An Informative Diplomatic Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation

APRIL - JUNE 2009. N˚10. www.maec.es

The commemoration of the Ibero-American

bicentennials provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon the past,

present, and future of the region. The energy

that each and every one of the countries

of the Ibero-American community is capable of

providing will serve as a new impulse to develop relations

capable of placing our common identity in its rightful

place on the world stage.

“The ideal occasion to give new impulse to our

relations", H.M. the King. “What brings us together

is our view to the future”, J. L. Rodríguez Zapatero.

“It is time for Ibero-America to share the new West with the Anglo-Saxons”, Miguel Ángel Moratinos.“An opportunity to celebrate diversity, the essence of Ibero-American reality”,

Enrique Iglesias.“Human capital

is our greatest asset”, Felipe González.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS > Spain-Africa: a relation of growing importance > The new European Parliament convenes > MAEC promotes the "Your Embassy can Help You’ campaign SOCIETY AND CULTURE> The final step in Madrid's candidacy for the 2016 Olympics > Abengoa, Spanish innovation for sustainable energy > Lope de Vega's plays featured in summer festivals THE INTERVIEW > Antonio Brufau: “The EU needs a common energy policy”

Bicentennials:energy for Latin America

EDITORIAL STAFF > Director: Julio Albi de la Cuesta. Editor-in-Chief: José Bodas. Art Director and Editor: Javier Hernández. Editors: Beatriz Beeckmans. Contributors: Alejandra M. García Fuertes, Luis T. Melgar, Virginia Castrejana, Jacobo García, M. Ángel Nieto, I. Gómez and Ángel Zorita. mAnAgEmEnT > Directorate General of Foreign Communication. Serrano Galvache, 26. 28033 MADRID. Published and printed by the Directorate General of Foreign Communication and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Coopera-tion. Total or partial reproduction prohibited without the express consent of the publisher. Miradas al Exterior is not responsible for the editorial content or for the opinions expressed by the authors. E-mAIL cOnTAcT > opinion.miradas@maec.es > NIPO: 501-09-006-1

ImageThe Cervantes Institute of Madrid, an organization governed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, organized a gala event to recognize ‘Spanish Language Day’, a celebration whose purpose is to strengthen the vitality of our language and its ongoing expansion throughout the world. The event, celebrated simultaneously in more than 60 Cervantes Institute centers in 43 countries, included a variety of activities such as concerts, film screenings and recreational activities. Spanish is currently spoken by more than 450 million people and is the official language of 23 countries.

2 the facts and the image

240million eurosThis is the figure, announced by Spain's Prime Minister, that will be dedicated to the fight against hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa over the next three years.

THE DATA

30̊anniversaryof the first democratic elections to the European Parliament. Since 1979, European deputies have been elected by direct, universal popular vote.

ANNIVERSARY

30of May 27 years have passed since Spain's entry into NATO. Since then, Spain has partici-pated actively in several peace-keeping missions.

THE DATE

PHOTO EFE

EDITORIAL bOARD > President: Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. First deputy chair: Director General of Foreign Communications. Second deputy chair: Technical Secretary General. Members: Cabinet Chiefs of the State Department of Foreign Affairs, the State Department for International Cooperation, the State Department for the Euro-pean Union and the State Department for Ibero-America, and the Cabinet of the Director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.

3summary

6 > Bicentennials: a revitalizing force in Latin America. The commemoration of bicentennials throughout Latin America provides an opportunity to reflect on the past, present, and future of the region

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14 > Spain-Africa: a relation of grow-ing importance. 18 > MAEC promotes its ‘Your Embassy Can Help You’ campaign. 22 > The new European Parliament con-venes. 26 > Spain's embassy in Jordan. 30 > Interview of Sweden's Ambas-sador to Spain.

38 > Female MPs debate gender equality in Madrid.

40 > Interview with Jakob Kellen-berger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross

42 > The final step in Madrid's candi-dacy for the 2016 Olympics46 > Spain, at the fore-front of manage-ment education 50 > Lope de Vega's plays featured in summer festivals. 54 > Abengoa, Spanish innovation for sustainable development.

68 > Antonio Brufau, Chief Executive Officer of Repsol. “The European Union needs a common energy policy.” “The foreign policy of a country is al-ways strengthened by an economic presence”.

What can we accomplish together?

Spain and the countries of Latin America, which have begun to celebrate the bicentennials of their independence, have much in common: a common history that goes back many years, their lan-guage and culture -multi-ethnic and multi-racial- the democracy that exists in most countries, etc. We have also shared, for almost 200 years now, the first wave of rights intended to grant equal-ity to human beings under laws which conferred sovereignty to the people and advanced the yearning for liberty, marked by the liberal principles of an era. Despite the absolute powers at work on the Iberian Peninsula, it was this heightened desire for

liberation that arose on the other side of the Atlantic and in the Courts of Cadiz, again, with the participation of Latin America.

We must now face the future without forgetting that we have a perspective based on a shared past with many historical ups and downs that must not be forgotten if we wish to avoid repeating our mistakes. It is not even necessary to look back two hundred years; the past thirty suffice. Twenty years ago, Mexico initiated the Ibero-American Summits, and that nation is to be thanked for its effort: it has given us a meeting place where we can accomplish whatever we set out to do. The

question that leads off this article has a clear and simple answer: Whatever we set out do do! Regarding the future, we can accomplish whatever we decide to accomplish. We have the mechanisms, in terms of politi-cal cooperation, education, social protection, and health... all we need to do is improve them.

We share the expectations and the will to be able to accomplish whatever we decide together. This story of these past thirty years has been a fruitful one. We have recovered our liberties and at the same time we have begun to live, which started with the unusual end to the twentieth century that

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Felipe GonzálezAMBASSAdOR ExTRAORdInARY And PLEnIPOTEnTIARY FOR THE COMMEMORATIOnOF THE BICEnTEnnIALS OF IndEPEndEnCE OF THE LATIn AMERICAn REPUBLICS

began in 1989. The recovery of liberties, the recovery of citizen-ship, overcoming the temptations of authoritarianism (which are never fully overcome), and univer-sal suffrage along with the right to elect one's one representatives, form a solid basis for continuing to progress and achieve new goals, with new rights and obligations and new levels of education and social justice.

We are experiencing a new technological revolution that has transformed relations among all human beings, between coun-tries, between business firms, between the various continents, and we must face the future of our peoples by responding to the challenges created by the times we live in. The first challenge is the global economic crisis, which affects us all and which we must face with the greatest possible realism and frankness.

The greatest strategic variable available to us to face the future is human capital, with a shared cultural background and with many shared bonds. In this re-gard, the Organization of Ibero-American States (OIS) agree-ment for Education, Science, and Culture takes on great impor-tance, as it gives impetus to an immense project correlated with the bicentennials of the majority of its member countries. Its goal is to ensure that the bicentennial generation is the best prepared in history. And this is another of the great strategic variables that will allow us to emerge from this crisis with new strength: the education of the future genera-tions.

The crisis is also an opportunity to face the need for far-reaching reforms that will open the horizon to the region for the

We must face the future without forgetting that we have a common perspective, with many historical ups and downs that must not be forgotten if we wish to avoid the same mistakes The greatest strategic variable available to us to face the future is human capital, with a shared cultural background and with many shared bonds.

We need to improve the functioning of our States and government bodies, ensuring the physical security of all in the face of all types of threats

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coming years, by developing a growth model that generates employment, redistributes in-come and promotes investment while leveraging infrastructure development and taking action on energy, communication, tele-communications and water. The lack of communication infra-structure is extensive in terms of roads, highways, ports, airports, waterways, etc. These act as a bottleneck to the development of many countries, and are even more significant at the interna-tional level.

We must improve the func-tioning of States and of public administrative bodies, ensuring physical security in the face of threats of every type of crime, security in relations between citizens from a legal standpoint, and between those citizens and their government institutions A security, in summary, that comes from applying the rule of law efficiently and without arbitrariness. Political authori-ties must learn together to act with dependability and a certain predictability, in order to offer security for investment and for business firms that wish to es-tablish themselves in the region.

We must empower regional integration by overcoming exist-ing difficulties with sub-regional integration processes, as well as the extremely low trade volume between Latin America and the Caribbean region, the lack of infrastructure linking the various regions of the territory, and the lack of understanding by politi-cal, economic and social lead-ers of realities existing in other countries, all of which present an obstacle that must be overcome in order to advance the development of our peoples in the twenty-first century.

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As Professor Juan Paz y Miño, Historian and Secretary of the Executive Commit-tee for the Bicentennial of Ecuadorian Independence, has so clearly stated, the commemoration, both of the beginnings and of the evolution of the Ibero-Amer-ican emancipation processes are unique to the American continent and, in par-ticular, unique to each of the countries that make up the region. The Bicenten-nial celebrations to be held in the com-ing months commemorate fundamental and essential historical events that are at the heart of each American Republic, and each country decides how its cel-ebration will mark the significance of these events.

The emancipation process of the fu-ture republics followed a similar chron-ological pattern, while at the same time, each process was decidedly individual, although it is possible to speak of a con-

tinental quest for independence, espe-cially with regard to the work of Bolí-var in what would become the Andean countries, and in the Southern Cone of South America. However, it is also im-portant to remember that the American Republics which arose from these quests for independence also fiercely maintain their national identities. The celebra-tions marking the second centennial commemoration of American indepen-dence -now well into the 21st century- will certainly be just as independent and unique to each country as were the first centennial celebrations, held in 1910.

Spain, for obvious reasons, was not merely a spectator to the origin of these historic processes, and does not intend to remain on the sidelines for the sub-sequent commemorations of the events. If invited, Spain will be attending the American national celebrations. It is

certainly instructive to analyze the in-dependence process in-depth, with its complex causes and significant conse-quences, but more important than this is our willingness to work and cooperate with these countries to build the future. Not merely that better future we desire for all American peoples and countries, but a future of relations between these countries and Spain, and between Spain and America, in order to realize what we perceive as the ultimate goals of all in-dependence celebrations: to implement programs that improve education, raise technological expertise, and sustained growth from cooperation to develop-ment.

However, the institutional evolution of integration processes in America, initiated 50 years ago and reaching frui-tion in recent decades, hints at a trend toward convergence and suggests the

Bicentennials: Energizing Latin AmericaFinding Coordination in Commemoration

The commemoration of the Ibero-American Bicentennials is an opportunity to reflect on the past, the present, and the future of the region. The combined energy of every member country of the Ibero-American Community will help drive relations that will allow our common identity to take its place on the global stage.by Juan Romero de Terreros. AmBAssAdor. spAnIsh nATIonAl BICenTennIAl CommIssIon.

