Business

The motorbike, made by Rieju, will cost around 4,500 euros. The company hopes to sell 2,500 electric motorbikes in 2011.

Transportation, clothing and footwear are the products that have seen the greatest drop. The family expenditure figures reflect the state of household economies in the context of the economic crisis: high unemployment rates and high levels of private debt.

25 intercontinental destinations will be available from the Barcelona airport starting the 31st of October. In addition, many flights to current destinations will increase their frequency. However, this increase is not shared with the Girona and Reus airports, which are seeing their destination variety and frequency decrease now that Ryanair is flying out of Barcelona. Besides, operating from Girona in 2011 will be 27% cheaper, as airport taxes have been modified.

The “export vocation” and “good management of economic, tourism and trade competences” will ease Catalonia’s recovery from the crisis. This is the opinion of José Manuel González-Páramo, member of the European Central Bank’s Executive Board.

In the first 9 months of 2010, more than 10 million tourists chose Catalonia as their vacation destination. After the Balearic Islands, Catalonia is the most visited territory on Spain.

Banc Sabadell received 27.4% less profit compared with the same period in 2009. The net profit has been calculated after deducting a provision to cover a potential increase of debtors. The financial entity saw credit loss provision increases of 38% until its third trimester.

The difference between what an autonomous community produces in terms of revenues and what it finally receives, once the Spanish State has redistributed those revenues among all the communities, has only officially been quantified once in history. It was in 2005, following an agreement of Prime Minister Zapatero with the Catalan nationalist forces. Catalonia’s political and business class have called for the systematic publication of the “fiscal balances” several times.

Today Iberia unveiled its colossal reparation hangar, able to host the giant A-380 airplane. In addition, after 5 years of decreasing its flights from Barcelona, especially at an international level, Iberia announced that it will operate direct flights linking Sao Paulo and Miami with the Catalan capital.

Cargo ships with containers going through the Barcelona harbour will now be served faster. The TCB group will invest 70 million euros within the next 3 years to duplicate its operating capacity for containers. The investment includes renewing the harbour rail terminal and adapting the rails to European standards.

These levels have not been recorded since November 2008. However price raises stabilised in relation to August, particularly because of the price decrease of organised trips.

Catalonia has experienced the 8th month in a row of continuous increases in housing sales in relation to the same month of last year. This data confirms the slow recovery of the sector. However, in comparison to July 2010, housing sales dropped 6%.

700 workers from the Martorell factory next to Barcelona will temporarily lose their jobs. They will return to work in June of 2011. The company still has to negotiate the conditions with unions.

The EU Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) will be reformed. Catalonia wants to have a say in the future of the CAP. To do so, it is lobbying together with other European regions that lead fruit and vegetable production. A joint declaration with 10 ways to improve the sector has been agreed on.

The new subsidiary company of Gas Natural Fenosa, Gas Natural Fenosa Renovables, has been created for the development of renewable energies. The new company puts together all the green energy assets of the group. It will jointly compete with Alstom Wind in the Aeolian Competition of Catalonia.

A study presented today by the Catalan Government states that the industrial added value could grow 1.9% each year in a good economic context.