SPAIN: Catalan Election Results & more – 16th May 2024

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 16th of May twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

First up, the results of the Catalan regional election that took place on Sunday, the 12th. The Socialists' Party of Catalunya, or the PSC, won with a total of forty-two seats. Following them were Junts per Catalunya, with thirty-five, and then Esquerra with twenty.

Salvador Illa, the Leader of the PSC, has notably strengthened his position at the expense of the Esquerra, which experienced a significant electoral setback, losing thirteen seats.

The PSC and Junts now dominate Catalan politics, but due to their similar left-leaning political philosophies, the PSC and Esquerra will probably join forces to form a government. To form the Catalan government, a party must have an absolute majority of sixty-eight seats, but if it doesn’t, it must team up with another party to make up the numbers.

Continuing with election news, Pere Aragonès, the acting president and leader of the Republican Left of Catalonia party, announced on Tuesday the 14th that he won’t continue with politics following Esquerra’s poor performance in the Catalan elections.

In an Esquerra press conference, Aragonès stated he is stepping back from frontline politics but will continue supporting his party. Under his leadership, Esquerra has become Catalunya's third-biggest political party.

Aragonès also declared that Esquerra would not help facilitate the formation of a socialist government. However, other members of Esquerra have not confirmed these comments.

Keeping with politics, Spain, Ireland, and several other EU member states are poised to recognize the State of Palestine on the 21st of May.

Josep Borrell, the EU's Representative for Foreign Affairs, made the announcement during an interview on the Spanish national radio. José Manuel Albares, Spain's foreign minister confirmed the news later.

This move coincides with the UN General Assembly's vote on Friday, the 10th, where 143 of the 193 member countries of the UN recognized that Palestine met the necessary criteria to join the organization and granted it new rights as an observer member.

In economic news, the Spanish Government has expanded its Digital Kit program this week, increasing the grant for self-employed workers by 1,000 euros.

The Digital Kit is an EU-backed initiative from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation that offers grants to support Spanish companies in their transition towards digital transformation.

Starting in June, self-employed workers and small to medium-sized enterprises can request up to 3,000 euros annually to go digital and invest in computers or tablets for their businesses.

Previously, the program focused solely on financing digital services, but with this change, companies will be able to possess technological assets and push their businesses further forward.

Moving on, the Regional Government of Andalucía has called for a special tax regime for the Campo de Gibraltar to counteract differences in taxes between Spain and Gibraltar.

The Campo de Gibraltar is an area in the Province of Cádiz that borders the British territory of Gibraltar. Following the British decision to leave the EU in twenty sixteen, there have been ongoing negotiations between the UK and EU regarding the economics of the territory.

The regional government of Andalucia has proposed tax rulings similar to those of the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla. These regions have different tax regulations than mainland Spain, specifically corporate tax.

As it stands, companies in Gibraltar only have to pay a 10% corporate tax compared to 25% on Spain’s side. The new tax agreement will hopefully see a reduction in the corporate tax in Spain.

Speaking of the Strait of Gibraltar, an Orca has sunk a yacht after ramming into it.

On Sunday, the 12th, a fifteen-meter yacht was carrying two people in Moroccan waters when some orca whales attacked it.

The passengers experienced sudden impacts to the hull and rudder, leading to the vessel taking on water and eventually sinking. Luckily, the passengers were rescued by a nearby oil tanker and taken to Gibraltar.

This incident is part of the nearly 700 interactions recorded since May twenty twenty involving a specific subpopulation of about fifteen known orcas. Researchers suggest the orcas' behavior may be playful or a competitive response to ships in their hunting grounds.

Looking to the skies, last weekend saw significant solar storms across Europe, with many countries experiencing the famous northern lights a little further south than usual.

Huge fluctuations in solar energy originating from the sun hit the Earth early on Saturday, the 11th, allowing the famous aurora borealis or northern lights, to be observed across various regions in Spain, from Catalunya in the north to Andalucía in the south.

No major failures were reported despite warnings of potential power grid and satellite communications disruptions.

In weather news, Spain's meteorological agency, AEMET, has warned that this summer could be hotter and drier than in previous years.

According to AEMET, June, July, and August are projected to have a 70% to 100% likelihood of being warmer than usual and could be among the country's hottest months ever recorded.

Next up, the American multinational food and beverage corporation PepsiCo has announced that its Álava plant in Spain's Basque Country will become its first globally to achieve net-zero emissions by twenty twenty-five.

The plant is responsible for producing brands like Pepsi and KAS and aims to eliminate more than 2,000 tonnes of CO2 annually through electrification. Since twenty fifteen, the PepsiCo plant has sourced its electricity from renewable sources.

PepsiCo’s announcement follows the unveiling of its new factory in Środa Śląska, Poland, which strives to be climate-neutral by twenty thirty-five.

Let's head over to the Balearic Islands, where regulations have intensified against public drinking and party boats. In twenty twenty, the regional government established rules and regulations to mitigate excessive tourism, but as of this week, they have made the rules even stricter.

The new regulations include a total ban on alcohol sales from 9.30 pm to 8 am in high-tourism areas, a ban on street drinking, except in licensed terraces, and a law that prevents party boats from serving alcohol near specified regions.

These measures apply to popular destinations like Sant Antoni in Ibiza and Magaluf in Majorca. Violations of these laws carry fines ranging from 500 to 1,500 euros.

The revisions aim to shift the tourism model towards more responsible behavior, acknowledging the significant economic contribution of tourism while addressing the challenges of heavy drinking and nightlife.

In sports news, football club Deportivo La Coruña has been promoted to the Second Division after four challenging seasons in the lower tiers of Spanish football.

A significant goal from Lucas Pérez against the Barcelona reserve team marked the team’s promotion. Pérez, who sacrificed a top-division contract to join Deportivo, became a key figure throughout the club's campaign.

The promotion is an incredible step for Deportivo as the club has been battling financial and competitive challenges, including a near relegation to lower divisions and ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

Finally, twenty-seven artists from various countries will gather in Cortes de la Frontera, a town in the Serranía de Ronda, to create outdoor artwork on the town's building façades.

This initiative is part of the Coloring for the Future volunteering project under the European Solidarity Corps program and collaborates with the non-profit Amigos de Europa to engage young people and foster international connections.

The artists will refresh existing murals and add new large-scale murals and silhouette artworks reflecting local trades and community members. Coloring for the Future wants to stop the depopulation of Cortes de la Frontera and bring back a spark of community to the beautiful Andalusian town.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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¡Hasta la próxima!