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possibility of a more united Bicentennial commemoration process. This nascent concept began to take steps toward real-ization at the Ibero-American Summit, held in Santiago de Chile, with the sign-ing of the Valparaíso Charter of Intent on July 26, 2007. This Charter formal-ized the establishment of the Bicenten-nial Group. The Group's first Minutes were signed in Santiago de Chile on De-cember 5, 2007 by: Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela. This initial Bicentennial Group felt it would be appropriate to invite other countries to form national commissions for their own bicentennial celebrations and share information about the activi-ties they hoped to organize, and urge these commissions to consider imple-menting specific Bicentennial-oriented projects falling outside their particular national framework. In order to develop this idea more fully in an Open Group format, bodies from the United Nations System with interests in Latin America and the Inter-American system were in-vited as Observers. Thus, the SEGIB, the Ibero-American Education Organiza-tion, the UNDP, UNESCO, MERCOSUR CULTURAL, and even the Latin Union suddenly found themselves involved, as Observers, in the meetings. Paraguay, which had signed the Valparaiso Char-ter of Intent in Chile, was later admit-ted to the Group as a member country. Spain, which had been invited as an active Observer at all meetings of the Group, accepted the proposal to become a member country -a proposal which was extended again at the beginning of 2009- and was admitted as the tenth member of the Bicentennial Group at the Buenos Aires meeting, held on April 28 and 29 of this year.

The Group has continued to meet after its founding in 2007. In 2008 it met in Sucre, Bolivia on May 24 and 25; in Quito, Ecuador on August 8 and 9; and in Mexico on September 9 and 10, after the first coordination meeting of Ibero-American countries, to discuss the creation of the Ibero-American In-dependence Bicentennial Commission.

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It also met in El Salvador, during the Ibero-American Summit, although this particular meeting is not considered an official meeting of the Group.

As mentioned above, the Bicenten-nial Group held its 4th meeting in Bue-nos Aires in 2009. Spain has also invited the Bicentennial Group to visit Spain, in the framework of the Carolina Founda-tion Visitors Program, and particularly in time for the institutional ceremony held on May 11 to commemorate the be-ginning of the Bicentennial Celebrations of the Ibero-American Republics. The Group had agreed that celebrations of the independence of the Ibero-Ameri-can countries would begin in 2009.

Since its inception, the Bicenten-nial Group has chosen a rotating, pro-tem secretary from among the member countries. Its work is divided into three principal branches:

Proposals for debate and consider-

ation, known as "Bicentennial Dialogs", involving academics, politicians, and writers from the region. The results of these debates for the principal intellec-tual contributions of the Group, whose intention is to publish and distribute a collection of these discussions, under the same title, among member coun-tries.

Commemorative Stamp Project: The member countries of the Group have decided to adopt a common commemo-rative stamp, bearing the motto: “Libres y unidos” (Free and United), which will be issued and placed in circulation by the philatelic bodies of each country in 2010.

Cultural Projects: An exciting series of programs has been planned involv-ing, in celebration of the Bicentennials, an exchange of artists, musicians, writ-ers, etc. between two or more countries in the Group, but not to the exclusion of

projects involving all countries. Specific details will be available soon.

The Bicentennial Group has its own website (www.grupobicentenario.org) where each of the member countries has posted a brief summary of key infor-mation about its particular Bicentennial and the activities planned for the com-memoration events.

Mexico will be calling a meeting of the Group to discuss anniversaries of events directly related to the indepen-dence processes that will be occurring this year and especially in 2010, which the Group must take advantage of to an-nounce its planned projects. Thus, in a small, unpresumptuous way, a certain spirit of cooperation and collaboration has begun to spread among the coun-tries that will be celebrating the begin-ning of their independence process--a spirit that, only two years ago, was prac-tically non-existent.

Independence day calendaR

Argentina May 25, 1810 (First Locally-Chosen Government) July 9, 1816 (Declaration of Independence)

Bolivia May 25, 1809 (Shout of Independence at Chuquisaca)

Brazil September 7, 1822 (Declared) August 29, 1892 (Recognized)

Chile September 18, 1810 (First Meeting) February 12, 1818 (Declaration of Independence)

Colombia July 20, 1810 (Declaration) August 7, 1819 (Defined)

Costa Rica September 15, 1821 July 1, 1823 (Central American Congress declares

independence from Spain, Mexico, and all other nations)

Cuba May 20, 1902 (Proclamation of the Republic) 1898 (Intervention by the United States and Spanish defeat)

Ecuador August 10, 1809 May 24, 1822 (Battle of Pichincha)

El Salvador September 15, 1821 July 1, 1823 (Central American Congress declares

independence from Spain, Mexico, and all other nations)

Guatemala September 15, 1821 July 1, 1823 (Central American Congress declares

independence from Spain, Mexico, and all other nations)

Honduras September 15, 1821 July 1, 1823 (Central American Congress declares

independence from Spain, Mexico, and all other nations)

Mexico September 16, 1810 (Shout of Independence) September 27, 1821 (Declaration of Independence)

Nicaragua September 15, 1821 July 1, 1823 (Central American Congress declares

independence from Spain, Mexico, and all other nations)

Panama November 3, 1803 (Independent and Sovereign Nation, November 28, 1821 (Independence from Spain)

separate from Gran Colombia)

Paraguay May 14, 1811 (Military uprising) October 3, 1813 (Formation of Congress)

Peru July 28, 1821 December 9, 1824 (Battle of Ayacucho)

Dominican Republic February 27, 1844 Independence from Haiti

Uruguay August 25, 1825 August 28, 1828 (Recognized. Preliminary Peace Convention)

Venezuela July 5, 1811 (Signing of the Declaration of Independence)

The Need for a Future

I believe the global crisis has left everyone a bit dazed. The distress has affected the entire world, and has certainly not left Ibero-America unscathed. This distress has be-come intertwined with a despair I have been feeling for my country's lack of a narrative that will lead not only to some clearly defined state, but a desirable state as well.

Mexico has left behind the epic narrative of the Mexican Revolution; the crisis of 1995 struck the fatal blow for the epic of modernization, leaving us in the year 2000 with the epic of democracy. And now we are becoming disenchanted with the epic of democracy, because democracy has not been sufficient to provide a safe and prosperous society. Democracy has not been sufficient to establish the founda-tion of a strong State, or an efficient economy. We thus find ourselves devoid of direction and narrative -another way of saying that we have lost leadership in the historical sense of the word: leadership that creates the future and makes histo-ry for the good. Nevertheless, there are troubles worse than a lack of narrative and future. Something for-mer President Fernando Henrique Cardoso called "regressive utopias". A handful of Ibero-American countries are fast making their way toward their populist pasts. They see clearly, but they are looking backward. The rest seem to falter without the drive of a much-needed avant-garde leadership, like that of Spain after the transition.

By this I do not mean that our countries have never had visionary governments that have enacted significant reforms and maintained honest administrations. Nor do I mean that there have been no good governments. What has been miss-ing, and what is still missing today -due in part to the zealousness of our democracies- are national or supernational narratives that focus social energy into a clear, desirable direction. In recent years, the coun- In recent years, the coun-In recent years, the coun-tries of Latin America have enjoyed growth and economic stability, and have even seen improvement in so-cial status; but their societies have not undergone that profound quest to embrace modernity -meaning an appropriate balance between democracy, prosperity, and equal-ity. Our institutions seem incapable of grasping what, to me, is the collective, fundamental trait of our societies. I am referring to that unseen epic that drives the daily ef-forts of millions of Latin Americans: the epic of work, the willingness of masses to do whatever it takes to find work -leaving the small towns to find work in the cities, and leaving the cities to find work in another country. Our institutions are so dissociated from this epic that a good portion of it goes un-recognized and unprotected by our laws. This is illegal. I cannot help but to consider the enormity of a continent of hard work and effort, inventiveness, and entrepreneurial spirit simmering just beneath the informal economy and powering the formal economy as well. It

is the same work ethic that was observed in Spain and Portugal just a few decades ago, when the vast majority of the peninsula's social energy was immigrating to work in other countries, seeking elsewhere the opportunities unavailable in its own country. This is the social energy that moved John Kenneth Galbraith to state that he had never seen in any immigrant minority in the United States with such a willingness to work as the Mexican immigrants. I believe that we must build upon that vitality, which is the foundation of all the legitimate aspirations of our societies. I would like to stop hearing about how we can fight poverty and start hearing about how we can build wealth. What direction should we take? We have an example before us. The countries of Ibero-America, that is Latin America together with Spain and Portugal, make up 9.3 percent of the world's population, and generate 10.1 percent of the world's wealth. Its average per capita income is 9,167 dollars. If, over the past twenty years, each of these countries would have done what Spain has done, the same Ibero-America would instead be generating 28.4 percent of the world's wealth -more than the United States and Canada- and its average per capita income would be 25,935 dollars.

In the next two decades, our countries must do -each in its own way- what Spain has done in the last two decades.

I would like to stop hearing about how we can fight pov-erty and start hearing about how we can build wealth

In the next two decades, our countries must do -each in its own way- what Spain has done in the last two decades

Héctor Aguilar CamínwRIteR

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The Bicentennial commemoration of the Independence of the Latin Ameri-can Republics is a highly symbolic event of special importance, particu-larly for Latin America. Likewise, the celebration has a profound effect on Spain, in part because of its role as a participant in the historic events, but more importantly due to its position as a nation with powerful ties to Ibero-America and an ample perspective on the challenges awaiting Latin America in the future.

In addition, the Bicentennial com-memoration offers an unparalleled opportunity for Spain and the coun-tries of Latin America to reflect on the past, on the present, and on the future of the region; to collaborate in the advancement of mutual relations; and to reassert the strength of Ibero-America in all areas on a global level. It is also a wonderful opportunity for the 600 million people who make up

"spain will collaborate and accompany the Ibero-American nations" in the event organized to commemorate the Bicentennials of their independence. This was the principal message expressed during the Institutional Ceremony held on may 11 at Casa de América in madrid, which was presided by Their majesties the King and Queen. The prince and princess of Asturias; spanish prime minister José luis rodríguez Zapatero; former prime minister Felipe González, in his role as extraordinary Ambassador for the Bicentennials; and a significant number of spanish authorities and representatives from various latin American countries were also in attendance. .Miradas al exterior

Spain to Celebrate with the Ibero-American Republicsthe Ibero-American Community to get to know each other better.

These were just some of the ideas proffered during the speeches and round table discussions held on May 11 at Casa de América. A significant number of Spanish authorities and representatives from various sectors of Ibero-America were present at this official ceremony.

Spanish Primer Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero opened the cer-emony, lauding the role of the Crown

in the creation of a "powerful bond of mutual affect" between Spain and all Latin American peoples. After ex-pressing his desire to celebrate with the Ibero-American people "this com-memoration in which they are the he-roes, in the truest and most profound sense of the word", he pointed out that "throughout time and over the course of our common history, Spain remains united with them. We are united by our deeply shared values, languages, and cultures; and most importantly we

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are united by our vision of the future: our common goal to create a better future for our countries and for our citizens--a vision and a dream that we continue to build day by day on both sides of the Atlantic”.

In the opinion of Prime Minister Rodríguez Zapatero, we must take advantage of these anniversaries "to revitalize the already strong and very positive relations between our coun-tries", by entering "a new phase of even greater collaboration that will strength our abilities to work as a team".

The Prime Minister also made ref-erence to the economic crisis that "af-fects both sides of the Atlantic", and expressed his confidence in our abili-ties to "act within our respective means to reduce its impact, to try to bring it to a halt, and to ensure that the least favored do not become the victims of its worst effects". He then pointed to

education, research, and culture as the "keys" of the shared future of the re-gion, and reminded the audience that the next Ibero-American Summit in Estoril will focus on knowledge and innovation and that Spain, during its rotation in the European Presidency in the first half of 2010, will open the door to strengthened relations be-tween the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean by focus-ing its Presidency on innovation, social inclusion, and sustainable growth.

