Tag: Spain

• Friday, January 15th 2016 - 07:31 UTC

  Departing Spanish minister joins Argentine bandwagon claiming 'Malvinas dialogue'

  

  Spanish Foreign Secretary Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo has delivered what could possibly be his last comment on Spain’s claim to Gibraltar’s sovereignty in his current role. The official has jumped on the bandwagon of a new Argentine platform seeking international support for the return of the Falkland Islands and urging UK to agree to bilateral talks over Gibraltar’s sovereignty.

• Thursday, January 14th 2016 - 06:33 UTC

  Socialist becomes Spain's parliament speaker; no agreement yet on new government

  

  Spain's parliament held its first session Wednesday, with lawmakers from four main parties taking their seats at a time of political turmoil. Lawmakers picked a Socialist, Patxi Lopez, a former head of the regional government of the northern Basque Country, as parliamentary speaker, in the first pact between rival parties still engaged in talks to form a government since last month's inconclusive election.

• Thursday, January 14th 2016 - 06:24 UTC

  Gibraltar logged 431 Spanish vessels' incursions into territorial waters

  

  The number of unlawful incursions by Spanish state vessels into British Gibraltar territorial waters rose last year compared to 2014. But the number of serious incidents tailed off in the final months of 2015 against the context of diplomatic efforts to increase cooperation at sea, according to a report published in the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Monday, January 11th 2016 - 14:13 UTC

  Agreement in Catalonia puts more pressure on Madrid for a grand coalition

  

  A fiercely secessionist leader was elected president of the wealthy region of Catalonia thanks to a last-minute show of unity, giving fresh impetus to attempts to break away from Spain after months of infighting. The appointment of Carles Puigdemont, just hours before a deadline which would have forced fresh regional elections, drew an immediate rebuke from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

• Thursday, January 7th 2016 - 08:30 UTC

  Spain calls for dialogue on Gibraltar and Falklands; UK reiterates support for self determination

  

  The United Kingdom has reiterated that the sovereignty of Gibraltar is not a matter for discussion or negotiation with Spain. This follows a call by the Spanish Foreign Ministry for a resumption of bilateral dialogue with the UK over Gibraltar.

• Thursday, December 31st 2015 - 08:35 UTC

  Spain's Socialists rules out any partner that supports Catalonia independence referendum

  

  Spain's Socialist party ruled out forming a new government with any party that supported a referendum on independence in Catalonia, a stand that prolongs political uncertainty after this month's inconclusive national election.

• Thursday, December 24th 2015 - 08:08 UTC

  Italy's PM Rienzi looks to Spain and warns about the results of austerity in political systems

  

  After Spain's elections on Sunday left the ruling Popular Party and president Mariano Rajoy well short of an absolute majority, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi argued this showed Europe does not want austerity, and those who apply them, even successful, are knocked out politically.

• Thursday, December 24th 2015 - 07:55 UTC

  Socialists reject Rajoy's offer to join a PP government, but all parties want to avoid new elections in two months

  

  Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy suffered a first major setback in his bid to stay in office as the Socialists refused Wednesday to back his attempt to form a new government following an inconclusive general election. Rajoy's conservative Popular Party won the most ballots in Sunday's vote but lost its absolute majority in the 350-seat lower house of parliament, taking just 123.

• Monday, December 21st 2015 - 07:14 UTC

  Spain's left-right draw ends two-party system and marks time of coalitions

  

  Spain is heading for a period of difficult coalition-building after Sunday’s elections in which Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservatives came first, but were far short of a majority and with no obvious coalition partner after the centrist Ciudadanos (Citizens) did worse than expected, finishing fourth.

• Saturday, December 19th 2015 - 02:43 UTC

  Rajoy rejects the idea of a grand coalition, German style, after Sunday's vote

  

  Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday rejected any idea of his ruling Popular Party (PP) trying to form a grand coalition with the main opposition Socialist Party (PSOE) after Sunday's general election, in a bid to stop emerging political forces Podemos and Ciudadanos from entering government.