Business

The new savings bank group will be called Mare Nostrum and it will be the 4th in Spain. The 4 savings banks will keep their brand and sum up more than 4 million clients.

Catalan Minister Marina Geli says that the health industry is “very important”. She presented a report by the Catalan Government that indicates that the Catalan health industry has a Gross Value Added of 9%

The Catalan financial entity approves 'cold merger' with 6 other Spanish savings banks in a move expected to create 'positive' results for Catalonia. The new savings banks will keep the brands of the 7 merging entities. The project is lead by Caja Madrid, which was Spain’s second savings bank after the Catalan La Caixa

Today the new name and image of the second Catalan savings bank as a result of the Caixa Catalunya, Caixa Tarragona and Caixa Manresa merger was presented. CatalunyaCaixa will be the new brand, which has been decided upon after negotiations and strategic studies. CatalunyaCaixa has not yet decided if it will look for more capital.

Fewer trips, cheaper and shorter. More and more Spanish companies are choosing low-cost airlines when it comes to business travel. The Catalan company Vueling has felt the effects of this trend and already has 40% of its passengers travel for work-related purposes.

The data compares to July of 2009 and confirms an 8-month trend of continuous increases. For the rest of Spain, there has been an increase of 16.4%. This data confirms construction market’s recovery.

GDF Suez announces the selling of its 5.01% share in the Catalan energy company Gas Natural Fenosa. The share represents some 46,176,000 stocks that are worth some 560 million euros at yesterday’s price (12.140 euros).

Prices have risen 0.3% during August compared with July, levelling the annual rate. Tourist industries such as hotels, restaurants, bars and organised trips have contributed to the rise in prices. In July, prices dropped by 0.3% in relation to June.

The L3 will be extended and pass by Sant Just, Esplugues, Sant Joan d’Espí and Sant Feliu. The construction could start in 2012 or 2013 and the service will not be ready until 2015 or 2016.

The German airline has announced today the opening of 2 new direct routes from Barcelona’s airport. In addition, Air Berlin has confirmed his aspirations to operate from the new main terminal T1. The airline’s passengers going through Barcelona has grown 14% in the last year.

Barcelona and València’s Chambers of Commerce have quantified the economic net benefit that building the Mediterranean railway corridor would represent, not speaking of the political, social and cultural consequences. The Mediterranean railway, going from Gibraltar to France going along the Mediterranean shore, should be a EU priority.

The petrochemical sector in the Catalan region of Tarragona is doing well despite the effects of the economic crisis. The cluster is rapidly becoming one of the most important referents for knowledge and innovation on an international scale.

The multinational Japanese company Sony plans to leave Catalonia, but the industry is seeking alternatives for employees that will soon be out of work. The company plans to close its television factory next to Barcelona, which will leave 1,030 people out of work

A high-speed train will link Figueres, in the Girona Province, and Perpignan, the capital of the French Roussillon, crossing through the Pyrenees. However, the Figueres-Barcelona part has not yet been finished and will enter into service in 2014. Besides, France has not yet started the construction of a high-speed railway between Perpignan and Montpellier, which could take up to 10 years time.

The automotive company SAS has just announced the closure of its factory in Martorell. The closure will result in 124 employees out of work. SAS made the decision to close its factory after loosing its contract with its cockpit supplier.