After declaring that "only from the other side of the Atlantic have we, as Spaniards, been able to discover the greatness of Spain, the strength of Spain", José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said that "Spain cannot be understood in the absence of Ibero-America" and that "we are becoming ever more aware of the strength to be found in all that unites us", and recognized us

the institutional ceremony held on May 11 at Casa de América was attended by several illustrious guests, including His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister of Spain, the Vice President of the Government of Spain, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. the photos show some moments from the ceremony. PHotoS I. GóMEz

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as "members of a great community". “Let us take advantage" he concluded, "of these commemorations to build a stronger, more united Ibero-American Community with an even better grasp on its future".

King Juan Carlos calls for an Ibero-America with a greater global voice. His Majesty the King spoke of the "profound historical significance" that the "American emancipation move-ment" has in Spain and made refer-ence to the "powerful ties that we have made with the countries of the region". As a result, King Juan Carlos underscored "Spain's logical interest in attending and collaborating in the events organized in celebration of the Bicentennials". His Majesty the King, whose speech concluded the inaugu-ral ceremony, indicated that the new American Republics were born of "the ideals of liberty, equality, and solidar-ity expressed by the 1812 Constitution of Cádiz".

According to the Chief of State: "The Bicentennials offer an excellent opportunity to strengthen our rela-tions and reflect upon our present and our future as an Ibero-American Com-munity", as well as "to build up our influence and identity in all areas on an international level" and "allow our voice to be heard more widely".

Following the inaugural ses-sion, former Primer Minister Felipe González, Extraordinary Ambassador for the Commemoration, gave a speech on the future of the Ibero-American Community, and asked the follow-ing question: What can we achieve together? In his opinion, "whatever we desire", as we have at our disposi-tion human capital, which is "the best weapon with which to face a crisis". The former Prime Minister recom-mended that the countries of Latin America strengthen their regional al-liances and chided Spaniards for their lack of knowledge about the region.

First Vice President María Teresa Fernández de la Vega spoke in her role

as President of the Spanish National Commemoration Commission. Among other things, she said that Spain should take advantage of its European Union Presidency to allow the voice of Ibero-America "to be heard more loudly than ever in Europe" and "to draw Europe closer to the heart of Ibero-Ameri-ca. To strengthen the unions of which we are a part and draw together the unions we bridge”.

María Teresa Fernández de la Vega pointed out that the progress of Latin Amer-ica "has been progress of de-mocracy, with democracy, and through democracy", and therefore, she warned, "during these difficult times, when it becomes so easy to slide toward demagogy or seek to take advantage of confusion, it becomes more important than ever to continue perfecting our democracies, strengthening our public policies, and ensuring the protection of citizens' rights". "We will turn this Bicentennial generation into the most educated and prepared generation in the history of Ibero-America", she de-clared.

Finally, the Vice President recalled a story in which Jorge Luis Borges told us we must think about our present and our future, and reflect on the pathways we have taken. "The Bicentennials", concluded Fernández de la Vega, "offer the countries of Ibero-America an un-paralleled opportunity to reflect upon ourselves, about who we are, and where we want to end up, where we can end up, and where we must end up in this increasingly interdependent world".

Working Sessions. After the insti-tutional speeches and the speech by Felipe González, several working ses-sions were held to discuss the politi-cal, economic, and cultural future of Ibero-America. Minister of Foreign Af-

fairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, moderated a round table discussion that included the participation of Enrique Iglesias, General Secretary of Ibero-America; José Miguel Insulza, General Secretary of the OAS; Benita Ferrero Waldner, Commis-sioner for External Relations for the European Commis-sion; Chilean Deputy Isabel Allende; and Mexican writer Héctor Aguilar Camín. The Head of Spanish Foreign Re-lations announced that Spain and Portugal are working on a project designed to strength-en relations between Europe, Africa, and Latin America in the South Atlantic region. Just as "the North Atlantic was the focus of collaboration

and dialog in the 20th century, the 21st century can focus on other regions of the Atlantic", he declared. Miguel Án-gel Moratinos mentioned this idea after Enrique Iglesias said that "the moment has arrived to think about a region of the Atlantic".

Culture Minister Ángeles González-Sinde presided over a ses-sion that discussed "the strength of culture", with participation by Víc-tor García de la Concha, Director of the Royal Academy for the Spanish Language; Bolivian and Ecuadorian Culture Ministers Pablo Groux and Ramiro Noriega; Colombian writer William Ospina; and President of the EFE Agency, Alex Grijelmo.

During the final session, moder-ated by the Minister of Industry, Tour-ism, and Commerce, Miguel Sebastián, a discussion of "shared challenges" was held by Carmen Cafarell, Direc-tor of the Cervantes Institute; Antoni Brufau, President of Repsol; Javier Monzón, President of INDRA; Colom-bian Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the IDB; Mexican entrepreneur Lorenzo H. Zambrano; and Spanish journalist Juan Cruz.

The bicenten-nial celebration has a profound effect on Spain, in part because of its role as a participant in the his-toric events, but more impor-tantly due to its position as a nation with powerful ties to Ibero-america and an ample perspective on the challenges awaiting latin america in the future

A Celebration for the Future

The commemoration of the Bicentennials of Latin American independence, already under way, presents us with significant chal-lenges with regard to timing and content, but also offers us many opportunities. Important Spanish programs are already in progress in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Venezuela -countries from the so-called "first cycle of indepen-dence"- which will be joined by other countries whose bicenten-nial celebrations occur at later dates. I mention these initiatives to emphasize the fact that, alongside national commemoration, there is room for joint action.

We must begin by recognizing that the anniversary is genuinely Latin American. It is the celebration of emancipation from the old Spanish and Portuguese metropolises. And it is there that the initiative, the concept, and the ideas must be found. I think it is very appropri-ate for Spain and Portugal, in a gesture of civil maturity and united to the 19 Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries on the other side of the Atlantic through the Ibero-America project, become involved in these celebrations. It could become an example of good multilateral practice that will enrich the dialog between peoples united by a rich history, with all its successful and failed interactions, and allow them to look toward the future together.

As I said before, I feel that there is room both for Latin American celebration and for Ibero-American celebration. Our idea is to com-memorate by building consensus -looking toward the future based on an understanding of our shared past. After so much time as passed, the independence process helps, in some way, to bring us together in a sort of Community of Nations: free, equal, democratic nations. From this point of view, the Bicenten-nials can become -and have, in fact, become- an excellent time to consider qualitative changes in growth throughout the region and may help us to discover together the best way to overcome our social deficits and create better social cohesion This could be the ideal time to integrate communi-ties, such as the native peoples and African descendents, who have not, in many cases, enjoyed full partici-pation in the national construction and development process.

The Bicentennials also present an opportunity to celebrate diversity. We must work in coordination with what already exists -we must join forces with other individuals and other entities, whether local, regional or academic institutions. During the next several years many people with gather in many places to remember and to commemorate the past. It is for this reason that I am convinced that we must build a common heritage based on in-terpretations that are neither black

and white nor exclusive.It is critical that we do not allow the Bicentennials to divide us. We must not allow them to divide us "ad intra", within our national societies. And we must not allow them to divide us "ad extra", by reviving old disagreements that will bleed strength and resources from what must remain our top priority: A shared future based on democracy and development with respect for ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity.

Carlos Fuentes recently stated that Ibero-America is a region that is continually reinventing itself -a region that has not yet had the final word. Therefore, we must not fear the future or new ideas or new faces, as long as they remain consistent with the exercise of democracy.

Fair and effective public policies, infrastructural development, inno-vations for expanding science and technology within Ibero-America... All of these constitute excellent proposals for action in commemo-ration of the Bicentennials. And we must not forget about education -education that will transform soci-eties and reduce inequality; educa-tion that will, in the near future, give rise to the most prepared genera-tion in the history of Ibero-America. In short, it is widely agreed that the Bicentennial celebrations will help us rediscover ourselves so we can begin to work together.

The bicentenni-als can become an excellent time to con-sider qualita-tive changes in growth through-out the region

There is room both for latin american cel-ebration and for Ibero-american celebration

Enrique V. IglesiasGeNeRAL SeCRetARY OF IBeRO-AMeRICA

13P cover story

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Coinciding with the Africa Day celebrations on May 25 of this year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, presented the Africa Plan 2009-2012 at the Ministry's headquarters in the Palace of Viana. Speaking at the presentation ceremony alongside the minister were the Senegalese Ambassador to Spain, Abas Ndiour; the 2008 winner of the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, Pedro Alonso; the journalist Mayte Pascual; and the President of the Coordinating Body for Spanish Non-Governmental Development Organizations, Eduardo Sánchez, in a clear reflection of the spirit of the new Plan: “a plan for everybody towards and with Africa”. Miradas al Exterior

The Africa Plan 2009-2012 renews the commitment of the government and Spanish society to this region, affected by structural difficulties but also with enormous potential and opportunity, and which requires a comprehensive approach towards Sub-Saharan Africa. The new Plan, which was drawn up based on the experience acquired over these years and through a broad and balanced consultation process, is de-signed to be a flexible and dynamic plan that assists in the development of a for-eign policy geared towards Africa while progressing towards the realization of the Millennium Development Goals. In this sense it is an instrument that, in line with the international agenda, must contribute to the processes of planning, prioritizing and coordinating the vari-ous Spanish policies and strategies in the region.

The new Plan is the product of a new measure to analyze and reflect on the experience acquired as a result of the Af-rica Plan 2006-2008. The most notable "best practices" include the high level of political cooperation and dialogue that has been achieved with continental and

regional organizations such as the Afri-can Union and the Economic Commu-nity of West African States (CEDEAO), the increase of Official Development Assistance, the strengthening of active and effective multilateralism promot-ing specific funds for the region, and the implementation of a comprehensive migration policy.

The Africa Plan aims to consolidate on the progress made by updating each of the goals and introducing specific in-novations. Likewise, promotes the prin-ciples of coordination of players and coherence of development policies, and introduces advances in relation to sys-temizing the instruments and mecha-nisms for monitoring and community participation through the Committee for Africa. The plan revolves around three cross-sectional objectives and six general objectives; priority spheres of action that are focused on a series of ac-tion lines.

The first of these objectives concen-trates on human development and hu-man rights as fundamental principles that should guide all Spanish foreign policy. The recently approved Hu-

man Rights Plan lists a series of objec-tives related to foreign policy that have been fully adopted by the Plan, such as the abolition of the death penalty, the eradication of torture, the elimination of discrimination and the fight against impunity.

The second objective appeals for the inclusion of gender equality in Spain's foreign policy towards Africa to be a priority in and of itself.

Finally the environment, the climatic changes taking place and the devastat-ing effects that these cause, above all in the poorest countries, represent a con-cern of the highest order that is shared by the African countries, and in order to face up to these changes we must focus a significant amount of our efforts.

The general objectives revolve around six key areas: First, the Africa Plan 2009-2012 will further extend its support for consolidating democracy and building peace in Africa, paying particular attention to countries in fragile situations. In order to achieve this, and in line with the international community, we will get behind the strengthening of Africa's own capacity

Spain-Africa: a priority and strategic relationship of growing importance.

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for conflict prevention, management and resolution, the strengthening of public policies in areas such as justice and security, as well as the development of social cohesion and the enlargement of spaces for political participation and accountability.

