Spanish economy

spain brand

What ‘Soft Power’ Is And Why Spain Is A Powerhouse

The Conversation | Spain scores very well in some of the parameters that generate soft power. We have a gastronomy, a cultural heritage, writers, filmmakers and sportsmen of the highest level. All this creates a kind of affection and attraction towards Spain among the citizens of other countries, which results in economic benefits, either through tourism or through the consumption of products made in Spain. In other words, a country’s soft power is its capacity to weave alliances and influence in the international sphere through the interest that the cultural, political or economic attributes of its society arouse in the citizens of other nations.



Talgo Vittal One

‘Talgo Vittal-One’ , A Spanish Train Powered By Hydrogen To Reduce Carbon Footprint

Portocolom AV | Spanish railway company Talgo is working on an innovative hydrogen train with the aim of replacing diesel-powered locomotives by 2023. With these new engines the company would replace diesel-powered ones in commuter trains and medium-distance trains, and thus take a step further on the way to climate neutrality, which Spain aims to achieve in 2050. The railway company is developing at its Rivabellosa plant in Alava the first units that will be powered by green hydrogen fuel cells supplied by Repsol. The two companies have recently signed an alliance to develop machines powered by this energy.


stellantis

Stellantis, The Only Manufacturer Producing 100% Electric Cars At All Three Spanish Plants

ICEX- Invest in Spain | Stellantis is the only manufacturer that produces 100% electric cars at each of its three Spanish plants: Peugeot e-2008 (Vigo), Citroën ë-C4 (Madrid) and Opel Corsa-e (Zaragoza). With more than six decades of experience in the production of commercial vehicles and a pioneer in the field of electric mobility, the Italian-French-United States international automotive group has now launched a new generation of 100% electric commercial and multipurpose vehicles, produced in Vigo.


exports spanish2

The Competitiveness Of The Spanish Foreign Sector: Where It Is Now And Where It Is Heading

Luís Pinheiro de Matos (CaixaBank Research | The pandemic has been felt in all sectors of the economy, particularly in tourism services, a key sector for the Spanish economy. Nevertheless, the foreign sector held up very well in the face of an unprecedented shock, and despite not having this traditional contribution the current account managed to maintain a surplus. The starting point for rebuilding a path of sustainable growth is better than one might have expected. Focusing on the balance of goods in 2020, a year with a historic fall of 10.8% of GDP, Spanish exports of non-energy goods fell by 8.3%, but managed to remain above 250 billion euros (around 22% of GDP) for the fourth consecutive year.


Bankinter

Only Bankinter Exceeds The Average Capital Ratio Of European Banks, 11.2% Compared To 10.2%

Banca March | European banks have passed the stress tests with good marks. In Spain, the ratio is slightly below the average, at 8.95%. Of the four domestic institutions analyzed, only Bankinter with a ratio of 11.2% exceeded the European average. Santander’s ratio was 9.3% and BBVA’s was 8.7%. The worst performance was that of Banco Sabadell with a ratio of 6.5%, ahead only of Italy’s Monte dei Paschi and HSBC.


coltan

The Only Coltan Mine In Europe Is Located In Spain

Coltan is an essential raw material for the microelectronics, telecommunications, aerospace and biomedical industries. Although it may appear to be just one mineral , coltan is the combination of two, columbite and tantalite. In fact, the term itself “coltan” comes from the fusion of the two words. Basically, it is a mineral which is concentrated in the Republic of Congo, where 80 % of the reserves are found. In Europe there is only one mine where this material is extracted: A Penouta, an old tin mine located in Orense (Spain).


employed spain

Spain Creates 464,900 Jobs In Second Quarter 2021

The 2Q 2021 unemployment rate stood at 15.26% against 15.98% in the previous quarter, according to data released today by Spain’s National Statistics Institute. The activity rate improves to 58.6% quarter-on-quarter. On the other hand, the number of jobless people decreases to 3.5 M (-3% q/q), while the number of employed people increases by +464,900 to 19.7M (+2.4%).


Acciona Energia

Acciona Energía Signs Its First International Joint-Venture As A Listed Company

Acciona’s renewables division has been listed on the stock exchange for less than a month (its debut on the trading market was on July 1) and has already announced its first international deal. Acciona Energía and SSE Renewables have agreed to explore offshore wind opportunities in Poland as the country seeks to progress the deployment of around 6GW of offshore wind energy by the end of the decade. For that purpose, both companies, who are already cooperating on the exploration of offshore wind opportunities in Spain and Portugal, have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in order to formalize a 50/50 joint venture for the Polish market.


spanish PM pedro sanchez

The Government Expects A Deficit Of 8.4% This Year

The Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved the non-financial spending limit, the ‘spending ceiling’, for the State Budget for 2022. This remains at 196.142 billion euros, in line with the figure recorded a year earlier, including extraordinary transfers to the Social Security (of 18.396 billion), to the autonomous communities, and part of the European funds. The government has also maintained its public deficit forecast of 8.4% of GDP for this…