SPAIN THIS WEEK

Monday, 23 October 2017

21/10/2017 "Neither the autonomy nor self-governance in Catalonia will be suspended"; but legality will be recovered, says Mariano Rajoy In his appearance following the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers, the President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, announced the measures to be set in motion following the activation of Article 155 of the Constitution, which must be approved by the Upper House of Parliament: Mariano Rajoy explained the four measures: return to legality, recover normality and co-existence, continue with the economic recovery and hold elections.

20/10/2017 ​President of the Government attends Princess of Asturias Award ceremony Mariano Rajoy attended the 2017 Princess of Asturias Award ceremony, presided over by Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Spain, at the Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, collected the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord, which went to the European Union.

20/10/2017 "The Euro must move towards fiscal union, with a common Budget, a Finance Minister and Eurobonds", says Mariano Rajoy Following the European Council, the President of the Government announced that Spain will adopt measures next week to repair the damage cause by wildfires and will work with Portugal so that the EU can help it in this task. He also said that the application of Article 155 of the Constitution seeks "to return legality and recover institutional normality", in Catalonia.

19/10/2017 Institutional statement by Government Spokesperson following response from Carles Puigdemont Following the response from the President of the Regional Government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, to the official demand sent to him by the Government of Spain, the Government Spokesperson, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, made the following institutional statement in the Lower House of Parliament:

18/10/2017 ​Mariano Rajoy asks Carles Puigdemont "to put general interests of all citizens first" During the government control session in the Lower House of Parliament, the President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, once again urged Carles Puigdemont, President of the Regional Government of Catalonia, to clarify whether he has declared independence or not in Catalonia. He also called for him to act "sensibly" and in a "balanced" fashion.

16/10/2017 Mariano Rajoy offers Regional Government of Galicia "all the assistance it may need" in fighting wildfires The President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, regrets the victims of these fires, along with the fact that the wildfires affecting the region have been started deliberately. He also thanked the thousands of professionals and volunteers for their participation and efforts to put these fires out.

16/10/2017 Government officially notifies President of the Regional Government of Catalonia to rectify prior to this coming Thursday During a press briefing at Moncloa Palace, the Vice-President of the Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría recalled that the President of the Regional Government of Catalonia "still has it in his power to initiate resolving the situation" and clarified that the activation of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution "is not to suspend self-governance" but rather to "exercise this pursuant to the law".

16/10/2017 Letter from Mariano Rajoy to Carles Puigdemont The President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, has sent a letter to the President of the Regional Government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, in response to the latter's missive in which he has not clarified the Government's official demand as to whether or not there has been a declaration of independence of Catalonia.

20/10/2017 Government approves distribution of 166.8 million additional euros allocated to active employment policies Furthermore, the Council of Ministers agreed to make the rules governing the Technical Inspection of Vehicles (Spanish acronym: ITV) more flexible to adapt them to European legislation and decided to challenge the legality of the committee set up by the Regional Government of Catalonia concerning the violation of fundamental rights.

20/10/2017	​Íñigo de la Serna presides signing of 600-million euro loan from EIB to Adif AV to finance 'Basque Y'
20/10/2017	Exports grew by 9.1% to August and continue at historic highs
19/10/2017	Average number of foreign citizens registered with Spanish Social Security system stands at 1,853,108 in September
18/10/2017	Spain and Romania sign convention to eliminate double taxation and prevent tax evasion
18/10/2017	Spain consolidates position as leading EU fruit and vegetable exporter
18/10/2017	"Spain has the best fire-fighting resources, according to the European Commission", says Isabel García Tejerina
17/10/2017	​European Commission praises Spain for co-funding Erasmus+ Programme
17/10/2017	Guardia Civil arrest woman in Girona for activities to recruit and send Jihadi terrorists to conflict zones
17/10/2017	Exporting companies have improved their export prospects and employment outlook for the coming quarter
16/10/2017	​Spain has been elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council
16/10/2017	Home Affairs Ministers of G-6 agree to step up cooperation with third countries to counteract migratory pressure and in fight against terrorism