Table of Contents
In Wednesday´s Spanish national news headlines, MEPs to Vote on Standardised European Driving Licence Rules, Court refuses evidence provided on paper, and Spain exceeds 200,000 temporary protections granted to Ukrainian citizens.
Contents (click to jump ahead)
- Spanish News Headlines
- Business, Markets and Statistics
- Things to Do Today
- Local Markets
- Traffic and Travel
- Weather
- On This Day
- Video of the Day
- Follow Mark Nolan’s Podcast
Spanish News Headlines
On Wednesday at noon, MEPs are set to adopt their position on the review of EU driving licence rules. They are seeking to improve road safety by streamlining requirements for drivers, introducing medical fitness checks, and increasing awareness about the vulnerability of road users like pedestrians and cyclists.
The new EU driving licence rules are part of the Road safety package presented by the Commission in March 2023 to improve safety for all road users, facilitate cross-border enforcement of traffic rules, and modernise driving licence rules. The ultimate goal is to move as close as possible to zero fatalities in EU road transport by 2050 (“Vision Zero”).
The Social Chamber of the National Court has refused to study the evidence in a collective conflict presented by the lawyer of a company in the trial because it was provided on paper and not electronically.
The rejection was based on Royal Decree Law 6/2023 in which urgent measures are approved for the execution of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan in matters of public service of Justice, public service, local regime and patronage.
Spain has granted temporary protection to more than 200,000 Ukrainian citizens since this extraordinary protection mechanism was activated on March 9, 2022, which immediately grants residence and work permits to those displaced by the Russian invasion.
Until February 26, the Office of Asylum and Refuge (OAR) of the Ministry of the Interior and the National Police have processed and granted a total of 200,154 protections. 61.1 percent of the people who have obtained this figure in Spain are women (122,400) and 38.9 percent are men (77,754). By age group, 31.3 percent are under 18 years old; 26.6 percent, between 19 and 35 years old; 35.4 percent, between 36 and 64; and 6.7 percent are over 65 years old.
To read these articles in full, visit SpainToday.news
Business, Markets and Statistics
At least a dozen Spanish listed companies present results today, including airport operator Aena, and Indra, Endesa, Amadeus, Redeia, and Solaria.
At the macro level, the publication of eurozone consumer confidence for February and US GDP for the fourth quarter stands out. In addition, G20 finance ministers meet in Brazil.
Back in Spain, the Institute of National Statistics (INE) publishes the export and import price indices of industrial products for January.
Aena presents its results from last year, Endesa publishes its 2023 results, Indra makes public its accounts for the last financial year, Solaria presents its 2023 results, Talgo publishes its accounts between January and December of last year, Amadeus presents its fourth quarter results, Redeia makes its 2023 accounts public, eDreams publishes the results of its third fiscal quarter, Metrovacesa presents its results for the fourth quarter, PharmaMar publishes its quarterly results, Global Dominio presents its 2023 accounts, and Nicolás Correa publishes his accounts for the second half of last year.
In the Eurozone, the European Commission publishes consumer confidence for February, and the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council continues.
In the UK, we have the OBR fourth budget forecast round, figures on Foreign Direct Investment 2023, and Working and Workless Households, plus more business results, this time from Just Eat Takeaway.com, The Co-operative Bank, Taylor Wimpey, Paramount, UCB, and Reckitt Benckiser Group.
Things to Do Today
This week, Andalusia Day, Dia de Andalucia, is celebrated on Wednesday, 28 February.
International Flamenco Day is celebrated in Torrevieja with a concert on 2 March. You can then take a Trip to Oz, with the kids, on 15 March, assuming you survive Peter and the Wolf on 10 March. There is also the Magical world of Disney concert on 16.
For runners, on 10 March, Elche has both as 7.2k and half marathon, Crevillente on 6 April has a 6 k race, and the Dama de Guardamar half marathon, which takes the form of both a 10k and 21k variant (10.5 and 21.1 kilometres, respectively, to be pedantic), and will take place in Guardamar del Segura on 14 April 2024.
Aircraft fans can look forward to RACEFEST, Madrid, taking place on 16 March, where the Patrulla Aguila aerobatic team from San Javier will be taking part, before showcasing their skills locally in the San Javier Airshow, taking place from 3rd-5th May – Festival Aéreo San Javier – over the playas de Santiago de la Ribera, San Javier, Murcia. They are also at the DIFAS 2024, taking place in Oviedo on 1 June, and on 15th June, the 50º Aniversario del ALA 14, in Albacete, where a competition is open to design a Eurofighter livery.