Spain will retain its ability to sup-port peacekeeping missions in Sub-

Saharan Africa for the duration of the Plan. Furthermore, among

other actions, Spain will bol-ster its backing for the Af-

rican Union's Agenda for Peace and Security.

Secondly, Sub-Saha-ran Africa will continue to be a priority region for the fight against poverty, in accordance with the Master Plan for Spanish Coopera-tion, encouraging the creation of genuine partnership frameworks

with the member coun-ties, which will ensure

quality and effective aid in line with international

commitments and in par-ticular with the 2008 Accra

Agenda for Action.The High-Level Meeting on

Food Security for All, held in Ma-drid in January, helped to remind us

that, within the context of the current economic crisis, the food crisis still exists and is worsening in the poor-est countries, many of these in Sub-Saharan Africa, and additional efforts are required as a result. Spanish Coop-eration is sticking to its commitment to increase ODA to 0.7% of GDP by 2012, and in Sub-Saharan Africa it is getting firmly behind decisive initiatives, such as basic social services, democratic gov-ernability, culture and development, peace-building, rural development and the fight against hunger, as well as the involvement of the private sector and the promotion of decent work. Over the next few years it will also make a special effort to encourage scientific innovation

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and cooperation between Spain and Af-rica.

Thirdly, Spain will push for the in-creasing of economic and commercial relations with Sub-Saharan Africa, an area which, despite the significant progress made in recent years, remains a pending matter. Despite having in-creased, Spanish business activity in the region is still less than that of other European countries and continues to be focused in specific sectors and cer-tain African countries. Spain will con-tinue promoting relations with Africa in areas of particular importance such as the fishing and energy industries, placing a special emphasis on renew-able energies.

Fourthly, over the next few years we will consolidate our partnership with Africa in relation to migration, which is perhaps one of the areas in which we have made most progress over this period. In fact, we can say that we have been building a shared and global vision of migration with African countries. This shared vision, which is reflected in the European sphere by the measures and initiatives arising from the global approach, and marked in the bilat-eral sphere by the “second generation” Framework Agreements, sets out a sta-ble, coordinated and coherent frame-work for migration management, based on respecting human rights.

This framework establishes a system that allows the fastest and most effective response possible to the crises arising from illegal migration and the actions of organized criminal organizations in-volved in human trafficking, as we have been able to prove over recent years. At the same time, this framework enables legal migration to be organized with the African countries, but at all times in line with the capacity of the Spanish labor market. The Migration and Devel-opment Fund created by Spain and the CEDEAO represents a key element in this sphere for West Africa.

Fifthly, and in line with Spain's com-mitment to active and effective multi-lateralism, the Africa Plan seeks to re-

inforce Spain's role in Africa through multilateral and European Union chan-nels. Over the next few years, among other things, it will encourage Spain's participation in, and active promotion of, decision-making processes in the organizations working in Sub-Saharan Africa to which it belongs. At the same time it will bolster support for African continental and regional organiza-tions and encourage cooperation with the other international actors in Sub-Saharan Africa. Against this backdrop, we will also work particularly hard to promote spaces for dialogue, which we see as being vitally important, such as the “South Atlantic” dialogue between Africa, Latin America and Europe.

The multilateral framework will also tackle promoting the Alliance of Civilizations, whose Group of Friends is already includes nine African coun-tries including Ethiopia, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. The Alliance of Civilizations can per-form a vital role in Africa as a tool for conflict prevention and the consolida-tion of peace in post-conflict settings.

In the first quarter of 2010, Spain will take over the Presidency of the European Union, which we consider

to be an opportunity to strengthen EU and Spanish relations with Africa. Within this framework, Spain will lead the European Union's political dia-logue with Africa from a three-sided perspective: bilateral, with each of the countries individually; regional and sub-regional, with the African integra-tion organizations; and continental, advancing the European Union-Africa Strategy of Lisbon, also with a view to the third EU-Africa Summit.

Sixthly, the Africa Plan 2009-2012 will help with the consolidation of Spain's political and institutional presence in Africa, lending particular importance to the role of public diplo-macy and Casa África, as well as other key forms of diplomacy such as parlia-mentary diplomacy.

During this period, Spain's other ac-tions will include the financing of the new Embassies and Sectoral Offices that are being created. Likewise, Casa África will establish itself as an indis-pensable instrument for Spanish and European public diplomacy in Africa. Casa África has enormous potential as a space for meeting, dialog and exchange between Africa, Europe and Spain.

The Africa Plan must help to bring cultures closer together and improve mutual understanding between Spain and Africa. Language is a vital channel for achieving this, and with support from the Cervantes Institute, as well as other key actors such as the Afri-can Union and Equatorial Guinea (the only Spanish-speaking country in the continent), we must help to promote and provide an appropriate response to the interest for studying Spanish in Africa.

At the same time, other forms of di-plomacy such as parliamentary diplo-macy have created a renewed interest in the new Plan, through the meetings and exchanges between Spanish and African members of parliament, the setting up of Parliamentary Friendship Groups, and the involvement of Span-ish members of parliament as observ-ers in Africa's electoral processes.

Miguel Ángel Moratinos, at the presentatioon of the Africa Plan at the Palace of Viana. Photo

j.FErnÁndEz

Africa: its new proximity

Africa is acquiring an increas-ing presence and importance in the international arena and many current global challenges, such as the fight against hunger and poverty, climate change and energy security, are directly linked to the continent's future. Spain, as the eighth leading world power and a neighboring country, must actively contribute to this process, which means our rela-tionship with Africa is a strategic and priority matter acquiring ever more importance.

This desire to grant priority sup-port to Africa has been consis-tently present in government foreign policy over recent years. Spain's foreign policy towards Africa was undoubtedly one of the defining elements of govern-ment action during the previous legislature and must be trans-lated into a sustained effort in the long-term. The bolstering of democracy, peace and security, the fight against poverty and the fostering of economic relations are all objectives of Spanish for-eign policy in Africa, and can only be achieved in the mid-to-long term and on a basis of joint and consistent work.

If the Africa Plan 2006-2008 represented a turning point compared with those that went before, the phase we are now en-tering must serve to consolidate the progress made, at the same time making further progress in strengthening the regional and

continental dimension, through our support for regional organiza-tions such as the Economic Com-munity of West African States, the Inter-Governmental Author-ity on Development in East Africa and the African Union itself.

We have always wanted the Africa Plan to be a flexible and dynamic plan, in line with current trends at the forefront of inter-national relations. At the same time, it is a plan that pays clear attention to the current economic situation but will not, as a result, skimp in its efforts to ensure that Spanish foreign policy fully meets its expectations.

When drawing up the Plan, which we coordinated through the re-cently created General Director-ate of Foreign Policy for Africa, we received valuable contribu-tions from central and regional government, the private sector, civil society and parliament. Dur-ing this process various rounds of intra- and inter-ministerial consultations were organized, and the Committee for Africa and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs appeared in March this year before the Foreign Affairs Committee. A pioneering feature of the Africa Plan 2009-2012 is that is has been discussed within specific advisory bodies such as the Development Cooperation Council.

In this joint effort, we have also been able to reflect the points of

view and feelings on the African side, not only through our day-to-day work both from the General Directorate of Foreign Policy for Africa and our Embassies in Sub-Saharan Africa, but also though the Conferences for Reflection on Spanish-African Relations, which were held in October at Casa África. During these conferences sponsored by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, representatives from African governments, the business world, civil society and multilateral and regional organizations (African, Spanish and European) ex-changed viewpoints on the prog-ress made over these years and the common challenges ahead.

Africa has to face up to impor-tant challenges today, such as the rising price of food, the world economic crisis, the scourge of poverty, the serious conse-quences of climate change, illegal human trafficking and the threat of terrorism. Nevertheless, the balance is tipping in its favor with its enormous potential, significant human and natural resources and the firm desire to make progress in the area of po-litical and economic reform and regional integration. With this in mind, I refer back to the words of the Spanish Prime Minister at the High-Level Conference on World Food Security, held in June in Rome, where he stressed that he was an ardent supporter of Africa and that we must do our utmost to create a fairer world.

We have always wanted the Africa Plan to be a flexible and dynamic plan, in line with the current trends at the forefront of international relations

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Carmen de la PeñaGENERAL DIRECTOR OF FOREIGN POLICy FOR AFRICA

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Every year there are more and more Spaniards travelling outside of Spanish borders, and the communities of Spanish citizens living abroad are constantly on the increase. Spain's Consulates or Consular Sections are there to protect citizens, provide them with support and advice, take care of them in case of emergency and serve as a link with the Central State Administration, issuing documents and performing registry and notary functions.”by Luis T. Melgar

In December 2008, the Spanish gov-ernment evacuated the Spanish tour-ists trapped in Bangkok. In July 2006, as a result of the Israeli bombing of Lebanon, it had to charter a plane to bring back over 100 Spanish citizens who were in Beirut. Although these emergency consular operations, made possible thanks to the concentration and evacuation plans that can be found at all Embassies, are perhaps the most spectacular carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, they are far from being the only ones un-dertaken by our network of Consulates.

For Spanish citizens who travel abroad occasionally, whether for tourism, work or any other reason, the Consul-ates and Consular Sections of the Embassies are a vital ally. Before leaving the country it is recommended that they visit the Ministry's website (www.

maec.es) to check over the travel rec-ommendations prepared by the Em-bassies and the Consular Emergency Unit. There travelers have permanent access to up-to-date information on visas, vaccinations, security condi-tions, climate and many other interest-ing topics. Also available to all citizens is the Travelers' Register, which can be accessed over the Internet (http://www.visatur.mae.es/viajeros/), with

the purpose of enabling all Spanish citizens traveling abroad to be located in case of emergency.

There are lots of mis-haps that could occur after arriving at one's chosen des-tination. When travelling abroad for a more or less prolonged period of time, it is advisable to register with the Consulate's Non-Resi-dent Register as a precau-tionary measure. There are many situations in which

The MAEC is promoting the campaign, ‘Your Embassy Can Help You’

BEFORE TRAVELLINGSpanish citizens wishing to travel abroad can access the travel rec-ommendations on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation website. There it is particularly important to pay attention to the health and safety warnings, which specify if there are any areas in a country to which you shouldn't travel for one reason or another. It is vital that you take out medical insurance to cover the costs of an injury or illness, since these are not always covered by Social Security. It is also recommended that you inform yourself thoroughly about the laws of the country of destina-tion, above all in relation to drugs and sexual morality, since there are huge variations from country to country.

At a time when international travel by Span-ish citizens is constantly on the rise, the functions of the Consulates and informing people about these functions is ever more important.

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the consular services can help Span-ish citizens experiencing difficulties. One of the most common problems is the loss of documentation: the Span-ish Consulates are authorized to issue new passports or safe-conducts if they are lost, stolen or expire. If a genuine emergency occurs and the Spanish citizen has absolutely no money, it is possible to request repayable financial aid, which will help them to deal with the situation and return to Spain. This aid should be returned to the Public Treasury as quickly as possible.

