Zapatero under pressure in PSOE
There is strong pressure on Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero, by several regional party leaders, for him to leave his post as General Secretary of PSOE, the governing party. The party has slipped lower in the opinion polls than at any time and confidence in Zapatero is sinking like a stone in a pond. The regional “barons” want Zapatero to announce his resignation at the Federal Committee meeting on the 2nd April. Resignation as General Secretary would mean he would not stand as a candidate for post of Prime Minister in the 2011 national elections.
Construction down 43.2%
Construction work in Spain collapsed a further 43.2% in January, after falling 22.8% in December. In the Euro Countries generally, construction work fell 4.5% in January. In Slovenia it was down 17.1% and in Bulgaria 12.4. Construction rose 55.4% in Germany; 11.1 in Poland and 10% in Sweden.
Unemployment over 8% until 2024
David Taguas, the former Director of the Economy Office in Moncloa (the seat of Government) has affirmed that unemployment in Spain will remain above 8% until 2024, and expects a further increase in the number of jobless in the first quarter of this year.
“Stock of dwellings sufficient for 10 years”
The previous Minister for Housing (now degraded to an office in the Ministry of Development) Maria Antonia Trujillo, has declared that the existing stock of unsold dwellings is sufficient to satisfy the demand for the coming 10 years, and that the approved building land is sufficient for 20 years. In a resent interview she demanded a further cut of 37% in the price of dwellings, saying, “without the cut, nothing will be sold.”
Debts to banks exceed deposits by 55%
At the end of 2010, bank and savings bank deposits by families and companies, amounted to 1,140 million euros, up from 1,142 million one year earlier. However, debts to the banks were 55% higher than the deposits, at 1,782 million euros, up from 1,776 millions at the end of 2009. Non-paid loans in the financial system hit 6.27% in January, up from 5.81% at the end of 2010 and 5.30% at the end of 2009.
New EU directives on Cross-Boarder Health Care
Last week a new Directive on Health Care for the countries of the European Union was approved, whereby citizens residing in an EU country, other than their own, are also entitled to non-emergency treatment in that country. A condition is advanced authorisation from a medic for the treatment in their home country; cost would be met by the health authorities in the home country of the patient.
It is anticipated that the Directive will be effective from 2013.
Public Administration debt
Spain's Public Administration debt last year increased to over 638
billion euros, 13.8% up. Broken down, the autonomies debt
rose by 31.7% last year to 10.9% of GDP, whilst central government
debt rose 45.9% in 2010, compared with 41.8% the previous year. As for the
Autonomies, the most indebted is Catalonia with thirty one billion euros or
27% of the indebtedness of all the autonomies. The Valencian Community is in second place with seventeen billion euros, followed by Madrid with thirteen billion. The debts of these three are 54% of the total autonomous debts, while the hit parade of the other indebted autonomies reads: Andalusia (twelve billion), Galicia (six billion), Castilla/La Mancha (almost six billion), the Basque Country (four billion), Castilla/Leon (4.2 billion), the Balearic Islands (4.064 billion), the Canary Islands (three billion), Aragon (2.9 billion), Murcia (2.1 billion), Extremadura (1.747 billion), Navarra (1.725 billion), Asturias(1.634 billion), Cantabria (911 million) and La Rioja (726 million).
Congress refuses simultaneous translations
The Congress of Deputies (lower chamber of parliament) has refused a proposal to permit regional languages to be used in oral and written interventions, which would have made a simultaneous translation service a necessity. Several nationalist parties representatives intervened in the debate speaking in their regional languages, like Euskera (Basque) and Catalan. The proposal was supported by 24 deputies with 308 against. The president of the chamber, who did not interrupt the interventions of the nationalists reminded them at the end of the session that only Castellan could be used.
Water also more expensive
After electricity and gas price hikes, water bills will increase. The price of water rose 4.5% in 2010, to 1.36 euros per m3. However, there are large variations from region to region. In the province of Palencia 175 cubic meters of water (national average) costs 119 euros, whilst in Murcia province it has a price tag of 455 euros.
The towns with the most expensive water are: Murcia (2.6 euros a cubic meter), Cadiz (2.19 euros), Alicante (2.16), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (2.13) and Barcelona (2 euros). The cheapest water is in Palencia (0.68 euros), Guadalajara (0.78) and Burgos (0.83 euros).
However, Spanish water is half the price of water in France, Germany and UK.
Electricity prices will increase 10% from April. In the same month gas butano will go up 6% to 14 euros for the bottle.
Si (
No(
