Business

Catalonia has ended 2013 with 22,084 fewer unemployed people than in December 2012, with the total number amounting to 624,872 people, according to the Ministry of Employment and Social Security. The December figures also reveal that the total number of unemployed people has decreased between December 2012 and March 2013, a first since 2006. At monthly level, the number of unemployed people fell by 13,472 between November and December 2013. In the whole of Spain, the unemployment figures registered a drop, with 147,385 fewer people unemployed and the total number falling to 4,727, 814.

The Catalan Government deficit amounted to 1.6% of the GDP between January and October, and consequently missed the 1.58% target imposed by the Spanish Government. Madrid was also not able to comply with the limit set for the central government, and had a deficit of 3.96% in November, higher than the 3.8% required for the whole year. The Spanish autonomous communities’ total deficit amounted to 1.12% of the GDP in October, which was in line with the yearly objectives, according to the Spanish Government. When considering the deficit of the autonomous communities, the Spanish state and the Social Security, it amounted to 4.87% of the GDP. The payments of the banking bail-out will also be included in this figure at the end of the year. Brussels had set a global limit of 6.5% for Spain in 2013.

In the first eleven months of 2013, Catalonia has been the favourite destination in Spain for international visitors. Indeed, 14,838,018 foreign tourists have travelled to Catalonia during this period, meaning 25.8 % of the total number of international visitors in Spain. This represents an increase of 7.4% over the same period in 2012. In November, Catalonia has welcomed 836,654 foreign tourists and has only been surpassed by the Canary Islands (1,073,759). Stays in hotels have also registered an upward trend: they have increased by 8.6% at Spanish level this month and by 4.1% in Catalonia. The majority of these foreign tourists come from France, the UK, and Germany while the number of visitors from Russia and Belgium has also increased significantly.

This Sunday, 800 tourists from the UK landed at Lleida-Alguaire Airport (Western Catalonia) to go skiing in the Pyrenees. The high number of English passengers is mostly due to the commitment of British tour operator Neilson Thomas Cook to the Catalan airport, which will run flights from Manchester, Southampton, Birmingham, Gatwick and Bristol. Until March, 20,000 skiers are expected to land in Lleida, along with 15,000 other visitors, to make the airport’s total number of passengers reach 35,000. Many of them will then cross the border to enjoy ski resorts in Andorra. According to the Catalan Government’s Delegate in the Lleida Province, Ramon Farré, these figures still show that “this airport is far from other airports in Spain which are not so successful”.

Fira de Barcelona - the Catalan capital trade fair organisation - expects to end 2013 with revenues of €117.2 million, meaning 10.9 % more than targeted, 1.7 % more than last year and 2.2 % more than in 2011. The institution’s management stressed that such good results came from the “ability to attract major international events”, such as the Mobile World Congress or the EVS27, dedicated to the electric vehicle. The foreign sector already contributes to 50% of the Fira de Barcelona revenues. Indeed, the institution, apart from welcoming professionals from all around the world, has also created other trade fairs in foreign countries and next year it will open new fairs in Qatar or Japan.

Catalan pharmaceutical company Almirall has announced on Tuesday it will buy Aqua Pharmaceuticals, an American company specialised in dermatological treatments. The $328 million transaction reflects the Catalan multinational’s strategy to diversify its activities, by establishing itself in a sector that will be a “key platform for growth”. Aqua Pharmaceuticals has a portfolio of well known brands for treating acne and skin rashes. This year the total sales of the American company’s products are expected to generate $127 million. According to a statement to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), Almirall intends to continue employing the same Aqua management team, to benefit from their experience in the U.S. market.

Housing prices increased by 0.8% in Catalonia during the third quarter of 2013, which is the first quarterly increase in the last three years. However, despite the positive figures, in annual terms prices at the end of September were 8.1% lower than those registered 12 months ago, due to the price falls registered in the second half of 2012 and the first 6 months of 2013. Between July and September 2013, prices of newly-built flats and houses in Catalonia rose by 5.7%, while those of second-hand housing were still decreasing (-0.3%). However, overall figures suggest that the real estate market may have reached the bottom and that its recovery might be about to start. In the whole of Spain, housing prices rose by 0.7% in the third quarter of 2013.

1 million passengers are expected to use the new direct High-Speed Train between Barcelona and Paris within a year. The Spanish Transport Minister Ana Pastor, her French counterpart Fréderic Cuvillier and the Catalan Minister for Planning and Sustainability Santi Vila, have described the High-Speed connection as a “milestone” that will further develop the bond between states and develop their economy. The very first direct train from Barcelona to Paris circulated last Sunday, connecting seventeen cities between the two states. Both Catalan and French ministers have stated they had taken measures to accelerate the construction of the Perpignan-Montpellier section, where trains are still circulating at a regular speed, making journeys significantly longer.