One of the most common mistakes when requesting consular assistance is confusing the Consulates with travel agencies or employment offices. The consular officials posted abroad can-not help citizens find work, exchange plane tickets or guarantee an agree-ment entered into with hospitals or prisons in the country where they are located. Nor can they offer loans, pay fines or act as free interpreters for Spanish citizens. What they are able to

Images of some of the crises man-aged by the Consular Emergency Unit during the repatriation of Spanish citizens. The photographs at the top show the repatriation at the end of 2008 of Spanish citizens trapped in Thailand and the terrorist attacks in India, and their reception at the Torre-jón Airbase by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. Shown below is the evacuation of Spanish citizens at the Port of Beirut in the summer of 2006 and the repatriation of the Spanish community in Georgia last summer. pHoTo EFE

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do is provide information on a whole range of issues from the law in the country of destination or health care system to the various rights that may be enjoyed by Spanish citizens.

There is an especially serious situ-ation in which the consular services are even more important: the arrest of a Spanish national in a foreign coun-try. When a Spanish national travels abroad, they are im-mediately obliged to respect the laws and regulations of the country where they are located, and by being there they are risking prosecution by the police and courts if they break the law. As a re-sult, it is relatively common for Spanish citizens to face preventive detention, fines or prison sentences for acts that would not constitute a crime in Spain, such as con-suming certain drugs or ho-mosexual practices. In these situations, and also when a Spanish citizen is arrested for carrying out an act that is also a crime within Spain, the Consulate or Consular Section of the Embassy is prepared to offer support. Even though the Consulates cannot act as attorneys or pay for the defense of Spanish citi-zens, they are required to periodically visit Spanish prisoners, to ensure that they are treated fairly by the authori-ties, to process and pass on their com-plaints and, in general, provide them with all the information they require. The Consulates can provide a list of attorneys with an aim to provid-ing possible legal defense, and if the conditions in the prisons of the coun-try in question are worse than those of Spanish prisons or there is not a comparable legal aid system to the

Spanish one, they may grant a small amount of financial assistance.

The Consulates are also excep-tional allies for Spanish nationals living abroad. When living abroad it is essential to be registered at the Consular Registry, which means au-tomatic registration on the Electoral Roll of Spanish Citizens Residing

Abroad, enabling such citi-zens to cast an absentee vote by mail in all elections held in Spain. In many countries there is a Council of Span-ish Residents, closely linked to the Consulate, which is designed as an area for the community involvement of Spanish emigrants. Along with the Ministry of La-bor and Social Affairs, the Spanish Consulates can also grant financial aid to Span-ish citizens living outside Spain's borders who are in situations of serious need and hardship. In more gen-eral terms, the Consulate or Consular Section of the Em-bassy is the place where you have to go to enter into mar-riage, carry out any form of registration at the Civil Reg-istry or be issued deeds, cer-tificates and all other types

of notary documentsAt a time when international trav-

el by Spanish citizens is constantly on the increase, the functions of the Consulates are ever-more important. While they are not travel agencies, employment offices or banks, they have numerous functions providing direct support to citizens. They pro-vide information, perform administra-tive procedures, grant aid and assist prisoners. If you're ever in a situation of need abroad, remember, �Your Em-bassy Can Help You�.

puBLICIzING ThE CAmpAIGNThe campaign, which is being run this year for the fourth time, has achieved significant dissemination and is aimed at informing Spanish citizens traveling abroad. Thus, various post-ers will be displayed at the Madrid Barajas Airport during the summer months (the images above show the 2008 campaign) describing the ser-vices that the Embassies and Consul-ates carry out abroad. This measure will be backed up by the distribution of information pamphlets at the main national airports, so that travelers can learn about the services in detail. Finally, the campaign will occupy a prominent place in the main national newspapers, where advertisements will be periodically placed to inform the public.

The Minis-try's website includes the most important recommenda-tions to follow when preparing for a trip to a foreign country

In many coun-tries there is a Council of Span-ish Residents, closely linked to the Consul-ate, which is designed as an area for community involvement for Spanish emigrants.

The Consular Emergency Unit

In May 2008 the Consular Emergency Unit was strengthened due to the need to deal with the increasing number of Spanish citi-zens that could require assistance in a crisis. Spain, in fact, has around 1.5 million citizens living abroad. But there are also an additional 20 million that travel abroad every year.

The Unit's usual scope of action includes crises and emergen-cies arising from a wide range of causes: political and social crises; civil wars; natural disasters, as well as any incidents that may occur during a stay in another country (accidents, robberies, deaths, losses of documentation, incidents with the authorities, illnesses).

The Consular Emergency Unit implements crisis prevention and management activities to deal with these situations. The main activities worth mentioning are the Travel Recommendations, the Con-centration Plans and the correct operation of emergency telephone numbers for the Embassies and Consulates, as well as the use of new technologies. Specifically, the Crisis Management Program and the Travelers' Register, which enable the people affected and their families to be immediately contacted and informed. As of July, the second phase of the Travelers' Register will be put into operation, which will enable the mass transmission of telephone messages or e-mails to all Spanish citizens, residents and tourists, in cases of emergency.

It is vital that all travelers take a look at the Travel Recommenda-tions on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation website (www.maec.es) to find out about the situation in the country to which they wish to travel. It is also extremely useful to register in the Travelers' Register so that if an emergency arises, you can receive assistance as quickly as possible. Beginning in July you can also receive information via telephone message or e-mail.

Among the crisis management activities, in which the Consular Emergency Unit Has dealt with an increasing and constant volume of emergencies, the most noteworthy are 56 cases of kidnapping, includ-ing the Playa de Bakio tuna boat in Somalian waters, and journalist José Manuel Cendón who was also kidnapped in Somalia, as well as the two Spanish entrepreneurs in Nigeria who were freed thanks to cooperation between the Consular Emergency Unit, the Spanish Em-bassy in Abuja and the criminal investigation department's Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Unit.

The consular emergency unit has managed a diverse range of political crises, such as the crisis in Chad in February 2008 with the subsequent evacuation of the Spanish community in that country, and the crisis in Georgia in the summer of 2008, which resulted in the evacuation of ap-proximately 90 Spanish citizens. Also of note are the crises arising

from the flare-up of the situation in North Kivu (DR Congo) in Oc-tober of 2008, in which religious worker Presentación López Vivar was injured; two political crises in Thailand in September and December 2008, which resulted in three planes being sent to Thai-land to assist with the departure of 600 Spanish tourists affected by flight cancellations; the crisis in Gaza that started in December of last year and which involved the evacuation of 51 people; and the recent crises in Guinea-Cona-kry, Guinea Bissau and Madagas-car. Following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in December of 2008, the unit evacuated 80 Spanish citizens. With reference to crises occurring as a result of natural disasters, noteworthy events include the floods in Vietnam in 2008 that trapped over 100 Spanish citizens, as well as the hurricanes in the Caribbean and the southern coast of the U.S. Other situations that Spanish citi-zens have been caught up in have also been monitored: Gambia (2 prisoners), Senegal (two groups of tourists who had been robbed), and Guinea Conakry, (arrested businessmen), As well as the deaths of two mountaineers in Nepal and two people rescued in China.

The Consular Emergency Unit works in close partnership with the Crisis Units of the other EU Member States and with the EU Situation Center (SITCEN) to deal with European citizens located outside its borders.

As of July the second phase of the Travel Register will be put into opera-tion, which will enable the mass transmission of telephone mes-sages or e-mails to all Spanish citizens, resi-dents and tour-ists, in cases of emergency.

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Mª Victoria Morera VilluendasLEAd AMBASSAdor oF ThE ConSULAr EMErGEnCy UnIT

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This month marks the beginning of the new European parliament; a single transnational and multilingual chamber, elected by direct universal suffrage, which provides the setting in which the future of the European Union will be outlined. Thirty years after the first democratic elections, millions of European citizens have elected their representatives for the next five years.Miradas al exterior

From June 4 through 7, European citi-zens elected their representatives in the each of the 27 Member States. Through 2014, 736 European Members of Par-liament will watch over the Union's democratic processes in what is the only EU institution appointed directly by its citizens.

Originally, the European Parliament was made up of delegates appointed by national parliaments who held their posts for two terms. Since 1979, its members have been elected by direct universal suffrage in national constitu-encies. The number of members has been increasing in line with the expan-sion of the EU and they come together to form political groups rather than na-tional delegations. The current legisla-ture has seven ideological groups and there are some members who are not attached to any political grouping.

New composition up to 2014. Follow-ing the recent results, the European People's Party (EPP) will regain its po-sition as the leading political force with 265 members. This new figure no lon-ger includes the British Conservative Party (the "Tories"), who decided to leave the EPP to form a new group. The

The new European Parliament embarks on its journey

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Party of European Socialists (PES), will have 162 seats in this new legislature and will remain as the second largest group. With 80 members, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) will be the third largest group-ing and, despite making significant gains in Germany, France and Holland, will have fewer representatives in the new parliament.

The 52 seats won by the Greens/European Free Alliance represents the most significant increase. The environ-mental parties form the fourth group and face this new legislature with nine members more than they managed in 2004. France–where they almost dou-bled their total-, Denmark and Germany are the countries where they achieved the best results. Union for Europe of the Nations (UEN) will be the fifth largest faction with 35 members, followed by the Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left (GUE-NGL) with 33. And lastly, the indepen-dence democracy group has reduced in size to just 19 members, three less than in the previous legislature. There will also be fewer “non-inscrits”.

The rules for forming parliamen-tary groups are stricter in the new legislature. As of July 2009, all the po-litical groups must include at least 25 members and a minimum of 7 Member States. For the next five years the Span-ish contingent will be made up of 50 members, 29 of which will be repeating their posts. These include 32 men and 18 women. Heading this contingent are Jaime Mayor Oreja, for PP; Juan Fer-nando López Aguilar, for PSOE; Ramón Tremosa i Balcells, for Coalición por Europa; Willy Enrique Meyer, for Iz-quierda Unida-ICV; Francisco Sosa Wagner, for UPyD; Oriol Junqueras, for ERC. If the Lisbon Treaty, which is pending ratification, comes into force during this legislature, the number of MEPs will temporarily increase to 754, as ruled by the European Council in December 2009. If this were to hap-pen, Spain would acquire a total of 54 members.

The areas in which MEPs work on daily basis include consumer protec-tion, product safety and energy. Is-sues affecting everyday life such as the emergency services number 112, Erasmus grants for students or the fact that we can choose from a variety of electricity companies have been made possible, not only thanks to European regulations, but also to its budget, which parliament has to ap-prove on a yearly basis and control its implementation.

European electoral law. The elections have been organized in accordance with the various national legislations and traditions. There are common rules stating that the elections must be carried out by direct universal suf-frage and that each citizen must have a free and secret vote. The election of Euro-MPs is based on a system of proportional representation, but each country makes its own decision on the type of electoral roll to be used.

There are also national variations on the minimum voting age. In most of the Member States, including Spain, citizens are able to vote and stand for elections once they reach 18. In Aus-tria, however, the minimum voting age is 16, although you have to be at least 18 to run for office.

EU citizens living in a Member State that is not their country of ori-gin have the right to vote and stand for elections in their country of residence. In these cases, a specific procedure is set out in national electoral law. Citi-zens from countries that are members of the Commonwealth, Canadians and Australians for example, whose names are included on the British electoral registers are also entitled to vote. In ac-cordance with EU electoral law, there are several posts that are incompatible with acting as a member of the Euro-pean Parliament. A Euro-MP cannot form part of a Member State govern-ment or national parliament, or work as an active civil servant in a European institution.

