Politics

The budget foresees 3,134 million euros for infrastructures in Catalonia, 18.6% of the quantity for all of Spain, an amount significantly less than in 2010. One of the reasons is a reduction in public expenditure due to the economic crisis and austerity needs. 320 million have not been assigned to any concrete work and their assignation will have to be decided on in a bilateral commission.

After more than 3 years of negotiation, the Conservative People’s Party (PP) and the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) have finally agreed on a replacement procedure for the Constitutional Court magistrates who currently have expired mandates. The Constitutional Court has had 4 magistrates with expired 9-year mandates since 2007. The Senate should have already appointed new magistrates, but the two main parties, especially the PP, have been blocking the process.

Isolated picket actions and violent anti-system protests contradicted the generally calm and respectful spirit of the general strike in Catalonia, which respect minimum services agreed on. Trade unions state that 80% of Catalan workers followed the strike. Small and medium-sized business associations quantified 1.2% of the strike’s success. The Catalan Government quantifies 11% of public employees who did not go to work today.

The workers’ representatives hope that the industrial action will force the Spanish Government to reconsider its labour market reform. The strike is planned for the 29th of September.

The Spanish Ministry of Economy believes that the budget cuts for autonomous communities have nothing to do with the 7.9% cut in the Spanish general budget.

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”.