SPAIN: UEFA winner & more – 18th July 2024

Buenos días from Bethnell Green! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 18th of July twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

Let’s start with sports this week. As you know in case you have been in solitary lock down under a rock, the Spanish national football team has won the twenty twenty-four European Football Championship.

Spain celebrated their fourth European Championship in Germany on Sunday the 13th, with a convincing display against England; the game ended two - one Spain.

On the pitch, the celebration began modestly with tears, hugs, and photos, but the players soon escalated their excitement with singing, dancing, and emotional moments with family. Young star Lamine Yamal let loose in the dressing room as he became the youngest winner of a European Championship ever, at just seventeen years old.

Player celebrations matched those of people across Spain and Germany, where thousands of Spanish fans supported their team throughout the tournament.

In politics, Vox, Spain's far-right party, has terminated coalition agreements with the center-right Popular Party, or PP, in five regions across Spain.

The disagreement has been over a dispute about unaccompanied migrant minors. Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox, announced the break after the PP supported the government's plan to take in hundreds of migrant minors. The affected regions are Castilla y León, Aragón, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, and Murcia, where Vox holds twelve regional ministries.

While the PP says that regional stability remains, early elections might be called. The government's proposal aims to ease migratory pressure on the Canary Islands, with 347 minors temporarily relocated.

This decision has highlighted the growing rift between Vox's hardline stance and PP's more centrist approach but also PP’s interest in solving real problems and Vox’s interest in taking a stand on pointless divisive culture wars, which is pretty much what they are about.

Elsewhere in politics, Pedro Sánchez, the President of Spain, has faced strong opposition in Congress over his regeneration plan, which primarily targets media regulations mandated by the EU.

On Wednesday the 17th, Sánchez outlined his regeneration plan, which he had promised to do three months ago. His plan focused on implementing EU-mandated media regulations to promote transparency. Key measures include requiring media outlets to disclose ownership details and ensuring clarity in public spending on state advertising.

The president aimed to gain support from his coalition partners and major political rivals, the Popular Party, or PP, and Vox. However, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the PP, criticized the plan as an attack on press freedom and accused Sánchez of imposing a pseudo-democracy.

The session ended with Sánchez committing to negotiating the plan's details despite fierce criticism from both PP and Vox.

Moving on, Spain is undertaking its largest-ever overseas police deployment for the Paris Olympics, between the 26th of July and the 11th of August, involving over 300 national police officers, civil guards, and soldiers.

Eduardo Gutiérrez, the Spanish National Police's chief of operations, will coordinate this unprecedented logistical operation.

The operation will address terrorism and public safety concerns, deploying specialists in crowd control, explosives detection, and intelligence.

Spain responded swiftly to France's request for ground assistance, and Spanish officers will patrol key locations, including airports and stadiums, enhancing security during the games.

In Madrid, Vocational Training teachers are protesting against an allegedly unfair exam hiring scoring system, which could cost them their jobs.

Teachers whose role would have previously been categorized as technical are now being reclassified as secondary, which they argue devalues their experience and qualifications as highly skilled teachers.

This system has halved the points for their professional experience if they have involuntarily changed teaching groups and it is set to affect 840 teachers, putting many at risk of unemployment. While other regions have resolved this issue, Madrid's strict interpretation of the law persists.

The union, Comisiones Obreras, is protesting and pursuing legal action to correct the scale.

In Catalan news, the local government of Catalunya has secured a €490 million loan, just over 600 million dollars from the European Investment Bank, or EIB, to construct over 4,000 affordable and energy-efficient public rental apartments across the region.

The EU funding was secured last month but was officially given the go-ahead on Monday the 15th. The region's capital, Barcelona, is already developing thirty-one projects totaling over two thousand apartments, primarily financed by previous EIB loans. The first projects to be built with the new loan aim to be completed by twenty twenty-eight.

