The Spanish Test

A strike has been called in Spain on Thursday - the first since Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy came to power.

 

The unions are angry about reforms that will make it easier to hire and fire workers. Their banners will read "Unfair - say 'no' to the labour reform law".

 

The government says these reforms are key to making Spain more competitive and eventually bringing down the country's chronic unemployment. 

 

The unions see it not just as a trial of strength but as a battle over the future of the welfare state. 

 

Javier Doz, head of International Relations of Workers Commission Union, said: "Our plan is to start a long term fight. This strike is not going to be the end because we are risking so much: the future of the social model of this country and of Europe."

 

It is not yet clear what level of support the strike will get. No more than 30% says one paper. But the government is anxious after the left did better than expected in last weekend's elections in Andalusia. 

 

The second and much greater challenge is the budget on Friday. Spain is struggling to reduce its deficit. It has already re-negotiated the target for the deficit this year with Brussels. Even to bring it down to 5.3% of GDP, cuts of 35bn euros (£29bn: $47bn) will be needed.

 

The government in Madrid has been warning of a "very, very austere budget". Treasury Minister Cristobal Montoro said it will be "the most austere since Spain became a democracy".

Difficult decisions

 

But the government faces a dilemma: the country has just slipped back into recession, unemployment is running at 23% and increasing. 

 

Many economists are saying the cuts may push Spain into a downward spiral. But if Madrid was to back off reducing its budget, the markets would push up its borrowing costs to a point where the country needed a bailout. 

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These cuts are a throw of the dice. If the economy weakens further, Spain will be heading for a bailout. ”

 

"Spain is on a very, very slippery slope now," said Nicholas Spiro at Spiro Sovereign Strategy. William Buiter of Citigroup says the risk of a Spanish debt restructuring is higher now than than it's been since the beginning of the crisis.

 

Some in the European Commission believe that Spain should begin drawing on the EU's rescue fund right now to help its banks, still heavily indebted by the property crash. 

 

Their argument is that Spanish banks will struggle to find the extra 52bn euros they have been asked to find and that will only put more pressure on the Spanish government. 

 

Much of the burden for reducing spending will fall on the regions. The expectation is that health and education budgets will have to be cut. 

 

These cuts are a throw of the dice. If the economy weakens further, Spain will be heading for a bailout. If that happens, attention will turn to Italy. 

 

That is why eurozone finance ministers meeting in Copenhagen at the end of this week will not just discuss Spain but the size of the EU's rescue fund, the so-called firewall. 

'Boiling point'

 

The German government has reluctantly agreed that the 250bn euros remaining in the existing fund - the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) - can run alongside the 500bn euros that will eventually make up the permanent fund the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). 

 

That will beef up the defences to 750bn euros. The IMF and others would like to see a trillion euros in the pot. That way both Italy and Spain could be rescued. But such a firewall is not yet in place. 

 

The Spanish people have been remarkably passive in the face of unemployment and recession. The pain is certainly eased by a huge black economy and powerful family networks. The next few days will show whether Spanish patience is wearing thin and whether the people will resist further cuts. 

 

The other day I spoke to the former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. He said the big challenge was the future of the welfare state. He doubted whether it was sustainable in its present form. The present crisis meant it would have to change - that would be painful.

 

These will be challenging days for Spain and the euro-zone will be on edge. Quite simply, Spain could bring the eurozone crisis back to boiling point.

Cómo cobrar las facturas pendientes a Administraciones Públicas

El ministro de Hacienda, Cristóbal Montoro, ha prometido que saldará todas las deudas de los proveedores con las administración públicas. Pero detrás de este anuncio esperanzador hay mucha letra pequeña. Para lograr que los proveedores cobren, Montoro, en colaboración con el ministro de Economía, Luis de Guindos, ha impulsado una macrooperación financiera con los grandes bancos para acabar con la morosidad de las administraciones públicas.

 

Sin embargo, lanzar una medida de este calibre genera grandes dificultades en las cuentas de las administraciones públicas y muchas dudas a los acreedores. La Federación de Municipios y Provincias (Femp) ya ha elaborado una guía con preguntas y respuestas prácticas para aclarar a los alcaldes todos los detalles del plan de proveedores a sus asociados. Las patronales empresariales también están alertando de los diversos problemas que se encontrarán las pymes que sufren el lastre de la morosidad.

 

- ¿Cómo se inicia el procedimiento para cobrar las facturas en el cajón de los municipios y de las regiones?

 Los alcaldes presentaron al Gobierno antes del 15 de marzo una lista con los proveedores a los que deben dinero. Las comunidades aún tienen tiempo para hacerlo hasta el próximo 15 de abril. A partir de que el Gobierno disponga de estos datos, los propios acreedores tendrán el derecho a reclamar a los ayuntamientos cuánto dinero les deben. Podrán consultar si sus facturas se han incluido en el plan de pago a los proveedores y, si estas no se han incorporado, podrán pedir una reclamación. Contarán con un plazo de un mes.

