In The Week Ahead this week, the UK news will be dominated by Rwanda, and across Europe the current general financial situation.
On the roads, there is an important focus campaign all this week, and a double focus next weekend, not forgetting that major road closure we mentioned in Torrevieja.
Finally, we have a look at some of the events taking place, and a reminder that after this week we get three weeks with holiday days in most of Spain.
The week will begin with the publication of January retail sales in Spain, which will be key to knowing the evolution of household spending at the start of the year and their level of confidence. In the December publication, it registered a year-on-year variation of 3.1%.
On Tuesday the 12th we will know the final reading of Germany’s inflation in February, with a moderation in prices explained by the deterioration of the economic activity of the European power. For its part, data on the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom will also be published in January, in a previous situation in which its level in December fell 0.2 pp to 3.8% of the active population.
On Wednesday the 13th, the evolution of January industrial production in the Eurozone will be announced, which registered a rise in year-on-year terms of 1.2% last December. On a day in which data related to the trend of GDP and industrial production will also be published in the United Kingdom.
Thursday the 14th, the INE will release the final reading of the evolution of prices in Spain in February, its preliminary reading reflecting a significant moderation of the general inflation rate to 2.8% year-on-year. The week will end with the publication of the final CPI data for the month of February from France and Italy, which will be accompanied by readings of retail sales and the trade balance of the Italian economy.
On a business level, the publication of results from Inditex, Adidas, Zalando and Volkswagen will stand out.
On the roads, ROADPOL, the European Traffic Police Network will be holding a focus campaign on the correct wearing of seat belts. In Spain, the Guardia Civil, and Local Police in many places, will also be taking part in the campaign to ensure that seat belts are worn, and worn correctly, and that children are secure in the vehicle.
Throughout next weekend and into next week there is also a geographically targeted general campaign taking place in both the Valencia and Murcia regions, in addition to the seat belt focus.
In the UK, following defeat after defeat after defeat, the Rwanda bill will return to the Lords for further debate.
The holy month of Ramadan is set to begin, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon, which will see Muslims around the globe partaking in their daily fasting.
The European Parliament is scheduled to vote on Wednesday on its Artificial Intelligence Act, considered landmark legislation on AI aimed at protecting ‘fundamental rights and democracy’.
Finally, in the UK, Monday gives Brits the opportunity to sample a little piece of life in Spain, the siesta, as Monday is National Napping Day!
Things to do in March
In Torrevieja, you can enjoy a Trip to Oz, with the kids, on 15, and then the Magical world of Disney concert on 16. Classical music fans have a Beethoven concert in the International Auditorium on 23 March.
Sports fans in Torrevieja have lots to World Football on 15th, a rugby competition from 22 to 24, football on the 28 to 31, and handball on the same weekend.
For runners, Crevillente on 6 April has a 6k race, and the Dama de Guardamar half marathon, which takes the form of both a 10k and 21k variant, and will take place in Guardamar del Segura on 14 April 2024.
For petrolheads, Guardamar del Segura will host a wide range of classic motors, cars and motorbikes, in the XII Fiesta del Motor Clásico de Guardamar del Segura taking place on 23 March 2024, starting at 10 a.m. in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento where, in addition to the exhibition of participating classic cars and motorcycles, there will be live music, paella to eat, and drinks.
You might also be interested in the classic Scooter Rally in Madrid on the 15th.
Finally, the Iberia Motor Fest brings classic and unusual vehicles together at La Vila Joiosa on 22nd, 23rd, and 24th of March 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.
Down south, the Granada Tango Festival from 12 to 17 March.
Fallas season is on now across Valencia, culminating in the celebrations around the middle of March, not forgetting of course we have San Jose, Spanish Father’s Day, on 19 March, a big event in the Spanish cultural calendar. The main fallas event is around Valencia, where this year the calendar is from 25 February to 19 March.
We must also remember that Easter is earlier this year, Good Friday is 29 March, 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.
Those events mean holidays across Spain, and in the Valencia region for example, after this week, we have 3 weeks with holiday days, Tuesday 19, Friday 29, then Monday 1 April.
The post The Week Ahead – 11 March 2024 first appeared on Mark Nolan´s Podcast.