SPAIN: Koldo Case & more – 7th Mar 2024

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 7th of March twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

To kick things off this week, there has been a development in the Koldo mask case. Koldo García and several politicians are currently undergoing a trial to investigate whether they received illegal commissions from irregular face mask contracts involving public funds.

On Tuesday, the 5th, Oscar Puente, the Mayor of Valladolid, dismissed the official who facilitated the purchase of masks from the network involved in the Koldo case.

Álvaro Sánchez Manzanares, Secretary General of State Ports, was responsible for processing the acquisition of eight million masks for twenty million euros.

Manzanares allegedly granted contracts to companies linked to the Koldo case without proper oversight.

Puente emphasizes the need for transparency and accountability in public procurement to prevent corruption.

Speaking of corruption, there is trouble on the North African coast as several individuals associated with the Coalition for Melilla, a political party in the autonomous city, were detained on Tuesday, the 5th. The suspected coalition members have been linked to fraud, specifically, vote-buying and engagement in fraudulent practices to secure support in the last regional elections.

The police operation, named Santiago-Rusadir, arrested Mustafa Aberchán, the leader of the Coalition, along with five members.

On Thursday the 7th, the Justice Commission of Congress approved the future amnesty law. Political parties, the PSOE, Junts per Catalunya, and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya or ERC, have agreed to exclude terrorism-related crimes, ensuring that acts of terrorism causing serious human rights violations won't receive pardons. The amended text removes references to the Spanish Penal Code on terrorism and excludes crimes like torture, treason, and corruption.

During a meeting in Budapest with the European right-leaning parties on the same day, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of Partido Popular, strongly commended the approval, saying that the EU Government is going to leave "serious crimes unpunished."

Moving on, President Pedro Sánchez's government is looking to enforce a thirty-five-hour working week, which has many asking what will happen to Spain's nightlife and evening culture.

As part of the move to a thirty-five-hour work week, new regulations will see restaurants and bars close earlier, by at least one o'clock in the morning.

Yolanda Díaz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Labor Minister, says the current late opening hours are unreasonable, pointing to the need for a healthier work-life balance. However, many, including other politicians, argue that such restrictions unfairly target hospitality sector areas, which rely on nightlife customers.

The likes of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, Madrid's regional president, and others in government have defended Spain's vibrant nightlife as a symbol of the nation's freedom and lifestyle.

On that note about work, Spain has achieved its lowest February unemployment rate since two thousand eight.

Yolanda Diaz said on Monday the 4th that 'just over 2.7 million people were out of work last month', and February saw a decrease of almost 7,500.

This positive development reflects Spain's improving economic conditions and nationwide efforts to address unemployment challenges.

More on employment as, according to Veinte Minutos, it has surged since the pandemic, with nearly 1.5 million new jobs since February twenty twenty. However, half of these are concentrated in just four provinces: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Malaga. Madrid leads with over 360,000 new jobs, driven by growth in high-value sectors like information and communications. Barcelona follows with over 180,000 new positions, mainly in education and health. Valencia comes third, adding over 100,000 jobs in similar sectors. Malaga has created 65,000 jobs, focusing on healthcare, hospitality, and construction. Only Jaén, Melilla, and Ceuta haven't yet recovered their pre-pandemic employment levels.

In breaking news, on Monday, the 5th police in India began the search for four suspects who may be involved in a gang rape that happened on Friday, the 1st, to a Spanish tourist who was on a trip in Eastern India with her husband. It happened at the campsite where they were staying. Three suspects have already appeared in court, but the remaining four are still missing.

On Tuesday the 5th, he started his official state trip to Brazil and Chile.

Sanchez's South American tour aims to deepen political and economic relationships, including involvement in Brazil's public investment projects, and create new ties with Chile.

This trip also comes at a key time politically, with the recent reelection of Lula da Silva as Brazil’s head of state and the near first anniversary of Gabriel Boric’s presidency in Chile.

Let's move on to Catalunya, where drought still grips the autonomous region, and a local landmark reveals itself for the first time in years.

In Sant Romà de Sau, Girona, lies a church that has been lying beneath the water of the Sau reservoir for many years, but due to the dry and arid weather, the religious building famed across Spain now stands meters above the water line.

The drought and its economic implications are affecting the lives of at least six million people who live under emergency measures. The start of February marked more than 1,000 days of drought, and as we start March, heading to April, all the local government can do is wait for the rain.

Now for some sad news from the Valencia region.

Last month, a tower block fire devastated the region, and unfortunately, on Monday the 4th, another similar fire broke out, killing three people, including a child.

The fire, which injured a further fifteen, happened just up the road from Benidorm in the town of Villajoyosa. There are investigations to determine the cause of the blaze, with suspicions of an electrical fault.

Authorities expressed condolences and further emphasized the importance of fire safety measures, with two similar tragedies happening within two weeks.

Moving to new initiatives, on Monday the 4th, the Generalitat de Catalunya initiated a transformative agenda focusing on democratic, social, green, and feminist changes. Actions include the universal distribution of free reusable menstrual products in pharmacies, making Catalunya the first to offer them for free worldwide. The plan aims to address menstrual equity, provide education, and combat taboos surrounding menstruation and women's health.

A couple of weeks ago, we discussed a peace conference pushed for by Spain and other EU member states, so here's an update.

Instead of pursuing the initial idea of a large-scale peace conference that brings together Israel and Palestine, Josep Borrell, EU's foreign policy chief, has proposed a "preparatory peace conference," which would be smaller. This revised approach would allow for separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian representatives, making discussions less heated and more useful. Still, whether this idea goes any further is yet to be decided.

For all you food lovers out there, Spain has a new gastronomic capital.

Oviedo, located in the Asturias region, has received the rich accolade of Gastronomic Capital, recognizing the city's rich culinary tradition and vibrant food scene.

Oviedo's diverse offerings include traditional Asturian cuisines like bean stew and shellfish and innovative dining experiences, with a Michelin-star restaurant to top it all off.

If you love food and have never been to the North of Spain, then Oviedo certainly won't disappoint.

And finally, if you want to discover some intangible Spanish traditions, UNESCO has a fantastic list of popular cultural traditions that the body recognizes as part of its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The traditions are all intangible aspects of popular culture that you wouldn't experience unless you look for them. For example, the Human Towers or Castells originated in Tarragona or Las tamboradas, where thousands of drums beat for hours, which happen at many traditional Spanish festivals, especially Carnival and Easter. For the full UNESCO list, head to the show notes.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week.

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 interesting newsletters and selected articles that takes 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!