Next February, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s most important event in the mobile industry, will open its doors in Barcelona for the 9^th consecutive year. The major companies in the sector will introduce new products or give conferences on applications designed for many innovative uses. By hosting the fair each year at least until 2018, Barcelona, named Mobile World Capital, is looking to become an international leader in this industry. The city has also created a HUB to develop the sector even further. The 2014 edition of the fair expects to break all records. The Director of the MWC, John Hoffman, stated that 75,000 visitors were expected, meaning 3,000 more than last year. Besides, once the fair will be over, it is estimated the local economy could have gained €340 million from it.

Barcelona’s El Prat Airport has again registered positive passenger figures in November with the number of people transiting through its facilities reaching 2.38 million, 4.5% more compared to November 2012. Furthermore, the number of intercontinental passengers grew by 22.8 %. According to the Spanish Airport Authority (AENA), El Prat is currently on an upward trend. On the other hand, Madrid Barajas Airport registered 2.98 million passengers in November, representing a 5.3 % decrease compared to the same month last year. Since January 2013, 32,903,000 passengers have transited through Barcelona El Prat, a 0.2% decrease compared to the first eleven months of 2012. At Spanish level, the figures registered a 3.9% drop due to the economic crisis.

Multinational corporation T-Systems has officially unveiled one of its four operations centres at world level, based in Barcelona. The German company has invested €2.5 million in the centre, creating 170 new jobs in 2013. 350 more employees are expected to be hired in 2014, according to T-Systems. The Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, Felip Puig, who also attended the press conference, stressed that T-Systems is “one of the Catalan Government’s most valuable partners in the field of technology”. Puig added that the Catalan Executive and the German multinational had signed various agreements, lasting from 6 to 10 years, which were worth € 400 million and would generate 2,000 jobs.

Italian Investindustrial has sold 49.9 % of its stake in PortAventura amusement park to KKR, a US investment fund. With this operation Investindustrial has incorporated a long-term partner in the project, while making sure to be the majority shareholder with 50.1 %. The transaction will be effective in January 2014 and is only awaiting regulatory approvals. In the long-term strategy, PortAventura is looking for other agreements to broaden the range of leisure activities and develop further at international level. A few weeks ago it was made public that Investindustrial would join the BCN World project by building and managing 3,000 hotel rooms. Besides, it has been announced that the Cirque du Soleil would give daily shows in PortAventura from the summer of 2014.

Biocat, the organisation responsible for coordinating and promoting the life sciences sector in Catalonia, presented the 2013 Biocat report in Barcelona. Since its creation in 2006, by the Catalan Government and the Barcelona City Council, Biocat has sought to consolidate the life sciences sector by bringing together researchers, companies and other professionals in the field of biotechnology and biomedecine from Catalonia and other countries in the world. With 65 % of its biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical products sold on the international market, the Catalan ‘Bioregion’(biocluster) is amongst the leaders in the sector. The cluster is currently made of 512 companies, meaning twice as many as in 2000, 56 research centers dedicated to life sciences or related disciplines, 17 university hospitals and 11 universities offering training in biosciences. It also relies on numerous other technology poles. This year’s report stressed the significant increase in private funding for the Catalan BioRegion over the last 4 years (€ 5.7 million to € 25.6 million) while highlighting the drop in public aid.

Catalan entrepreneurs and businesspeople are coming back home from India after making hundreds of contacts and discussing potential business opportunities that might help the Catalan economy to recover even faster. Motor, biofarma and IT enterprises have completed a very successful Asian tour and expect to open business on the continent within the next few months.

Catalonia’s tourism revenues in October amounted to € 1.25 billion, which is to say 20.5 % more than the same month last year. These latest figures, registered by the Tourist Expenditure Survey (EGATUR), were released by the Spanish Ministry of Industry on Wednesday. The survey confirms Catalonia’s leading position for tourist expenditure in Spain. Indeed, it accounts for 22.8 % of the total Spanish tourism revenues. This October, visitors spent an average of €936 during their stay in Catalonia, meaning a 8.3 % increase compared to October 2012; €132 per day, which represents a 3.7% increase. From January to October 2013, total revenues derived from tourism in Catalonia have amounted to 12.67 billion. The survey stressed that the French market had been the main contributor to the increase in tourist expenditure.