SPAIN: Catalan Elections & more – 9th May 2024

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 9th of May twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

Kicking off this week, Catalan politics is poised for a significant shift as nationalist, pro-independence parties may lose their majority in the Catalan Parliament for the first time in years.

The regional government called the snap election after rejecting the separatist minority government's budget proposal. Elections will be held on Sunday, the 12th.

Despite their collective effort, independence parties Esquerra, Junts per Catalunya, and the Candidatura d'Unitat Popular probably won’t secure the necessary sixty-eight seats out of 135 to govern, ending their thirteen-year uninterrupted rule.

Government predictions show that the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya, the Catalan branch of the Socialist Party, is likely to win with forty seats. However, the presidency remains uncertain.

Next up, on Monday the 6th, the Ministry of Education published data indicating that vocational training in Spain has seen a significant increase in enrollment over the last few years.

The data shows that there was a 30% rise in enrollment over the past five years, reaching over a million students in the twenty twenty-two-twenty twenty-three academic year alone. The majority of these students, over 65%, attend public institutions.

Encouragingly, enrollment distribution showed a gender balance in most fields, but men enrolled slightly more in entry-level and specialized courses such as transportation, electricity, and mechanical manufacturing. Enrollments in intermediate-level courses such as commerce increased as well but not as significantly.

Keeping with politics, the Spanish government has firmly rejected accusations from Javier Milei, Argentina's president, who said that President Pedro Sánchez is causing poverty and death in Spain.

These accusations were in response to critical remarks made by Óscar Puente, Spain’s Transport Minister, who suggested that the Argentine President may have been on drugs while campaigning for office.

Milei retaliated with a statement attacking Sánchez's policies on immigration and separatism, blaming them for endangering Spain's social and economic state.

Tensions have risen since Milei's right-wing party gained control in November last year, contrasting with Spain's left-wing coalition government. The Argentinian President is scheduled to visit Spain soon for an event hosted by the far-right Vox party.

Moving on, in a recent study from Preply, an online language learning marketplace, Romanian emerged as the most economically valuable foreign language in Spain.

The study found that Romanian speakers earn an average annual salary of around 80,000 euros, almost triple the national average. Researchers analyzed over 500,000 job vacancies across Spain and found out that Portuguese and Arabic follow Romanian in terms of high earnings.

Even though society thinks English is the key to better-paying jobs, it ranks ninth in salary. However, foreign companies operating in Spain still demand it.

The country has a significant Romanian community that exceeds half a million, which fuels a high demand for Romanian translators, particularly in the judicial and police systems.

In economic news, despite the government's efforts to alleviate inflation, food prices have surged by 38% over the past three years.

The government tried to bring down inflation by reducing the VAT sales tax on essential food items until the 30th of June, but a recent analysis by Facua-Consumidores en Acción reveals that the prices of some basic food items, like potatoes, carrots, and iceberg lettuce, have gone up.

While these items saw the most significant rises, other staples such as olive oil, garlic, and eggs also experienced price increases. However, some foods like onions, lemons, and sunflower oil saw price reductions in the same period.

Let’s talk property. Over the last decade, house prices in Spain have increased by over 30%, outpacing the rise in average salaries by 10%. This has decreased the purchasing power of many potential homeowners.

A report by pisos.com has shown that the average price per square meter went up from around 1,600 euros in March twenty fourteen to over 2,200 euros in March this year. This trend is greater in high-demand regions like the Basque Country, Madrid, Catalunya, and the Balearic Islands.

Currently, six regions have seen significant increases in the price of the average square meter, now costing over 2,000 euros.

The group Pompeu Fabra University in Solidarity with Palestine will hold conferences about Palestine’s history and culture on the 14th, 15th and 17th of May at the university’s campus in Barcelona. There will be talks in English, Spanish, and Catalan.

In medical news, Spain has become a significant player in the global clinical trials industry, especially within the life sciences sector, positioning itself as a leader in Europe.

According to news publication El País, Spain now conducts over 40% of its 2,500 annual clinical studies in national research centers, with a particularly strong presence in high-demand areas like the Basque Country, Madrid, and Catalunya.

Spain’s healthcare system and effective collaborations within the sector have propelled the country to rank second globally in the participation in clinical trials, following the U.S. Spain’s focus now is to expand the reach of clinical trials beyond major cities to include diverse regions across the country, enhancing access to new therapies and medicines for more patients.

On Friday, the 3rd, the Ministry of Culture abolished a national bullfighting award that traditionally included a 30,000 euro government prize.

This reflects a shift in Spanish society, which increasingly questions animal welfare and the cultural appropriateness of bullfighting, a practice often criticized as cruel. The move has sparked controversy, drawing criticism from conservative traditionalists who have vowed to reinstate the award if their parties return to power in the government.

Ernest Urtasun, the head of the Ministry of Culture, cited a change in social and cultural reality as the reason for the decision, highlighting a national debate over the value and ethics of bullfighting.

In banking, on Wednesday the 1st, BBVA, Spain's second-largest bank, proposed a merger with Sabadell, the fourth-largest bank, offering around 12 billion euros.

This move aims to create a significant banking entity with over one trillion euros in assets and more than 100 million customers globally.

The merger could help BBVA diversify its targets beyond international markets like Mexico and focus on the domestic Spanish market, a sector that Sabadell is well versed in.

In the art world, on Monday the 6th, Spain's Prado Museum confirmed that a previously auctioned painting is an authentic work by famous 16th-century artist Caravaggio.

The painting titled Ecce Homo was initially withdrawn from auction in twenty twenty-one after it was misattributed to 17th-century Spanish painter Jose de Ribera with an incredibly low starting price of only 1,500 euros. It was later revealed it was a Caravaggio original.

Ecce Homo, which depicts Jesus Christ before his crucifixion, will be displayed at the Prado Museum from May until October as a special one-piece exhibition before joining the museum's permanent collection.

Only around sixty artworks of Caravaggio have been found, and this painting is considered one of the most valuable pieces of art in the world. The Prado Museum has stated that it is one of the greatest art finds in recent history.

If you're looking to jumpstart that summer feeling, head to northern Catalunya for Girona's flower season.

El temps de flors is a flower show held every year in the city of Girona, in the Barri Vell neighborhood. Flower displays and beautiful decorations fill the city and attract tourists from across Spain and the world.

The flower festival will be held between the 11th and 19th of May!

Closing this edition with another festival: El Rocío is a Christian celebration in the Hermitage of El Rocío, in Huelva.

The city and the statue of the Virgin Mary are famous for having attracted pilgrims for decades. In recent times, they have brought in over a million people a year from Spain and beyond.

As pilgrims flock to the Wild-West-style town characterized by sandy roads, there will be open-air masses, horse races, and traditional food, singing and dancing.

El Rocío will be celebrated on the 17th of May, which is known as the Pentecost or 50th day after Easter Sunday. If you want to see a truly unique religious celebration, get down to Huelva!

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

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¡Hasta la próxima!