

Joan Tapia (Barcelona) | The PSOE-Podemos Coalition Government has not failed to confront its two main challenges: economic policy and Catalonia. However, now comes the most important issue: to approve the national budget for 2020 for which it needs a vote in favour of ERC. This time the abstention of ERC is not enough, as in the case of the investiture, which was achieved in exchange for the establishment of a dialogue between the governments of Madrid and Barcelona.

The agreement on the minimum wage and the relative success of the trip to Catalonia encourages the new government

Opinion, Spanish economy 8th January 2020

The new all or nothing government for Spain

Ana Fuentes | The recently appointed coalition government is facing the biggest constitutional crisis of Spanish democracy. With almost half of the parliament against, in addition to criticism within his own party, PM Sanchez has launched an all or nothing bet. If he manages to take a part of Catalan pro-independence supporters to the constitutional path, and ERC renounces unilateralism as Basque separatism did, this will be an achievement for posterity. But the play may go wrong for the Socialists, and it would not be the first time.

catalan politicians prison

Spanish economy 8th October 2019

Keys of the Catalan separatist trial before the sentence

Nicolás García Rivas (The Conversation) | The separatist leaders currently in prison – or fleeing justice – are accused of rebellion, the most serious crime against the constitution. All because of the events which took place two years ago, following the adoption by the Catalan parliament of various laws of “disconnection” of Catalonia from Spain and its subsequent separation from our State.

diada cat

Spanish economy 13th September 2019

Perhaps a thaw between Madrid and Catalonia has begun

Ana Fuentes | A tense autumn was expected between Madrid and Catalonia, but perhaps it will not be so bad. With the Supreme Court´s sentence on the Catalan separatist leaders only weeks away, and the anniversary of the illegal referendum on 1 October, Thursday´s demonstration in Barcelona was seen as a key measure of the temperature of Catalan separatism. Finally the figures show that the tension has (apparently) reduced: according to the local police, 600,000 people took to the streets. It was a massive, peaceful and colourful demonstration, but with the lowest turnout in 7 years, when the strongest drive for independence began.

euco

In Europe 21st June 2019

The battle for EU’s top jobs is on- What are Spain´s chances?

Ana Fuentes | The musical chairs for top institutional renewal in Brussels has begun. At stake are the presidencies of the European Commission, the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Central Bank, as well as the representative for Unión diplomacy. For Spain, opportunities may open up. Yet the government has to deal with the after effects of the Catalan conflict, which has not questioned its democratic legitimacy, although it may compromise its margin of maneuver.

pedro sanchez

Opinion, Spanish economy 14th March 2019

In the Spain of 2019

Luis Alcaide | Spanish government with its parliamentary minority has administered, but without exposing itself to dangerous risks difficult. It has pushed its budget, with its own proposals, knowing it will not be approved. But as Groucho Marx said “here is another one”. The increase in the minimum wage has already shown their socialist colours. We need to continue to take care of the economy. It is not that easy, but not that hard either.