Sitting across the table from Xavier Alonso Calderón, Catalonia’s head of Immigration and Labour Relations, it was hard not to feel for everyone within a hundred paces of his office. In one of many sweeping cuts to government spending since coming into office late last year, the Partido Popular-led national government had slashed Spain’s immigration and integration fund to nearly nothing. Established under the Zapatero government in 2005, the fund had set aside up to €200 million to be distributed to Spain’s autonomous communities to help finance programs aimed at reporting, educating and integrating the country’s foreign-born population – a group that had exploded over the past decade, … [Read more...] about Catalonia’s immigrants face lonely road ahead
About Christopher Coats
Energy debt burden looms large in Spain’s deficit reduction push
To say that the Rajoy government inherited a rough legacy is rather an understatement. The economy appears to be in even worse shape than the incoming Partido Popular government first thought and even as they chop away at public spending, confidence at home and abroad continues to slip. Less than three months in and Rajoy and his party were forced to restructure deficit reduction goals, much to the chagrin of austerity-minded allies in Brussels and Berlin. Unfortunately, the government’s campaign to rein in spending and reduce the deficit does not yet address one particularly large elephant in the room – namely, Spain’s beleaguered energy sector. Sure, we’ve seen the Rajoy government … [Read more...] about Energy debt burden looms large in Spain’s deficit reduction push
Rajoy, reform and the burden of employment expectations
As thousands took to the streets at the weekend, it quickly became clear that the Partido Popular’s approach to job creation had more than a few critics. Focusing their anger on reforms passed on February 9, critics called out the new government’s efforts to reduce mandatory severance pay from 45 to 33 days per year worked and allowing what they felt was an unfair freedom for companies to opt out of collective bargaining agreements and adjust wages and hours according to their financial standing. The Rajoy government insisted that it “wants to give firms the ability to modify workers' hours in response to demand rather than simply laying them off, bringing an end to the rapid rise in … [Read more...] about Rajoy, reform and the burden of employment expectations
Getting to the bottom of Spain’s daunting unemployment rate
Of the many bits of bad economic news Spain has received this past year, including finding deficits were higher than expected and growth rates much lower, perhaps no other figure has proven as weighty and daunting as the country’s unemployment rate. Reports released at the end of January saw that number rise to 22.9 percent, adding another dismal headline to the Rajoy government’s first full month in office: nearly 5.3 million people out of work with declines in available positions across the board, from services to the country’s still collapsing construction sector. Capturing the dour outlook of the country’s current situation, The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson summarized the statistics … [Read more...] about Getting to the bottom of Spain’s daunting unemployment rate
Catalan cuisine faces the future by returning to its roots
Nearly two years ago, the Epicurious food and dining website declared that Barcelona had, in its words, jumped the shark. Long known as a culinary leader for its regional chefs’ efforts at the forefront of the tapas movement and more widely acclaimed for advances in molecular gastronomy, the city and wider region had lost their creative juice, slowing under over-indulgence and over-exposure. However, as the New Year arrives and the region struggles to figure out a path forward without the aid of its flagship of culinary innovation, Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli, the local menu is showing new signs of life with a return to traditional staples – delicious simplicity. Though, this being Catalonia, … [Read more...] about Catalan cuisine faces the future by returning to its roots
Spanish energy sector seeks clarity under Rajoy
Facing pressing issues of funding and stability, Spain’s energy sector has looked for some clarity about what the industry will look like under a Mariano Rajoy-led government, but it has found little. Like his plans for most areas, Rajoy has remained vague about what he has in store for the country’s energy actors, pledging to unveil details and appointments only after he takes office on December 21. Still, despite the prime minister-elect’s silence on the issue during the election campaign, a long political path and party positions reveal some hints about how the new conservative government will tackle both traditional and alternative energy issues. Eager to hear the new government’s … [Read more...] about Spanish energy sector seeks clarity under Rajoy
Morocco sets path for reform but questions of impact linger
Echoing the actions of governments across the region, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI responded to a growing wave of public protests in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya earlier this year with a two-tiered pledge of political reform and increased financial aid to the local population. Although the country had largely escaped the kind of large-scale demonstrations that filled city centres in Cairo and Tunis, Morocco’s February 20 movement of reform-minded groups and members of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) garnered support as the country’s version of the Arab Spring. After nearly tripling food and fuel subsidies and increasing government worker salaries, the king introduced a new constitution … [Read more...] about Morocco sets path for reform but questions of impact linger