basque country

The Constitutional Court upholds ruling that Balearic Islands’ civil servants are no longer required to know Catalan

October 2, 2013 10:38 PM | ACN

On the same day, the Court re-affirmed its decision to keep its current Chairman in position despite his anti-Catalan public stance and having been a member of the governing People’s Party (PP) until 2011. On top of this, Catalan and Basque Members of the European Parliament from five different parties formally asked the European Commission to intervene against the politicisation of the Spanish Constitutional Court, stressing that EU democracies should have an independent judiciary. The Constitutional Court is the highest interpreter of Spain’s legislation, has to guarantee the respect of fundamental rights and acts as a referee between the different government levels and political actors. In this capacity, it ruled against the appeal presented by the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) against the law that abolished the requirement to know Catalan for working as a public servant in Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera, despite it being the local language.

Spanish Government blames Catalan and Basque nationalisms for the lack of foreign investment and job creation

August 24, 2012 10:54 PM | CNA / Gaspar Pericay Coll

The ‘number two’ of the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalists (CiU), Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida, immediately replied that the Spanish Government is “the one creating mistrust” because of “its discrepancies” and Mariano Rajoy’s “absenteeism”. He also criticised the Spanish Government for not putting in place an action plan to promote employment, “despite having the tools to do so”. Soraya Sáenz de Santamaria, the Spanish Government’s Deputy Prime Minister and Spokesperson, has blamed Catalan and Basque nationalisms for “promoting a climate of instability”. They create “mistrust and insecurity”, which “keeps away foreign investment” and “job creation”, said Sáenz de Santamaria the week Basque elections have been announced.

Catalonia rejects the Spanish Government’s proposal to approve the Autonomies’ budget in advance

January 5, 2012 10:02 PM | CNA / Gaspar Pericay Coll

The Spokesperson for the Catalan Government has said that the new Spanish Economy Minister’s proposal goes against the Constitution and Catalonia’s self-governance. The Basque Country is also against the measure announced by Luís de Guindos in an interview with the Financial Times. He said that the crisis “was an opportunity to impose hard conditions and measures” on the Autonomies; he also added that before the Autonomies pass their budget, the Spanish Government will have to approve it. The next day, the Spanish Vice President refused to go into detail on the issue but stated that every administration has to commit to the deficit objective.

ETA declares a “permanent” ceasefire, in “general terms” and internationally “verifiable”

January 10, 2011 11:01 PM | CNA / P. Francesch / G. Pericay Coll

The Spanish Government states “it’s good news but not THE news” it was waiting for. The Socialist Party, the People’s Party and most of the Spanish opinion leaders insist that ETA’s only way out is through its own total disarmament and dissolution. The President of the Basque Government affirmed that he “would not allow ETA to dictate Basque Country’s future”. However, he underlined that ETA’s statement means that the terrorist group acknowledges the inevitability of its demise. CiU and other Catalan parties are optimistic but prudent.