MADRID | By Carlos Díaz Guell | The future of Spain’s economic growth is uncertain, especially since the crisis has proved that many industries only worked when fueled by subsidies. Exports seem to be the country’s only hope and politicians are too busy fighting to make productivity, R&D investment or education a priority.
VALENCIA | By Laura Garsando, Mètode magazine | Lorenzo Sanchis works at UMDO (Unit of Optoelectronic Materials and Devices) of the Institute for Materials Science (University of Valencia) and has coordinated the research group that developed the first acoustic invisibility cloak that works on three-dimensional objects.
MADRID | By Carlos Díaz Guell | The Spanish government has already made clear to the regional authorities that the old savings bank model must die for its sins.
LONDON/MADRID | Up to 80 percent of all issuances–some €30 billion so far this year–were bought by non-resident investors, proof that confidence is on its way of being restored.
MADRID | By Antonio Sánchez-Gijón at CapitalMadrid | On May 9 the European Union will deliver Charlemagne Prize to Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite. The idea is not to reward her as a former EC Commissioner, but as the person who embodies the success of three small countries of Northern Europe out of their deep economic crisis in two years. While the populations of the Mediterranean Europe and France are raised in arms against austerity policies imposed from Brussels and Frankfurt to exit the stagnation and save the euro, two European Baltic nations are looking forward to joining the common currency.
The European interchange fees reduction project is very similar to the measures adopted by the Spanish Government in 2005. However, several studies show that measures adopted to reduce interchange fees have finally harmed consumers, as French site Bursorama points out. Is there any ideological agenda behind it?
MADRID | By David Fernández | Foreign investors are showing a sudden interest in assets made in Spain due to, among others, central bank’s last data, Europe’s decision to delay the deficit commitment by two years and international factors such as second-round monetary helicopter launched by the Bank of Japan. Will this trend vanish?
MADRID | By Juan de la Cruz Martín Rozas, Crédito y Caución | Spain contributes with 1.7% to the global exchange of goods trade, after Germany, France, Italy or the United Kingdom. However, the growth experienced by Spanish exports in recent years, including 2012, is the highest of the European economies.
MADRID | If Spain’s democracy owes something to someone it would be Germany. During Spain’s democratic transition, Christian democracy and Social Democracy German foundations sustained and alerted incipient political parties when they need it.
There is a mirroring effect in all these conflicts: Europeans appear unable to talk about the actual issues that trouble them, that is, debt and democracy.