This initiative seeks to address the shortage of affordable housing and reduce consumer expenses. Nadia Calviño, the president of the EIB, emphasized the importance of sustainable and affordable housing.

Speaking of Catalunya, the Costa Brava will face the height of summer without most of the twelve portable desalination plants promised by the government.

The Girona Provincial Council has received only two of the four plants for the town of Roses, while the remaining plants for the town of Empuria-brava are delayed until twenty twenty-five.

The high demand for desalination plants and bureaucratic delays have compounded the drought problem in Catalunya. Without serious rainfall, tourism and water restrictions remain.

The regional government says it has stepped up its efforts to deliver the missing desalination plants.

On Saturday the 13th, Jordi Hereu, Spain's tourism minister, criticized protesters who sprayed Barcelona tourists with water pistols, emphasizing this does not reflect Spain's hospitality.

The incident, involving nearly 3,000 demonstrators, was captured on video. Jordi Hereu, who was also formally the mayor of Barcelona, condemned the actions but noted that the international media had exaggerated the event.

In arts news, Antonio Banderas, the world-renowned Spanish actor and filmmaker, has launched a multipurpose space in Malaga dedicated to performing arts production and training.

Sohrlin, Banderas's arts center, is a joint venture between him and Domingo Sánchez, a businessman and friend. Banderas and Sánchez converted an 8,000-square-meter industrial building into a hub for theater, circus, music, and more.

The Sohrlin Arts Centre features training rooms, residential facilities, and a 2,500-square-meter open space for rehearsals and performances, which can accommodate an audience of 1,000 people.

Next up, almost a month and a half after the Taylor Swift concerts in Madrid, El Pais, the Spanish media outlet, has reflected and analyzed the superstar's effect on the city.

Taylor Swift's concerts in Madrid on the 29th and 30th of May transformed the city's economy, significantly increasing visitors around the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium area. Tourist numbers surged by up to fifty percent, with 230,000 unique visitors recorded over the two days.

The concerts had a massive economic impact, generating an estimated 110.5 million euros, or around 120.6 million dollars. This event highlighted Swift's broad appeal and the extensive lengths her fans will go to see her perform.

Let's turn to Valencia, where festivals are thriving post-pandemic.

Festivals, including Arenal Sound and FIB Benicàssim, have defied recession fears with strong ticket sales and enthusiastic crowds.

FIB Benicàssim kicked off on Wednesday the 17th and will last two days, while Arenal Sound is set to take place between the 30th of July and the 4th of August. Both festivals have nearly sold out, driven by popular acts like Aitana, the Black Eyed Peas, and Louis Tomlinson.

Despite concerns of an oversaturated market, and with most people still feeling the effects of the twenty twenty pandemic, local festivals in Valencia continue to flourish, unlike in other European regions.

In the World of Art, the Picasso Museum in Málaga is showcasing a new exhibition called María Blanchard, A Painter in Spite of Cubism.

The exhibition, curated by José Lebrero Stals, will run from April 30 to September 29. It highlights the Spanish artist María Blanchard and her significant yet often overlooked contribution to Cubism.

Blanchard's work focused on the emotional struggles of European women in the early nineteen hundreds. Despite her talent, she faced sexism and bias in the art world, which Stals aims to address through this exhibition.

Spain's rural areas, such as La Rioja, are beginning to offer authentic agritourism experiences, showcasing the country's traditional lifestyle and sustainable practices.

Visitors can stay at family-run farms like Las Lucias to engage in farming activities, including milking goats and making cheese. Rural farms in Extremadura host Spain's famous black Iberian pigs, known for producing prized ham, a truly unique experience for visitors to the region.

In Valencia, visitors can explore orange orchards, while Asturias offers a taste of its renowned cider culture. La Rioja stands out with its wineries, offering hands-on wine-making experiences.

Agritourism in Spain not only highlights the country's agricultural heritage but also provides immersive and educational experiences for visitors. A taste of the real Spain, if you like!

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

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