 

- ¿Cómo tiene que reclamar un proveedor si un ayuntamiento o una comunidad no le ha incluido en la lista de proveedores?

 Aunque el Gobierno les haya incluido en la lista, es importante saber que el proveedor tiene que manifestar su voluntad de cobrar, indicando cuál es el número de cuenta corriente en el que quiere que se pague la deuda. Los acreedores que no consten en lista oficial podrán solicitar a la entidad local deudora la emisión de un certificado individual, que le ayudará a cobrar las deudas en las entidades financieras más importantes del país.

 

Los consistorios tendrán que expedir el certificado individual en un plazo de 15 días. Si no, los proveedores se acogerán al silencio positivo. Es decir, si pasado este plazo los acreedores no tienen respuesta, se entenderá reconocido el derecho de cobro de manera automática.

 

- ¿Por qué los alcaldes sólo han reconocido 9.500 millones de facturas pendientes, cuando la propia Federación de Municipios y el Gobierno calculaban que había 17.000 millones pendientes?

 Los alcaldes se están acogiendo a la letra pequeña del plan para no reconocer todas las facturas. ¿La razón? Las administraciones que se acojan a la macrooperación tienen la obligación de presentar un plan de reequilibrio muy drástico que deje claro que pagar

Los ayuntamientos deben entregar esta semana el plan de ajuste para asumir el pago a proveedores

Fuente: 20 minutos

 

Los ayuntamientos españoles deberán entregar al Ministerio de Hacienda y Administraciones Públicas a finales de esta semana los planes de ajuste con los que hacer frente a la devolución de los créditos que van a solicitar para pagar las facturas que tienen pendientes con sus proveedores.

 

 Las corporaciones locales tienen hasta el próximo sábado, 31 de marzo, para plantear al Gobierno cómo van a devolver los casi 10.000 millones de euros en facturas pendientes que han presentado, un préstamo sindicado a diez años y a un interés cercano al 5 por ciento, con un periodo de carencia de dos años, en el que participarán prácticamente todos los bancos españoles y también el Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO).

 

 Para ello, el Consejo de Ministros ya aprobó la creación de un Fondo que canalizará el crédito bancario y que estará avalado por el Tesoro Público, el cual, a su vez, contará con la contragarantía de la Participación en los Ingresos del Estado de los ayuntamientos.

 

 Cerca de 5.000 ayuntamientos españoles ya han presentado al Ministerio de Hacienda y Administraciones Públicas casi dos millones de facturas pendientes con proveedores por valor de 9.584 millones de euros, como paso necesario para acogerse al mecanismo de crédito. 

 

Nadie se va a quedar fuera

 

 Esta cifra es muy inferior a la que había previsto el Gobierno para este plan, ya que había dispuesto unos 18.000 millones de euros para los ayuntamientos que quisieran acogerse al mecanismo de pago, dentro del global de 35.000 millones que compartirán con las comunidades autónomas. No obstante, los proveedores aún pueden reclamar algunas facturas que no hayan sido incluidas.

 

 Fuentes gubernamentales han confirmado a Europa Press que, dado que las corporaciones locales no han llegado al límite fijado por el Ejecutivo, las comunidades podrán disponer de más liquidez para hacer frente a los pagos de sus facturas, de las que deben informar a Hacienda a mediados de abril. Es más, las mismas fuentes han remarcado que "ninguna administración se va a quedar fuera" de este plan de pago.

 

 Según consta en el listado enviado por los ayuntamientos al departamento que dirige Cristóbal Montoro, aproximadamente las dos terceras partes de las facturas afectan a pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes) y autónomos. En concreto, casi 63.500 son de pymes y 50.259 de trabajadores autónomos. RECLAMACIONES

 

 Estos proveedores dispondrán del 1 al 5 de abril y del 1 al 5 de mayo para reclamar todas aquellas facturas que los ayuntamientos no han incluido en el listado que han remitido a Hacienda. Para ello, deberán entregar al consistorio certificados individuales que pueden obtenerse de la página web del Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE).

 

 En el certificado, que ha de ir firmado por el interventor del municipio en cuestión, tiene que figurar el nombre de la empresa o autónomo y el importe de la factura, así como aclararse si el proveedor ha recurrido previamente a los tribunales para exigir el pago de la deuda.

El Ayuntamiento de Onteniente vende artículos de segunda mano para financiarse

El ayuntamiento de onteniente pone a la venta el material de la televisión local para financiarse

Fuente: 20 minutos.

 

http://www.20minutos.tv/video/deAGJKT2-onteniente-vende-objetos-para-financia...

SEMI AUTOMATIC PUBLIC TOILETS

New semi automatic public toilets to install inside buildings.

