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Articles by The Corner

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The Corner
The Corner has a team of on-the-ground reporters in capital cities ranging from New York to Beijing. Their stories are edited by the teams at the Spanish magazine Consejeros (for members of companies’ boards of directors) and at the stock market news site Consenso Del Mercado (market consensus). They have worked in economics and communication for over 25 years.
villanueva donbenito

Spanish Politics 22nd November 2021

The Merger Of Municipalities In Spain Is Boosted By The Proposed Union Of Two Leading Towns In Extremadura

Since 2013 it has been possible in Spain for two municipalities to merge. In that year the law to “rationalise the structures and reduce the atomisation of the municipal map” came into force. The first mergers of villages in Spain took place in 2013 and 2017, respectively, in two small municipalities of Galicia. Now the town councils of Don Benito and Villanueva de la Serena (province of Badajoz, in the region of Extremadura) will open the process of merging to popular consultation, an operation that has aroused particular interest due to the size of both localities.

endesa enel

Spanish economy 21st November 2021

Spain Spares Tax Pain For Iberdrola, Endesa; Higher Prices Promise Cashflow Gains Mostly From 2023

Spain’s reversal of plans for a windfall tax on power providers leaves utilities facing modest extra payments rather than multibillion-euro tax bills. Iberdrola SA, one of Spain’s biggest utilities, is a case in point, says Scope Ratings. Enel SpA, the Italian parent of Spanish utility Endesa, has provided less information though it is sticking to an EBITDA forecast for its Spanish activities issued before the energy levy was announced.

blue bonds2

World economy 20th November 2021

How Blue Bonds Promise to Boost Latin America’s Economy

Craig Dempesey | The recent issuance of Latin America’s first blue bond could be a major milestone. The region stands to benefit from this nascent financial mechanism aimed at protecting water sources and creating opportunities for populations living near them.Announced during the UN climate summit in Glasgow, the fixed-rate bond issued by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will generate $37 million to help fund projects to increase access to clean water in Latin America.

Mark Rutte

European politics 19th November 2021

Dutch Get Preview Of Next Government’s Policies

Nick Ottens (Atlantic Sentinel) | A deal between two of the four parties negotiating to form a government in the Netherlands has leaked. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s liberal VVD (of which I am a member) and the Christian democratic CDA wrote the outlines of a coalition agreement for review by the social-liberal D66 and the smaller Christian Union. Christian Union leader Gert-Jan Segers forgot a copy of the document on…

Holland tunnel entrance at NY

World economy 18th November 2021

US Infrastructure Law: High-Speed Internet Is As Essential As Water And Electricity

Hernán Galperin (The Conversation) | The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nov. 15, 2021, was hailed by the White House and advocates as a historic investment to improve internet access in America. I believe the infrastructure plan should be celebrated as a historic moment for broadband, but not so much because of the money it brings to the table. Rather, it is because of the way the law treats internet access in America.

ramon adell

Interviews 17th November 2021

“Legal Uncertainty Is Lethal For Attracting Investment”

Ramón Adell is a board member of a large listed energy company, Naturgy, and several others. Right now, the Spanish business world is partly caught up in a wave of ICO loans and labour market measures such as ERTEs. Q: What effects do you think this bubble has had on the culture and management of companies in our country? A: There is still a certain anaesthesia in part of the…

escriva

Spanish economy 16th November 2021

Government And Trade Unions Agree That Companies Will Assume 83% Of The 0.6% Rise In Social Security Contributions

The employers represented by their employers’ associations, CEOE and CEPYME, announced yesterday that it is impossible to reach an agreement with the Government and trade unions to establish an “Intergenerational Equity Mechanism”. This is what the Government and trade unions intend to do, with a 0.6% rise in contributions over 10 years to alleviate the deficit that will result from the retirement of the baby boom of the 60s. In…

BBVA Holvi

Spanish economy 15th November 2021

With The Turkish Lira At Historic Lows, BBVA Launches A €2.25 billion Takeover Bid For The 51% Stake In Turkey’s Garanti It Does Not Control

BBVA, which currently holds 49.85% of the capital of Turkish bank Garanti has agreed to launch a voluntary takeover bid for the remaining 50.15% it does not hold. BBVA is offering Garanti’s shareholders 12.20 Turkish Liras in cash for each share of the Company. This is a 15% premium to the 10.58 Turkish lira at which the bank’s shares were trading on Friday 12 November. The maximum amount to be…