ThE STaTUTE for MEMbErS of ThE EUropEan parliaMEnTAs of 2009, Members of the Euro-pean Parliament will be governed by a new Statute, which will cover sala-ries, medical insurance, pensions, expenses, etc. This new Statute will do away with the disparities in the salaries of MEPs, meaning that they will all earn around 7,500 euros gross monthly income, funded by the EU budget. Until now, there was no common remuneration policy: MEPs' salaries were dependent on the national budgets and, in the ma-jority of cases, they earned the same as national members of parliament. During the transition period, each Member State will be able to choose which system to use. Likewise, re-elected MEPs can opt for the current system.

ThE ThrEE Main fUncTionS of ThE EpThe large part of European legisla-tion is decided in the Parliament, which makes decisions on a broad range of issues and is on an equal footing with the Council of Ministers of the 27 Member States. Even in areas such as agriculture or foreign policy, where the Parliament is only consulted or informed, the decisions that are made in the European Par-liament often have an influence over the agenda and set out the line to be followed by other institutions. The Parliament also makes budgetary decisions and exercises democratic control over all European institu-tions.

24 a foreign affairs

The European parliamentary elec-tions have displayed, in no uncer-tain terms, a range of distinguish-ing features. Firstly an increase in the rate of abstention, which has been consistently increasing since 1979, with only 43.1% of the elec-torate turning up to vote. Secondly, the center-right has strengthened its position, while the social demo-crats' popularity has plummeted. Although the so-called “new left” parties such as the environmen-talist groups have made certain advances, this does not counteract the hegemony of the conservative and liberal positions. Thirdly, the Euro-skeptics have won a signifi-cant number of seats, although the anti-EU parties are part of various different alliances and do not form homogenous groups. From this objective data we are able to draw several conclusions.

1. The low level of participation re-quires an in-depth analysis and we need to reflect on what we are do-ing wrong. We are aware of several elements that are not working:a. In almost all the States the elec-tions have been considered on a national level, debating national problems.b. The non-politicization of the elections, that is, the inability to see different political choices.c. The lack of understanding: vot-ers are unable to identify the logi-cal consequence of their vote. They are unaware that the President of the Commission will be elected as

a result of their vote.d. The absence of a public Euro-pean opinion.e. The shortage of European politi-cal parties, which also stems from the elections being considered on a national level.f. The necessary reform of elec-toral law, which means that each Member State applies a different system.

2. The elections have created a startling paradox: the greater the powers held by the European par-liament, the less involved citizens feel and the less they vote. The pat-tern of electoral participation could continue in this way. In 1979, when the parliament only had advisory and budgetary powers, 61.99% of the electorate took part and in

1984 this figure was 58.98%. In the following elections in 1989 after the passing of the Single European Act, the participation was at 58.41% and with the passing of the Maas-tricht Treaty this fell to 56.67%. It was after Amsterdam and Nice, where codecision and enlargement were tackled, when the free-fall began: 49.51% in 1999, 45.47% in 2004 and finally 43.1% in 2009, in the elections for the Parliament that will have greater powers than ever before if, as is expected, the Lisbon Treaty comes into force.

3. It is evident that a move to the right in the Parliament has occurred, with the socialist party having lost its traditional pivotal position. Thus the EPP has gained over 100 seats from the PES.

Francisco Aldecoa LuzarragaprofESSor of inTErnaTional rElaTionS, DEan of ThE facUlTY of poliTical SciEncE anD SocioloGY. coMplUTEnSE UniVErSiTY of MaDriD

GUEST WRITER

Lessons of the sixth European elections: vote in times of crisis

Luxembourg 91

Belgium 90.39

Malta 78.81

Italy 66.46

Denmark 59.52

Cyprus 59.4

Ireland 57.6

Greece 52.63

Latvia 52.56

Spain 46Sweden 43.8

Germany 43.3

Estonia 43.2

Austria 42.4

France 40.48

Finland 40.3

Bulgaria 37.49

Portugal 37.03

Netherlands 36.5

Hungary 36.29

U. Kingdom 34.27

Slovenia 28.25

Czech R. 28.22

Romania 27.4

Poland 24.53

Lithuania 20.91

Slovakia 19.64

RATE oF PARTICIPATIoN CoUNTRy 2009 ELECTIoNSThe countries in red show where the participation was below the European average.

CoMPoSITIoN oF ThE PARLIAMENT AFTER ThE ELECTIoNSNumber of members by group

1984

1989

1994

1999

2004

2009

58.98

58.41

56.67

49.51

45.47

42.94

ToTAL RATE oF PARTICIPATIoN 2009 ELECTIoNSPercentage figures.

263 European People's Party

161 Socialist Group

80 Alliance of Liberals and

Democrats for Europe

52 Greens/European Free Alliance

35 Union for Europe of the Na-

tions

33 European United Left/

Nordic Green Left

19 Independence/Democracy

93 Others

25a foreign affairs

The age-old balance in European politics has been tipped, where previously both groups alternated their predominance within a bal-ance of power.

In addition, the liberals have increased in number to 80 MEPs, making them into a decisive force, along with the Greens who won 52 seats. What is most striking, how-ever, is the rise in the Euro-skeptic groups, who with around 100 MEPs would form the third largest force. It is a non-homogenous group which includes both extreme right-wing and left-wing par-ties, who are only united by their anti-European stance. As a result they are not expected to operate on a united basis, except in certain exceptional circumstances.

4. The main cause for the shift to the right undoubtedly lies in the economic crisis, and specifically, in the fact that right-wing parties have adopted the discourse and traditional policies of the left. This gives rise to the paradox that a crisis whose origins lie in neoliber-alist theories has strengthened the parties with liberal ideologies.

The European right has adopted a sizeable proportion of social democratic discourse. And it has adopted its fundamental objec-tive; the Welfare State. This has meant that the crisis in Europe, thanks to automatic stabilizers, is less painful than for citizens in other regions.5. It is still too soon to hazard a guess as to what these results

will mean for the governability of the European Parliament and the political direction of Europe. We need to see how the political groups are formed. The results provide a redistribution of power, above all in the way of increased fragmentation. Compared with previous political landscape we have a group of “others”, in other words, members who are not attached to any political group, of precisely 94 MEPs. The groups that may emerge from here are going to have a significant influ-ence over the future of European politics. Thus, it is expected that the British Tories and the Czech conservatives, who are also Euro-skeptics, will come together to form their own group. Neverthe-less, the political element that is most frightening, the xenophobic parties of the extreme right, do not seem to be sufficiently repre-sented to form their own group, with all the consequences that this would bring.

This worrying outlook, above all regarding people's disaffection towards European politics, must lead us to consider that measures that need to be taken, measures that are aimed at tackling the problems that we described in the beginning and which are still preventing us from talking about a genuine European political space. A large part of the political crisis is due to the fact that the European constitution came into force, which explained the political mod-el and which clearly set out the union of citizens and States. The solution will run through the term of validity of the Lisbon Treaty and the assumption of its political message, which is basically the political model for the European Constitution, clearer than the cur-rent system of treaties.

9925

22

22

22

22

18

17

17

13

13

13

72

72

72

72

50

33

50

12

8

7

6

5

6

6

12

MEMbERS by CoUNTRy FoLLoWING ThE 2009 ELECTIoNSTotal: 736

Although the “new left” parties such as the environmentalist groups have made advances, this does not counteract the hegemony of the conservative and liberal positions

Jordan: cordiality transformed into friendship

26 a foreign affairs

Last March, one of the largest Roman aqueducts was discovered in the Jorda-nian city of Gadara. It is a subterranean aqueduct over 100 kilometers long that is undoubtedly an example of the many surprises hiding beneath the deserts of the Hashemite kingdom. It is also an ex-ample of the infinite historical veins that run through and connect the countries of the Mediterranean, including Jordan and Spain.

In 1947, a year after the Hashemite kingdom's independence, Spain official-ly recognized the country, establishing a delegation in Amman. Shortly after, King Abdullah became one of the first heads of state to visit Spain, which had until that point been internationally isolated. Importantly, this trip marked the be-ginning of many exchanges, official and private visits which have strengthened ties between the two countries. It also, unsurprisingly, has led to the creation of a deep friendship between the two Roy-al Families. The words pronounced by HM King Juan Carlos I upon the death of King Hussein on February 7th 1999 are a clear reflection of the union that existed and continues to live on between the two monarchies: “If before I was the younger brother of King Hussein, I will now be an older brother to King Abdul-lah II”.

The most recent visit was made by

Their Majesties the Kings of Jordan to Spain in October 2008. During this visit they held in-depth discussions on eco-nomic, political and cultural matters and Spain was able to prove once again its key role in building bridges with the other side of the Atlantic.

The legal framework for the range of action taken by both countries is pro-vided by the Treaty of Friendship signed in 1950. This text has provided a basis for others, such as the Agreement of Cultural, Scientific and Technical Coop-eration of 1993. For this reason it is im-portant to highlight the Spanish cultural activity taking place in Amman thanks to the Instituto Cervantes, the AECID and the Spanish Embassy. These events will be complemented by the Hispano-Jordanian weeks that began two years ago, which focus on the two countries' shared past and modernity projected by both societies.

Shared Vision. Spain and Jordan have been able to identify a series of shared interests and hold similar viewpoints on many important issues, such as the Mid-dle East peace process. From the outset, Jordan has taken part in the rounds of negotiations at the Peace Conference that began in Madrid 1991, and both countries have led the search for a solu-tion to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

DISCOVER YOUR EMBASSYSharing borders with Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the West Bank and Israel, Jordan's position makes it a strategic enclave in the Middle East and is one of Spain's key allies in the region.By Alejandra M. García Fuertes

The director of the Casa Árabe, Gema Martín Muñoz, accompanies Queen Rania of Jordan during her visit in 2008.

cASA ÁrABE And JordAnIAn culturEDuring her last visit, HM Queen Ra-nia of Jordan visited the Casa Árabe and pointed out the important role the institution plays in promot-ing a mutual understanding of the Jordanian and Spanish cultures. She also emphasized the importance of raising awareness and promoting the reality of Arab countries within the Western world and eliminating cultural prejudices. Jordan's size-able interest in the Casa Árabe was made clear during its opening cer-emony, which was attended by the then Jordanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Al Khatib.

27

Another shared vision becomes nec-essary for encouraging mutual under-standing between the East and West. It is for this reason that Jordan is part of the group of friends of the Alliance of Civi-lizations and that it has promoted other mechanisms with which to find better understanding between cultures. This is the case of Message from Amman, a Jordanian initiative begun in 2004 to emphasize the principles of tolerance and peace defended by Islam. Both Jor-dan and Spain are geographically placed on a crossroads between the north and the south, the east and the west. These shared paths within a bilateral frame-work reinforce the multilateral work carried out through NATO's Mediterra-nean dialogue, together with the Euro-pean Union and the Barcelona Process.

fActS on JordAnPopulation: 5,850,000 (est.2008)Area: 89,544 kms.Religion: Sunni Muslims 96%; Christians 4%; Catholics 1,2%; Orthodox 2%, Others 0,5%.GDP in billions. $ USA 15.9 (2007)Real growth in terms of %GDP: 6% Unemployment: 14,3%Foreign debt: 51% GDP Public deficit: 5.4 %GDP Average rate of inflation: 5,4 Exchange rate: 1 dollar = 0,708 dinarHDI: 0, 773Life expectancy: 70.6 yearsIlliteracy rate: 9% Source: Min. of Foreign Aff. & Coop.