If your love of the sky means watching people jumping out of planes, then there´s good news for you too, as on 19th March – Fiestas Patronales de Puerto de Mazarrón 2024, in Murcia, sees the Patrulla Acrobática de Paracaidismo del Ejército del Aire (PAPEA) parachutists perform, and on 31st March they are at the Conmemoración de “El Encuentro” de Alcantarilla, also in Murcia, before the team head overseas in April to attend the 5th FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championship, in Macau, China.
Musically, James Blunt is back in Alicante on 19 July, as is Tom Jones on 25. Other popular groups coming to Spain in the near future include AC/DC, Depeche Mode, and Simple Minds.
We must also remember that Easter is earlier this year, and one of the big draws is Elche, and in particular Palm Sunday, on account of the history of the city in relation to palm trees. A huge Palm Sunday procession takes place in the city each year.
For more local events, pick up The Leader newspaper every Monday, and This is Torrevieja for Torrevieja events.
Every year, on 28 February, the people of Andalusia in the south of Spain celebrate their special commemorative day. However, as the people, cultures and customs of that area have spread throughout much of the country, so do the celebrations.
This year, Andalusia Day falls on Wednesday and commemorates the referendum that gave rise to the autonomous process of the province.
It is almost unfathomable to think that so much of what is now considered historical change happened quite recently, as is the case here, as it was in 1980 that Andalusia became part of one of the 17 autonomous communities in the Spanish territory.
Like any autonomous community, it has its own parliament and management bodies. Founded in 1992, the Andalusian Parliament building houses the presidential office, the government council, the members of the parliament and the community councils.
The name Andalusia comes from the name that the Muslims gave to the region during their occupation, al-Andalus.
Although there are many “Spanish” cultures that originated in Andalusia, arguably one of the most popular and distinctive is flamenco, a fusion artform that brings music, dance, colour and costumes together in celebration, and so, on this special day, it might come as no surprise that flamenco plays a large part in the celebrations.
In Torrevieja, a concert will be held in the Palacio de la Musica, Día de Andalucía: Pasodobles de España, starting at 7 p.m., on Wednesday, a concert organised by the Andalusian association of Torrevieja for the celebration of Andalusia Day. This time with the Spanish pasodoble as the main theme.
There is more good news because admission to the event is free, but as there are only 235 seats available in the venue, you might be disappointed if you don´t get there early enough.
Otherwise, feel free to dress accordingly, in the traditional attire that makes the area so vibrant and colourful, take your castanets if you have them, and enjoy a little piece of the south of Spain spreading through the rest of the country.
Local Markets
Midweek markets can be found today at Guardamar del Segura, La Mata (Torrevieja), San Isidro, and San Miguel de Salinas.
The roads will of course be busy around those locations.
Traffic and Travel
There is still the ongoing protest with farmers blocking roads around the country, and so you should check the DGT traffic map (below) before you travel.
The same applies if you are heading towards higher ground, as snow continues to fall in places and if you are venturing into the mountain areas, which in some cases might be less than an hour from the sunny coast, snow chains should be a consideration to avoid getting stranded.
Driving in snow is one of the many topics members of the N332 Road Safety team will be talking about in Los Montesinos today.
For information and updates about driving in Spain, visit N332.es
The wind and poor visibility might affect flights from the UK on Wednesday. We also have the industrial action in Greece, but only flights to and from Greece will be affected.
Strong winds are also expected around the Canaries.
Military Exercise BVR 2024-1 will take place in Hungary from 26 to 29 February and 04 to 07 March 2024.
Military exercise Joint Warrior (JW 24-1) will take place mainly within Scottish airspace, but also impacting areas in England. This exercise is part of the Steadfast Defender campaign, which will continue with the Nordic Response exercise in the first half of March. The exercise schedule is 24 Feb – 04 Mar, but the activities on the weekends will be very low.
The exercise is not expected to have much of an impact on commercial traffic, but intensive military movements are expected, especially in Scottish airspace.
Official Websites for Travel Information
- For live traffic reports, visit the DGT traffic map
- For weather warnings, consult AEMET
- DGT Twitter account
- AEMET weather related road information
- Aemet Twitter account
- For flight information, check the AENA airport operator’s website
Weather
Always check the weather where you are before embarking on a trip. Here are the official sources for alerts and warnings.
- Click here to visit AEMET for weather alerts and forecasts.
- Click here to visit the DGT for live traffic and road conditions.
- AEMET weather related road information
On This Day
2002, the peseta (Spanish currency) ceases to be legal tender.
1980, Andalusia ‘s access to autonomy is approved in a referendum through the procedure of article 151 of the Spanish Constitution.
1789, in Spain, a decree from the king allows the trafficking of African slaves in Cuba.
Video of the Day
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The post Spain Today – Wednesday 28 February 2024 first appeared on Mark Nolan´s Podcast.