artur mas

The President of the Catalan Government detailed his plan to Herman Van Rompuy to balance the Catalan budget and reduce the public deficit. Artur Mas stressed the importance of the Mediterranean Railway Corridor for the European economy and he also outlined the benefits of an effective Union for the Mediterranean, in this moment in particular. Mas was joined by Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida, his electoral ally and leader of the Catalan Christian Democrats. They also met with Competition’s Commissioner, Joaquín Almunia.

Managers from the 27 airlines forming the world’s leading group meet in Barcelona for two days. They stressed Barcelona El Prat’s “strategic” position and its potential to become a hub linking Europe with the Middle East, Latin America and Southern Africa. Barcelona El Prat is Europe’s 4th airport regarding passenger origin and destination. The Catalan Government reasserted its commitment with Spanair.

Two earthquakes of 5.1 and 4.5 Richter degrees hit the Murcia Region (South-East Spain) on Wednesday afternoon causing at least 9 deaths and injuring 300 people. 30,000 people spent the night in the streets, fearing further shocks. All the Catalan parties suspended their electoral campaigning for 24 hours and a minute’s silence spread across Catalonia.

The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, presented a road-map with 474 objectives to be reached during his term in office. The Catalan Government’s plan faces three main crises: the economic slowdown, the relationship between Catalonia and Spain, and citizen trust in the democratic institutions. The strategic plan is organised along eight main axes, with economic recovery being the first priority.

In the year of its 130th anniversary, the historical flagship of the Catalan press, the spokesperson of the business world and centre-right nationalism has launched an edition in Catalan. ‘La Vanguardia’ has finally taken this step after many years, or even decades, of rumours. Also some months after a new newspaper in Catalan aimed at a similar but younger target began publication. “Our DNA is Catalan”, states the newspaper’s editor Javier Godó to explain their decision.

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.

In the last elections, the elimination of the tax was one of the main promises of the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition, Convergència i Unió (CiU), which controls the Catalan Government. From January 1st 2011, first and second degree relatives will have a 99% bonus on this tax. The decision has been taken in the middle of the debate about public expenditure cuts.

On the same day that Catalan hospitals presented their plans to reduce their budget by 10% and cut several services, the Catalan Government’s Spokesperson sent a strong message to Madrid saying that "enough was enough." The Spanish Government answered the calls by the Catalan Executive by saying that if it does not meet the 1.3% deficit objective for 2011, it will run out of cash. Madrid is asking for greater budget cuts. Almost all Catalan political parties, including the People’s Party, back up the Catalan Government, the main exception being the Socialist Party, which supports Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

FC Barcelona President, Sandro Rosell, accompanied by the Catalan President Artur Mas and the President of the ‘Fundació Banc dels Aliments’, Antoni Sansalvadó presented today the campaign “Enviem la fam a la porra” – “Sweep Away Hunger with the Sweepstake”.

The Spanish Government demands an additional budget reduction of 3.2 billion euros to Catalonia, while the Catalan Government claims 3.3 billion owed by the Spanish State. Catalan parties have accused Prime Minister Zapatero of reducing his government’s deficit by increasing that of the autonomous communities. The Spanish Government wants to force Autonomous Communities to pay for the deficit by limiting it through specific laws.

The President of the Catalan Government Artur Mas announced in Madrid that in 2012, if the People’s Party (PP) or the Socialist Party (PSOE) want CiU’s support to form a new Spanish Government, Catalonia needs more money and greater control over its own finances. Mas made these comments the same day his Government agreed a 400 million euros loan.

The ruling coalition Government promised the immediate abolition of the Inheritance Tax in the last election campaign; however the public finance situation has complicated the move. The Catalan President took the floor to stress that his Government is preparing a radical modification of this tax system. He wanted to stop the debate launched on Sunday by the Government’s Secretary.

The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso met with the President of the Catalan Government Artur Mas in Brussels. Barroso recognised the Catalan Government's efforts to reduce public deficit. Mas emphasised the importance of making Catalan an official EU language. Mas was accompanied by the Christian-Democrat Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida and the new Catalan Delegate to the European Union, Joan Prat.

Artur Mas, the President of the Catalan Government, met with the “State Minister” of the Moroccan Government, Mohamed El-Yazghi, who acts as a deputy prime minister. Mas recommended that Morocco build a pseudo-federal model, as was done in Spain, giving the Western Sahara some degree of autonomy.

“We are not a peripheral region of the Iberian Peninsular, we are Mediterranean people very committed to Europe”, stated Artur Mas, President of the Catalan Government. Mas met with all the consular corps in Barcelona, which is one of the four non-capital cities with the most consulates in the world.