italy

NGO dismisses offer, calling Algeciras "the furthest port in the Mediterranean" 

Catalan NGO awaits authorization to dock with 147 people on board after 14-day standoff

Matteo Salvini has long been an outspoken critic of migrant rescue NGOs such as Proactiva Open Arms

Proactiva Open Arms returns to country after standoff with anti-immigration politician

Italy rejects safe harbor for Proactiva Open Arms

Enrico Letta says having pro-independence leaders in jail makes the political situation "even more complex"

Following refugee rescue operation, organization has been accused of “fostering illegal immigration”

Romano Prodi and other high-profile Italian politicians sign manifesto calling for “respect for freedom of expression and democratic principles”

The Catalan company Abertis reached an agreement with the minority shareholders of its Italian subsidary, A4 Holdings, to buy an additional 22.52% of the business' assets. The group will pay a total amount of €125 million, €89 million by the end of July, 2017 and the final €36 million by the end of January, 2018. As a result of the transaction, Abertis will now control 85.36% of A4 Holding, reinforcing its growth strategy and, in particular, its business in Italy, an attractive market for the group. The company said in a press release that the deal “demonstrates Abertis' ability to grow internationally in an attractive way while maintaining its financial discipline”. The purchase also fits with its management strategy which, according to the company, “allows investments in assets it knows well and where it faces no competition, reducing its operational risk profile”.

Abertis, a multinational company specialised in the management of toll roads and telecommunications infrastructure based in Barcelona, announced on Tuesday that it is to acquire 51.4% of the A4 Brescia-Padua Italian motorway. Spanning 146 km and acting as an important connection between the North of Italy and Central Europe, the route sees a circulation of approximately 91,000 vehicles per day. Abertis has also acquired the Italian motorway A31, which enjoys a strategic position thanks to its potential in becoming the fastest and shortest route to Eastern Europe. The total amount of the acquisition is €594 million, to be paid by January 2023, except for €5 million which will be paid when the transaction is closed in the coming months; the acquisition may bring in revenue of around €610 million for the Catalan company. 

59 days after the celebrations for the historic treble achieved by the blaugranes last season, Camp Nou comes back to life after a summer hiatus with the visit of Italian side AS Roma for the traditional pre-season opening game at the stadium, the Joan Gamper Trophy. The clash with the Serie A club will mark the end of a pre-season which has taken Barça to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC and Florence. The first team will be presented to the fans before the game and a party atmosphere is guaranteed in the final test for Luis Enrique’s squad ahead of their attempt to claim the European and Spanish Super Cups. With the return of Claudio Bravo to training on Monday, Luis Enrique now has his entire first team squad back after the summer break, although Arda Turan and Douglas continue their respective recoveries from injury.

The Catalan Government and the regional governments of Sicily and Provence are promoting a manifesto requesting the European Union to meet the challenge of the humanitarian crisis taking place at the Mediterranean Sea. ‘We are all Mediterranean’ aims to strengthen the commitment at regional level to face and solve this crisis, since the EU and the Member State governments “are not up to the challenge”. In addition, the Catalan Government also confirmed the organisation of a summit of Mediterranean regions to be held in July in Barcelona “to work together and see in which way the regions can give a more comprehensive answer” to the drama suffered by so many refugees crossing the sea on fragile boats. In Strasbourg, the Vice President of the Catalan Government, Joana Ortega, invited the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, as well as those of Sicily, Provence-Alps-Cote d’Azur and Western Greece, Rosario Crocetta, Michel Vauzelle and Apostolos Katsifaras, and Lampedusa’s Mayor, Giusi Nicolini, to attend the summit.

The Catalan film director Albert Serra, best known for his film 'Story of my Death' (winner of the Locarno International Film Festival, 2013) will present his latest project 'Singularity' commissioned for the fourth Catalan participation at the major, contemporary art exhibition Venice Biennale. The exhibition represents Catalonia in this 56^th edition of the international exhibit, within the 'Collateral Events' section. The official opening of the event was held on Thursday and is part of an ongoing collaboration between the cinematographer and the curator of the project, Chus Martinez. Catalonia's participation at the Biennale is driven and coordinated by the Institut Ramon Llull (the public body promoting Catalan culture and language abroad), and this year has cost a total of 497, 000 euros.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari Formula One Team Driver, together with the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, have set on Thursday the symbolic first stone of the company’s first theme park in Europe, which will be an expansion of PortAventura, the main amusement resort in Catalonia, located on the Costa Daurada and near Tarragona. Ferrari Land is expected to be ready by the end of 2016, after an initial investment of €100 million. It is likely to become PortAventura’s main attraction and is expected to make the Catalan holiday and amusement resort reach 5 million visitors per year. Once Ferrari Land is operational, it will employ about 150 people, in addition to PortAventura’s staff. The project also includes a 5-star hotel themed around the Ferrari brand, but this will be built during a second stage.

Barcelona-based Abertis' telecommunications subsidiary, Abertis Telecom Terrestre, will operate as Cellnex Telecom, S.A. from 1 April, as approved by the company's Shareholder General Assembly on Tuesday. The new name and brand are part of the preparations for a potential stock market flotation, as announced last October in the context of Abertis' 2015-2017 Strategic Plan. However, neither the Catalan group's President Salvador Alemany, nor Vice President and CEO, Francisco Reynés, have set a precise date yet for its admission to trading, which will be announced during this year's first semester. The new company's slogan will be "driving telecom connectivity".