Images from the Spanish Consulate in Amman. Left (large image) the ruins of Petra, one of Jordan's tourist treasures.

a foreign affairs

28 a foreign affairs

What do the Jordanians think of Spain and the Spanish?The close relations between the Royal Families of Spain and Jor-dan means the people of Jordan see Spain as a friendly country. They see it as a close country, thanks to years of shared culture with the Arab world. Their opin-ion is generally very positive.How integrated into the local community are Spaniards in Jordan?Adapting to life in Jordan is relatively easy, especially thanks to the friendly and open nature of the Jordanians; people go out of their way to make us feel at home. Common roots and the country's admirable security also play a part. How would you rate Spanish-Jordanian relations, particularly those regarding economics?Jordan's infrastructure is fairly

well developed and it has a very secure financial system that is, however, generally unknown to the Spanish business world. However, each day more com-panies show an interest, thanks in great part to the work of the Embassy and, in particular, the Business Attaché. Our experi-ence as a business has shown Jordan to be a legally safe state with a highly qualified work-force. Aldeasa has Jordanians in high positions in many coun-tries outside Jordan, including Spain.As a collective, the Spaniards resident in Jordan organize a number of activities to keep in contact with one another. As well as the activities car-ried out by the Embassy, there are also events at the Instituto Cervantes, which allow most Spaniards resident here in Jordan

to meet up at regular intervals during the year. There are also at least two associations, such as the Association for Hispanic - Jordanian Friendship and an association for Spanish women, which help us stay in contact with one another. Give us one reason to choose Jordan as a holiday or business destination.As a holiday destination it is a country with a moderate Islamic culture. However, it has places that are unique and that in my opinion, need to be seen. Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea, as well as the Roman cities of Jerash and Umm Qays. Jordan is also the perfect base for travel-ling to Jerusalem and Syria. As a business destination, the highly skilled Jordanian workforce can contribute to professional suc-cess.

Pedro BadanelligEnErAl MAnAgEr of AldEASA for Jor-dAn, SAudI ArABIa And KuWAIt

A SPANIARD IN JORDAN

Union for the Mediterranean. The understanding between the two

countries has been exemplified dur-ing the terrible shared experience of being victims of Al-Qaeda's terrorism. The condemnation of the attacks in Madrid and Amman in 2004 and 2005 respectively, are just one more example of the deep solidarity between the two societies. For this reason, on the margin of excellent relations enjoyed in other spheres, there is an important collabo-ration on security through the Mixed Hispano-Jordanian Defense Commis-sion, which deals with the training of staff, along with other issues.

As regards economics, in 2006 the 1st Hispano-Jordanian Business Meet-ing was marked by the visit of the Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain to Jordan. Whilst it is important to point out that there is not yet a strong Spanish business presence in the country, there is a highly profitable sector that could open the way to new business opportu-

nities in Jordan: tourism. Although the number of Spanish residents there bare-ly numbers one thousand, one must not forget that Spain is the European coun-try with the highest number of tourists visiting Jordan.

This link through tourism helps to explain the projects undertaken by the AECID in the country, which are cen-tered on recovering the great historic complexes of the capital and encour-aging sustainable tourism to the city of Petra. After intense work, the Technical Office for Cooperation was finally set up in 2007. The Hashemite kingdom con-tinues to be a priority for the new Direc-tive Plan for Cooperation in Develop-ment 2009-2012, and is included in the new category C countries "Association for the Consolidation of Development Goals”.

All of this demonstrates Jordan's role as one of the key players in the Middle East and a country with which Spain en-joys excellent relations.

unItEd for WAtErJordan is among the ten countries facing the most severe water shortages. Each inhabitant has 200 cubic meters of water a year. As a consequence, the Jordanian gov-ernment has undertaken multiple projects to improve access to this resource. Spain has participated in the rehabilitation of the basin of the river Zarqa, the development of irrigation systems in the rural areas of the Jordan valley and an improve-ment of a drinking water system. Jordan's impressive contribution to the Expo Zaragoza 2008, dedicated to water, demonstrates how both countries are united in their pursuit of one goal: the sustainable use of a vital resource.

Relations between Spain and Jordan: friendship and closeness

Spain and Jordan have main-tained excellent relations in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres for more than sixty years. To this absence of bilateral disputes we can add the convergence of ideas on both re-gional issues (Middle East peace process, the Euro-Mediterranean Process, NATO Mediterranean Dialogue) and international ones, such as the Alliance of Civiliza-tions, the Millennium Develop-ment Goals and UN reform.

There is no doubt that the ties of friendship between the two Royal Families has contributed to a closeness between the two countries, both during the reign of the late King Hussein and during that of the current King Abdullah II. The closeness of the two countries can also be seen in the growing num-ber of Spaniards who decide to visit Jordan each year. The most recent figures show that more there were more than sixty thousand last year, making Spain the country with the second highest number of tourists visit-ing the country and the highest in the EU. Over recent years the number of Jordanians coming to Spain for work or family reasons, or as tourists, has also grown, with 2008 registering more than four thousand. The number of Spaniards living in the country, expatriates who generally hold

dual nationality, numbers close to 1,200 individuals.

Relations regarding Defense and Security are both fluid and highly intense. Likewise, Spanish coop-eration for development in Jordan stands out as playing a key role in such emblematic projects as the recovery and rehabilitation of the city's greatest tourist at-tractions - the Ummayad Alcazar in Amman, which includes the city's Museum; the establish-ment of a tourism infrastructure with guides and tourist routes in the Wadi Rum desert and the ambitious Microcredit program worth 9 million Euros that was launched in 2008.

Other important projects for Spanish cooperation in Jordan are the recent commitment (worth almost one million Eu-ros) to participate in the integral rehabilitation of the basin of the River Zarqa; the projects in the Azahar program for the touristic development of Petra undertak-en by the Universidad Politéc-nica de Valencia; the develop-ment of an irrigation system in the Kefrein region of the Jordan Valley and a drinking water system in the Rwaisehd district on the Eastern border with Iraq; the construction and provision of equipment for the surgical and emergency rooms of the South Souneh Regional Hospital

and the rehabilitation of the Ummayad castle and mosque in Hallabat and its adjoining baths, Hammam Sarraj.

In the spheres of education and culture, as well as the important presence and activities of the Instituto Cervantes in Amman, which together with the work carried out by the Embassy's Cultural Office make Spain the leader in foreign cultural activity in Amman, the AECID and the Spanish Ministry for Education finance four Spanish lecturers at the Modern Languages faculties in the Universities of Jordan (the largest in the country), Mafraq (Al-Al Bayt) and Irbid (Yarmouk), and have provided more than 120 grants for students of Hispanics and doctoral researchers over the last five years.

Finally, from an economic point of view there is a clear imbal-ance that favors Spain in bilateral agreements; Spanish exports are double those of Jordan. Spanish companies working in energy, infrastructure and renewable energies have shown interest in Jordan and its participation in the important megaprojects set in motion by Jordan's Government over recent years. A new Spanish finance program for cooperation with Jordan will facilitate the presence of our companies in these fields.

The friendship between the two Royal Families has helped bring the two countries together

Spain is the country with the second largest number of tourists visiting Jordan; more than 70,000 Spaniards visited the country in 2008

29a foreign affairs

Manuel Lorenzo García-OrmaecheaSPAnISh AMbASSAdoR In AMMAn

30 A analysis

Beginning of the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council. The Swedish Ambassador to Spain talks about some of the priorities for the Presidency that his country will assume on July 1. Many of the decisions made during this time will be implemented by Spain in 2010, and therefore cooperation between the two countries will be ongoing.

— You have been here since 2005... How do you feel in Spain?—I feel great! Spain is a very important country, both in terms of our bilateral relations and as a partner in the EU. My fifth year here will be focused mostly on EU matters, but here in Spain, I have noticed a special interest in Swe-den, which has become very apparent recently in literature and the work of Stieg Larsson. It is a pleasure to repre-sent Sweden here, where our country enjoys great prestige. We are also com-patible in many areas of politics, be-cause we share the same goals: equality, innovation, environment…— In fact, the fight against climate change is one of the top priorities of your Presidency. How will you ensure that the EU goes to the Co-penhagen Conference with a unified position that will facilitate interna-tional agreements on environmental matters? — We need to work at several levels: in the EU, we need to share a clear vi-sion of the results of the summit and we need to get the large industrial-ized countries to work alongside the emerging economies. We have to help developing countries with financing that will allow them to progress in these areas, because it will be benefi-cial for everyone in the long run. The scientific studies are clear: we must act now; if we do not, it will be too late.

Economic growth is perfectly compat-ible with the reduction of CO² emis-sions. We don't have to choose--a fact that has been illustrated very well by efforts in Sweden. — The advancement of equality, es-pecially between men and women, is another of our shared priorities. What will you be doing to promote equality? — Sweden and Spain are both at the forefront in the fight for equality and especially against gender-based vio-lence, and it is important to work to-ward these goals in the EU as a whole. The cases of both Sweden and Spain show that equality must not be viewed as an isolated issue, but must be taken in a larger context: equality must per-meate all policies

Equality is also a key part of the Lis-bon Strategy. We have to promote the increased participation of women in the labor market and promote concili-ation laws. And, in particular, we must bear in mind the father's role in child care. In Sweden we don't talk about "maternity leave", but rather we have a gender-neutral equivalent. The idea is to split the 18 months of allowed leave between both parents -with two months reserved for each- and it pro-vides a financial incentive for the par-ents to divide up this time between the two of them.

During our Presidency, we are

planning to organize a conference on the treatment of women. This is one area where it is critical for us to work together, because these issues are not limited by national boundaries. — Sweden, like Spain, supports ex-pansion. What is your position on Turkey's accession?— Turkey is a candidate and welcome into the EU, but it must first meet the prerequisites. This will be difficult and will take time, but we must urge it to take the required measures and advance as quickly as possible in this regard. — In the context of the current eco-nomic crisis, what will your priori-ties be with regard to competitive-ness, job creation, and growth? — We place a high priority on innova-tion and also on Europe's policy toward the rest of the world. We have to look toward the future and take measures to allow everyone to find work. I believe that all countries realize that freer trade will be a benefit to all, especially to de-veloping countries. We hope to work toward a very open, very free policy re-garding world trade. — Your Presidency will see the revi-sion of The Hague Program and the adoption of the Stockholm Program. How do you foresee these events?— The Hague Program is not very well known by the citizenry. We want a pro-gram that will be "for" the people -more

Anders Rönquist SWEDISH AMBASSADOR TO SPAIN

“With regard to the environment, we must share an ambitious strategy, because if we do not act now, it will be too late”

31A analysis

explanatory in addition to being effec-tive. We don't want to talk only about repressive measures, but also about personal legal guarantees for individu-als. Our idea is to start from individual civil rights and focus on protecting those rights; the EU must work to stop the crime crossing our borders. It is im-portant to point out that complete pro-tection of Human Rights is not incom-patible with the fight against terrorism, as Spain has shown.

