Politics

The Catalan Parliament approves a law that recognises Occitan language, called Aranese in the small Aran county, as co-official in Catalonia. It will also be the preferred language in the Aran county, in Western Catalan Pyrenees. The top representative of the Aranese county, Francesc Boya says it is a “historic day” and warns that Aranese language is in an “intensive care unit”.

The Catalan Government hopes that the Mediterranean Corridor, which is planned to unite northern and southern Europe, will pass through Catalonia, along the Mediterranean shore and not through the centre of Spain.

A renewal was urgent after the legitimacy crisis that occurred during the debate over the Catalan Statute of Autonomy. Some political forces, especially in Catalonia, were expecting a broader reform that would limit the Court’s power to decide on already approved laws via referendum.

The Spanish Parliament has formally asked the Spanish Government to decentralise the management of the Barcelona airport and have Catalan institutions deeply involved. All the groups in the Parliament, including the ruling Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), have voted in favour of the motion presented by the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Party (CiU) with the exception of the Conservative and Spanish Nationalist People’s Party (PP).

The 11th of September is Catalonia’s National Day, commemorating the day that Catalan troops were defeated while defending Barcelona in 1714. This day Catalonia stopped being recognised as a nation and lost its self-government. Pre-campaigning for the upcoming elections was present throughout this year’s celebrations. The celebration had 2 institutional milestones: the flower tribute to Rafael Casanova, who was Barcelona’s Head Councilman in 1714, and the institutional ceremony at Ciutadella Park. Besides, many institutional and civil society activities were organised throughout Catalonia, such as concerts, demonstrations and tributes.

Aragon, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community each presented a different appeal before the Court against some articles and dispositions of Catalonia’s main law, the Statute of Autonomy, which was approved in 2006 by a referendum. The magistrates have completely rejected Aragon and the Balearic Islands’ appeals and have “not admitted” the appeal from the Valencian Community.

Catalan President José Montilla has finally announced the voting day after weeks of rumours. He surprised many people last week when he did not dissolve the Parliament and did not call for elections on the 24th of October, the most likely day. The opposition as well as a party in his Government coalition were asking for an urgent clarification and to have the elections as soon as possible.

Celestino Corbacho would go on the Catalan Socialist Party list headed by the current Catalan President, José Montilla. Opposition parties underline that Corbacho has been the Minister for Employment with the worst results in decades.

August ended with 555,894 unemployed people registered within the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC). 4 months in a row of continuous decreases has come to an end. This figure means 16,703 more unemployed people, 3.10% more than those who registered in July.

Amnesty International has released information suggesting that over 114,000 families from the Spanish state still have no solution to the disappearance of their loved ones as a result of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regime. They have asked the Government to take responsibility on this “gross violation of human rights”.

Today was the last day for the Catalan President to dissolve the Parliament and announce if the Election Day would be in October. He has not done so and therefore the most likely election date will be the 28th of November. The last legal possibility would be the 16th of December.

Construction companies have agreed to receive loans for some 3,000 million euros to develop what the Catalan Government considers “strategic” infrastructures. The Catalan Minister for Public Works, Joaquim Nadal, announced this agreement this morning and listed some of these works.

Catalan vice-president, Josep Lluís Carod Rovira, asks the Spanish Government to avoid obstacles and to join Catalonia in honouring president Lluís Companys by declaring the trial that condemned him to death null and void

A group of 28 academics, writers and journalists from Catalonia consider 'tendentious' the British journal?s treatment of the Catalan Parliament's decision to ban bullfighting

Recent polls and the massive demonstration in Barcelona on 10 July suggest a widening gap between citizens in Spain and Catalonia since the cuts in the Statute