Barcelona becomes first cruise ship port in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea
The arrival of the huge ‘Liberty of the Seas’ and the luxurious ‘Queen Mary 2’ proves the power this kind of tourism is gaining in Catalonia's capital city.
Business
Business & economic news from Barcelona and Catalonia
Large business managers ask the Catalan President for further simplification of administrative procedures
They also asked for an improvement in vocational training and development of the Catalan economy’s internationalisation. The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, met today at the ESADE Business School with 200 of the most important business people in Catalonia. Among others, the presidents and main directors of Abertis, La Caixa, Banc Sabadell, Seat or even FC Barcelona were present and Mas asked them to take the lead in the economic recovery.
2011 tourist perspectives for Catalonia and Barcelona are “exceptional” and records could be broken
Catalonia’s International Tourism Fair is currently taking place and will run until this Sunday. Barcelona broke all records in 2010 regarding visitors. 7.3 million tourists visited the Catalan capital and there were 14 million hotel nights booked by visitors. The Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, who is in charge of tourism, expects 2011 for Catalonia to be “exceptional”.
Unemployment increases in Catalonia for another month and reaches 611,269 people
Unemployment registers in Catalonia increased by 8,658 people in March. One in four jobseekers does not receive any public assistance. In addition, training courses for jobseekers have run out of funding and are waiting for the new budget to be approved by the Catalan Government.
More direct flights to North American, Brazilian and European destinations
Spanair, Singapore Airlines and Iberia have launched new direct connections with São Paulo, Miami and European destinations from Barcelona’s Airport. Gradually, Barcelona El Prat is putting together the pieces to become a continental hub in its own right.
Foreign Direct Investment in Catalonia in 2010 at its highest level in 10 years
FDI in Catalonia surpassed the 3.9 billion euros mark in 2010. It represents 34% of FDI in Spain and was almost three times higher than 2009 levels. The Catalan Government is currently negotiating 189 projects that could bring in up to 6.5 billion euros to the Catalan economy.
Barcelona Airport expands its cargo terminal’s area by 10 hectares
Goods transportation is increasing at Barcelona Airport since it experienced a drop in 2009 due to the global economic crisis. Two companies have already announced that they will establish their services in the area. Barcelona Airport transported 104,280 tonnes of goods in 2010.
CatalunyaCaixa to receive 1,718 million euros from the Spanish Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring (FROB)
The board of the Catalan savings bank decided to “temporarily” use public capital in order to meet the new requirements in the sector. This move means it will reach 10.4% of ‘core capital’. Private capital is expected to increase its share “in the medium-term”.
The Court of Justice of the European Union rules against the Catalan law on large retail establishments
Foreseeing a negative decision the Catalan Government already modified the law in 2009. The sentence declares illegal certain aspects of the law approved in 2005, such as conditioning the establishment of large retail centres to the expected effect on existing small businesses in the area or on the market share.
Alstom will cut its workforce by 400 at its Catalan plant
The French train manufacturer plans to lay off 1,380 employees at its plants in Germany, Italy and Spain. Alstom’s Spanish factory, which has 900 staff members is located in Santa Perpètua de la Mogoda, in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area.
Biochemical Grifols to double its plasma production capacity and to build a new plant in the U.S.
The Catalan pharmaceutical and chemical company was identified in a Wikileaks cable from the U.S. State Department as one of three strategic items the United States had in Spain, together with the natural gas pipeline from Algeria and the Gibraltar Strait. Grifols leads the blood plasma-based products’ market in Europe and is expanding its U.S. presence.
Indra to expand its Lleida centre
The technology multinational will open a Customer Centre in the Scientific and Technological Park of Lleida to serve the entire Iberian Peninsula and international clients.
Barcelona airport is strengthened with new flights, no strikes planned, and a future of decentralised management
The strike threatened by Spanish airport staff was finally cancelled as an agreement was reached between the ministry and trade unions. Air Berlin announced a flight increase in Barcelona: 38 flights per week will link the Catalan capital with Düsseldorf. The Spanish Minister for Transport insisted that the tender process to manage the airport will be issued before the end of the year.
Privalia opens its own logistics centre in Barcelona
The company sells high end clothing on the Internet. It distributes over 25.000 items of clothing daily amongst its 3,7 million clients. The centre will deliver on demand from Spain and Italy.
SEAT plant in Barcelona to hire 900 workers to produce the new Audi Q3
The new employees hired will be people currently out of work. The Spanish car manufacturer, which is part of the Volkswagen group, has its factory in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. SEAT will for the next five years invest 300 million euros annually.
Read the latest updates and breaking news on business and economic matters from Barcelona and Catalonia here. Keep up to date with how the Catalan economy is performing, inflation levels, employment and unemployment, major business mergers, important company announcements, and the latest on Catalonia’s biggest enterprises such as Vueling, Wallbox, Grifols, Mango, and plenty of start-ups and international firms based here too.