SPAIN: Against the Amnesty Law & more – 11th Apr 2024

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 11th of April twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

Kicking off this week’s episode. The conservative faction within the Spanish Prosecutor's Office has prepared a draft report opposing Spain's proposed amnesty law for Catalunya.

This move supports the political agenda of the conservative opposition party, the Partido Popular or PP, which seeks to persuade judiciary opinions against the amnesty law.

Álvaro García Ortiz, the Attorney General, has repeatedly mentioned the limitations of the Fiscal Council. The body intended to deliberate on the report doesn't have the authority to issue reports on legislative proposals being processed in parliament.

However, the conservatives are pushing for the Council to consider the report.

More about Catalunya as on Tuesday, the 9th, the Constitutional Court of Spain unanimously decided to suspend a legislative initiative debated in the Catalan Parliament that seeks Catalunya’s independence.

As per Spanish law, the suspension is a procedural step, halting the initiative while the Court reviews the case.

This move comes amid heightened political discussions on Catalunya's independence and the Spanish Government's emphasis on constitutional compliance.

As if Catalan politics wasn't interesting enough, Carles Puigdemont, Junts per Catalunya candidate and former Catalan president, has announced he'll exit politics if he’s not elected as President of the Generalitat in the upcoming elections.

Puigdemont emphasized his commitment to finishing what he started in twenty seventeen, referring to the independence movement that took a negative turn, leading to his self-imposed exile to Belgium.

Puigdemont dismissed potential alliances with parties against independence and criticized past negotiations by rivals. The election outcome remains uncertain, with coalitions likely to play a crucial role.

In unrelated news, Spain plans to end its Golden Visa scheme, which allows non-EU citizens to invest 500,000 euros in Spanish real estate to get residency.

The government introduced the scheme in twenty thirteen to help boost the economy, but people have criticized it for contributing to housing market stress and potential money laundering over the years.

The decision aligns with EU recommendations to cease such programs and follows similar moves by Portugal and France against tax breaks and long-stay visas for foreigners.

The scheme's closure aims to prioritize affordable housing for Spaniards and will most impact British immigrants and investors from Russia and China.

Moving on, on Tuesday the 9th, Spain's lower house of parliament took a significant step towards legalizing hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants through a new civil bill.

So far, the bill has received 600,000 supportive signatures, and political parties now have up to two months to amend and finalize their decisions on the legal status of these migrants.

A wide array of rights groups and non-governmental organizations support this draft law and are hoping it will reduce the number of undocumented migrants.

After a shift in stance, the Spanish Catholic Church and the PP have also supported this legislative initiative, contrasting with the far-right Vox party, who oppose it.

On that note about the church, over the last two years, the Madrid City Council has donated valuable land plots to the Church.

El Pais revealed on Wednesday the 10th that the council has given around eight million euros to the Church since twenty twenty-two for the construction of worship centers. José Cobo Cano, the Archbishop of Madrid, has been the sole beneficiary of these donations, raising concerns about fairness and corruption.

The Council’s move was called into question as it prioritized religious buildings over essential public services like schools and health centers. Residents have actively protested these decisions, demanding that these lands serve social purposes instead.

Turning to Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, the regional president, has proposed a plan to establish a directorate of Constitutional Affairs within the Galician government.

This new department will safeguard the Spanish Constitution and the unity of Spain, emphasizing legal defense against perceived constitutional challenges.

Rueda secured an absolute majority to maintain his Galician presidency back in February. He has been vocal in criticizing the amnesty for Catalan separatists and vows to engage in dialogue with the central government.

Next up, the Spanish Government plans to reintroduce a law that will make it easier for workers with jobs that start and stop throughout the year to get retirement benefits. For example, people working in the agriculture and tourism sectors, which are hugely dependent on seasonal trade and produce.

This adjustment aims to offset the disadvantage these workers face due to their irregular work patterns, ensuring fairer access to retirement benefits; this includes bringing back a rule that counts each day worked as one and a half days.

Additionally, the government is looking at changing the rules for early retirement but has yet to share many details. Unions are cautious about these changes, fearing they might make it harder for some people to retire early.

In health news, Mónica García, the Spanish Minister of Health, announced on Monday the 8th that her department will now begin a reform to bring in plain tobacco packaging.

The change will attempt to make cigarette and tobacco packaging less appealing and reduce smoking, following examples from countries like Australia, France and the UK.

This initiative is part of a broader anti-smoking plan, which also includes updating regulations on emerging tobacco products, like e-cigarettes, and banning flavor additives.

twenty twenty-two statistics from Statista showed that Spain was home to nearly eight million smokers, which García hopes to reduce over the next few years.

Still on health, a recent survey conducted by the Spanish Statistical Office found that over half of Spain's population does not engage in any sport or physical exercise — a reduction of 8% since twenty ten.

The survey found that the group aged sixteen to twenty-four had the highest activity rates. Regular exercisers typically commit to three or more sessions weekly, and a lack of time was the main barrier to exercise and health improvement.

The most popular activities included cycling, swimming, running, and hiking, with mountaineering, aerobics, spinning, and bodybuilding being among the more intense exercises practiced.

There's big news in Sevilla as construction for the northern section of Sevilla's Metro Line Three has begun.

The line aims to improve connectivity and social cohesion by linking working-class neighborhoods to the city center. This project, part of a broader plan to develop Sevilla's metro network, represents a significant investment to reduce social and economic disparities.

The construction of this section is a step towards completing a metro network in a city that currently lacks comprehensive public transportation infrastructure for a town of its size, something the citizens have been demanding for years.

The northern section of Line Three will be nearly eight kilometers long, including twelve stations and will serve an estimated 120,000 residents.

Spain's Supreme Court has partially upheld an appeal by The Spanish Digital Gaming Association.

The Association launched the appeal against a Royal Decree passed in twenty twenty that imposed strict gambling advertising regulations to protect minors.

The court's decision has overturned several restrictions, including bans on celebrity endorsements and specific targeting measures, allowing companies more freedom with their marketing campaigns.

However, the ruling maintains bans on sports sponsorship, keeping standards that prevent advertising in ways accessible to minors or sponsoring sporting events and facilities.

And finally, if you're a foodie and a Spanish comedy series fan, you might have heard Paquita Salas, the main character of a hit Spanish Netflix show, say that the best "torreznos" are in Tarazona, Zaragoza. They are a delicious tapa, crunchy, salty, and the Spanish equivalent of a pork scratching or crispy pork skin.

If you want to make your own, check out the link to a recipe and torreznos’ history in the show notes.

And that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

We want to invite you to take a look at one of Rorshok's other projects. The Daily Knowledge is a daily pocket newspaper that comes out Monday through Friday. It is in our Ourzine format, a little booklet that you have to print in order to read. In the Daily Knowledge ourzine you’ll find a collection of interesting newsletters and selected articles that take about an hour to read. Visit rorshok.com/ourzines/thedailyknowledge/ to find the latest editions. The link will also be in the show notes.

¡Hasta la próxima!