See the full gallery on Posterous

www.lorke.es

 

How to stay healthy on the road

YOU CAN usually tell when a close friend or relation has been travelling too much. Too-frequent flyers keep odd hours, and the bags under their eyes tell tales of jet-lag-induced woe. They grow paunchy from long flights sitting down, too much drinking, and too little exercise. They may be sick from strange food or new parasites. They can be irratable and short-tempered. Travelling is stressful, and, as Gulliver has noted before, too much of it can really damage your health. In previous posts I've urged not just awareness, but actual work to counteract the damage business travel levels on our bodies. When I wrote about a Columbia University study that proved that to much travel is unhealthy, the lead author commented that "Studies that show even 'obvious' findings are required before corporations will start to put into place programmes to address the stresses of business travel." There has yet to be much progress on the corporate front, but on the "physician, heal thyself" side, Amanda Cook of The Next Woman Business Magazine offers some useful tips for frequent travellers. She suggests drinking enough water, bringing something from home to comfort you (your music, a favourite photo, whatever), and eating a good breakfast—all pretty obvious. That's not all, though. Ms Cook also suggests bringing lavender essential oil—a suggestion your correspondent can't really speak to—and making sure to get out for some fresh air every day. That last tip may seem obvious, too, but it's hugely underrated. I find that even a short walk around the block or through a park can do a great job of clearing my head and relaxing me, even in a foreign city. Ms Cook adds that "getting some morning sunshine" can "help reset your internal clock", which may seem silly but is actually true. Open those window shades! Ms Cook left exercise off her list, but a jog or a bike ride can be a great stress reliever on the road. When travelling, it's a good idea to find out in advance whether your hotel has a gym or a vicinity suitable for an outdoor run, and whether the city has a bike-sharing programme. But even if you can't fit in a workout, a simple walk around the area near your hotel can do wonders. Try it.

Spain's budegt deficit

THE king of orthodoxy has crumbled. Faced with an inherited budget deficit that was way off target, Spain's Mariano Rajoy has rebelled against this year's European Union-agreed objective. Instead of bringing his country's deficit down to 4.4% of GDP, Mr Rajoy's centre-right People's Party (PP) government is aiming for a gentler 5.8%. It has taken little more than two months in government for Mr Rajoy to complete his transformation from gold-star pupil of Europe's austerity warriors to chief rebel. In that time Spain has begun to dip into a second recession. Unemployment has raced to 23% of the workforce and beyond, the highest figure in the EU. February saw a further 112,000 Spaniards added to the ranks of the jobless. The EU's deficit target assumed moderate economic growth this year. In fact, Spain's economy is set to shrink by 1.7%—with the consequent reduction in tax receipts and increase in social spending. The biggest shock of all, however, has been the state of the country's accounts. In the run-up to November's general election, the outgoing Socialist administration of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero continued to insist that it was on track to meet the EU's 6% target. But last week Cristóbal Montoro, the budget minister, revealed the true figure: 8.5% (although some of Spain's fellow Europeans have their doubts about this number, as Charlemagne reports). This seemed further proof that, when faced with elections, Spanish administrations at all levels find it almost impossible to apply austerity. More importantly, it left Mr Rajoy facing a whopping €45 billion ($59 billion) adjustment if he was to meet the 4.4% mark. Little surprise, then, that the prime minister let it be known that he would appreciate it if the EU gave him a bit of leeway. How about a new, more realistic, deficit target? But the hawks refused to blink. Spain's government muttered angrily about a handful of Brussels bureaucrats digging their heels in. So today it decided to go it alone. Despite the considerable loosening, Mr Rajoy insisted he would remain Señor Austerity. His new target will still require an adjustment of close to €30 billion. That is roughly the same as the "Save Italy" programme of Mario Monti, Italy's newish prime minister. And that is to be spread over three years. In Barcelona this week and in Valencia last week demonstrations against education cuts turned nasty when (admittedly small-scale) violence erupted. The head of steam building up against Mr Rajoy's government will continue to grow. A general strike is expected for March 29th. Mr Rajoy has already pushed through serious reforms of the labour market, of banks and of budgetary rules for the future. These have been roundly praised outside Spain. But none of this will help the country in the short term. Indeed, the government sees a total of 630,000 jobs disappearing this year. That will push unemployment to 24.3%. Youth unemployment may well top 50%. Yet the real task of cutting social spending has barely begun. Spain's 17 regional governments, which are responsible for education and health spending, jointly failed to reduce their deficits at all last year. They were the chief culprits, in fact, of Spain's 2011 deficit miss, jointly accounting for an overspend worth 2.9% of GDP against a target of 1.3%. Even hawkish Catalonia, which within Spain took the path now being trodden by Mr Rajoy within Europe and rebelled against its Madrid-set target in 2011, failed to meet the 2.6% it unilaterally set itself instead. Artur Mas's government calculates that it came in a full percentage point above that. The prospect of that experience being repeated at national level is what worries markets and the rest of the EU. Can Mr Rajoy meet the targets his government has set itself? His rebellion today, announced hours after the signing of the EU's fiscal pact, makes the EU's stability measures look weak—and sees Spain run the risk of facing EU sanctions. If Mr Rajoy fails with his more modest adjustment, it will not just be his own credibility that is blown.