We want to combat illegal immi-gration, but also promote the legal im-migration of workers. We also hope to draw up a joint asylum plan that will ensure that the same base standards are applied by all countries; and we would like to see more joint efforts in receiv-ing political refugees. — Tell us about the Baltic Sea Strat-egy you hope to promote.— It is designed to promote environ-mental protection, and also coopera-tion between countries bordering the Baltic Sea. We feel that this process is closely related to the Union's work in the Mediterranean, since both process-es are very important to us and comple-ment each other in significant ways: we need to learn from both of them and discover the level of cooperation that can be achieved. — Relations with the U.S. is a critical matter… — We feel that it is important to strengthen those ties. Several current issues will require closer collaboration with the U.S., such as climate change and the conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan. — And what will be the role of rela-tions with Russia, especially with re-gard to energy?— This is a very important question, especially in light of what happened during the first few days of the Czech Presidency with the gas crisis. Sweden is quite close to the Russian Federation, we know it well and we have many im-portant matters to discuss: European security of course, but also cooperation in many areas.

ProfileA career diplomat, he has worked with the Swedish foreign service for 26 years. He has a Law Degree from the University of Stockholm and special-izes in Human Rights and conflict prevention. His work has taken him to places such as New York, The Hague, Paris, and Buenos Aires. He has been Director General of International Law, Human Rights, and Treaty Law in Sweden and Deputy Director of the European Security Policy Division. He feels that the people must urge their political leaders to respond to critical Union matters. He has visited 16 of the 17 Spanish Autonomous Communi-ties and he is fascinated by "the cultural diversity of Spain".

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32 A foreign action in brief

Spain's Presidency of the Council of Europe comes to an end. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, described the agreement reached on March 12 as "a success and a great step forward for the Council of Europe”

Spain will streamline the proceedings of the European Human Rights TribunalOn May 12 the 119th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe was opened in Madrid. His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias, together with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, and the General Secretary of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, inaugurated the opening session in the IFEMA conference center. During the meeting, which marked the end of the Spanish Presidency, the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe under-took to remove obstacles to the reform of the European Court of Human Rights, one of the issues pending. This change had been blocked since 2004 by Russia's refusal to ratify Protocol 14 of the Eu-ropean Convention on Human Rights. Having established that Russia did not intend to ratify it, which was prevent-ing the reforms from being adopted, the Spanish Presidency put forward an al-ternative formula which was eventually approved.

The Spanish proposal was the basis of the final agreement, which consisted in introducing measures to streamline the work of the Court, although only for appeals originating from those countries which have signed and ratified the new formula. The reform of the Court, which

H.R.H. Prince Felipe, together with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, during the Committee of Ministers taking place in Madrid, which marked the finale of the Spanish Presidency . pHoTo javiER HERnándEz

guarantees the right to an appeal of last resort for 800 million Europeans, had always been one of the primary objec-tives of the Spanish Presidency. “The agreement will facilitate the work of the Court and improve its efficiency and will rejuvenate the institution”, said Miguel Ángel Moratinos, who expressed satis-faction that the approved changes “make European justice more real and acces-sible to its citizens. From now on, Euro-

peans can feel that their rights are more fully protected and guaranteed. This was the main goal of our Presidency”.

Spain, which has held the six-month-ly Presidency of the Committee of Min-isters of the Council of Europe since the end of November, coinciding with the sixtieth anniversary of the Council and the fiftieth anniversary of the European Court of Human Rights, will now hand over the Presidency to Slovenia.

First meeting of the South atlantic initiative in Lanzarote"It is time for the South Atlantic to be-come a region of peace and security”. These were the words of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Ángel Moratinos, during the first High

Level Meeting of the Atlantic Initiative in Lanzarote at the beginning of June attended by ministers from Europe, Africa and Latin America. The Min-ister said that “the 20th century was

the century of the North Atlantic” and “in this period of important change, it is now time for the Atlantic as a whole to confront the changes faced in other areas such as the Pacific”.

33A foreign action in brief

IV Meeting of EUROsociAL Networks in Salvador de Bahía Senior officials from Latin American countries and representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank, ECLAC and the European Union met in Salvador de Bahía (Brazil) from June 23 to 25 for the 4th International Meet-ing of EUROsociAL Networks, the European Commission's main program for supporting social cohesion in Latin America. So far EUROsociAL has mobi-lized more than 1,700 institutions in Europe and Latin America in more than 300 activities for improving health, education, taxation, justice and employ-ment programs.

Conference on new aid for development mechanisms In Paris, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Mo-ratinos repeated his call for developed countries to make binding commitments to increase their ODA budgets to 0.7%. The Minister explained that “Spain came to this conference in order to discuss and support new instruments for financing cooperation for development at a time of international economic and financial crisis”.

Spain is an observer on the Council of Baltic Sea States The Council of Baltic Sea States has awarded Spain observer country status at the 19th Ministerial Conference in Elsinor (Denmark). The Council of Baltic Sea States was set up in 1992 as a regional political forum comprising 11 countries with the aim of fostering cooperation within the region.

The Royal Couple visit Australia and New Zealand to strengthen relation-ships Their Majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía have made a State Visit to Australia and New Zealand. During their visit they signed various trade and cooperation agreements in the areas of education and immigration. Their Majesties also witnessed some time-honored traditions, like the traditional Maori welcome which greeted them.

Collaboration in the struggle against terrorism The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ángel Lossada, took part in the meeting of EU-ASEAN ministers in Cambodia where he offered Spain's support in the struggle against terrorism. During the Summit talks were held on the fi-nancial crisis and topics such as climate change and energy were discussed. The EU signed the Friendship and Cooperation Treaty with South-East Asia which aims to promote peace, security and stability in the region which will be on the agenda of the next ministerial meeting to take place in Madrid in May 2010.

2009 Martin Ennals Prize for the Iranian Emad Baghi The 2009 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders was awarded to the Iranian Emad Baghi, founder of the Society for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights. Baghi has spent four out of the last ten years in prison for his denun-ciation of the death penalty and his defense of other rights. The Jury of the Martin Ennals Award is made up of representatives of leading international organizations and NGOs. The Awards Ceremony will take place in Geneva next November.

In April

5+5 Conference in CórdobaCórdoba was the setting for the 7th Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Western Mediterranean Countries in the context of the 5+5 Dialogue, set up in 1990, which brings together five countries from the northern shore of the Mediterranean -Spain, France, It-aly, Malta and Portugal- and five from the southern shore -Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia. The European Foreign Affairs Com-missioner and the Secretary-General of the Arab Maghreb Union also took part in the meeting. With regard to the conflict in the Middle East, the participants signed a final declaration which emphasized the urgency of cre-ating without delay a two-state solu-tion in which both States can co-exist in peace and security. They also called for the renewal of peace negotiations for the region and demanded that Is-rael immediately call a halt to settle-ment expansion and re-open border crossings with the Gaza Strip.

H.M. the King is greeted by Turama Hawia, a Maori elder, with the traditional hongi.

Legal victory

a judge orders the odyssey treasure to be returned to SpainThe ruling by a judge in Tampa (Flor-ida) was an important legal victory in the battle over ownership of the trea-sure from the shipwrecked Armada frigate "Nuestra Señora de las Mer-cedes" which went down on October 5 1804 off the Algarve coast and which the Odyssey company retrieved from the bottom of the Atlantic. In his rul-ing the judge accepted the Spanish Government's arguments and stated that the treasure should be returned to Spain because the wreck was that of the Spanish frigate and therefore the cargo was subject to sovereign immu-nity.

34 A foreign action in brief

Meetings between Spain and its allies. The G-20 Summit in London, the NATO sixtieth anniversary celebrations, the EU-USA Summit and the second Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations were among the most noteworthy events that took place in April.

intensive week of international contacts

The first week of April was one of intense activity for Spain's foreign policy. It began with the meeting of the G-20 countries in London at-tended by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. In London ap-proval was given to a common fund of one trillion dollars to stimulate trade and boost the global economy and concrete measures were taken to end banking secrecy. It was also de-cided to increase the funds available to international financial institutions such as the IMF in order to help less wealthy countries to withstand the crisis. The Prime Minister announced that Spain's contribution to the fund would be on the order of 4 billion eu-ros.

A few days later Spain's Prime Minister met the new President of the United States, Barack Obama, for

International Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health On July 21 the First Spanish Vice-President, Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega, inaugurated an International Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Madrid. At the Forum a Memorandum of Understanding was signed which will guarantee the coordination and sustainability of the Women's Network. This Network, which was set up at the first Spain-Africa ‘Women for a Better World’ Confer-ence held in Maputo in 2006, is a space for solidarity, cooperation and for strengthening women as active agents in development.

Minister tours Albania and Bosnia-HerzegovinaIn May, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation traveled to Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina with the aim of supporting the Western Balkan countries' accession to the EU and to visit the Spanish troops stationed in Sarajevo. Spain, with 308 soldiers, is the largest group in the multinational EURFOR-Althea force securing stabil-ity in the region.

Board of the Euro-ArabFoundation constitutedThe Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ángel Lossada, presided over the setting up of the Board of the EuroArab Education and Training Insti-tute in Madrid. The Foundation, based in Granada, has set out on its mission to train Arab and Spanish administra-tors in public management and good governance.

the first time at the summit meeting between the European Union and the United States held in Prague. At a press conference President Obama said he was “happy to call the Span-ish Prime Minister a friend” and praised his “reliability and sense of responsibility” and stated that he hoped their relationship, which was already “solid”, “would become even more so”.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in turn pledged to President Obama the full support of his Government in order to bring about “a peaceful and more just world order”, which would fight poverty and ensure “better times for future generations”. Also, the President of the Spanish Government emphasized that this was the begin-ning of “a new era in Spanish-US rela-tions”.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Barack Obama met once more at the ceremonies marking NATO's sixti-eth anniversary which were held in Strasbourg and Kehl, and which aim to give NATO a decisive new impetus in the face of the new challenges of the 21st century.

The last event in this intensive week was the Second Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Istanbul, attended by five Heads of State and 31 ministers, as well as religious lead-ers and members of civil society, with some 1,500 people participating over-all. Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos spoke of the “need” to involve civil so-ciety in order to achieve a successful meeting of cultures.

The President of the United States, Barack Obama and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, meeting at the EU-US Summit held in Prague. pHoTo EFE

Moratinos salutes Spanish troops headed for Camp Butmir, Sarajevo.pHoTo j.HERnándEz

Terrorism and Cybersecurity, the debate in Spain From April 15 through 17, Spain hosted two gatherings related to the fight against terrorism and cy-bersecurity. The first was the 16th meeting of the Council of Europe's Expert Committee on Terrorism (CODEXTER) meeting for the first time away from Strasbourg. Else-where, the Conference on Terrorism and Security enabled international experts to share their experience in the fight against use of the Internet in the furtherance of terrorism as well as how to counter such its be-ing targeted through cyber attacks.

First contacts with the new Israeli Government On April 15 and 16, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation visited the West Bank and Israel and was able to make contact with the new Israeli Government. In the context of strenuous Spanish diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement in the Middle East, Miguel Ángel Moratinos also told his Palestinian counterpart of his Government's wish to help reach a Two State agreement.

The Minister receives his counterpart from the United Arab EmiratesMiguel Ángel Moratinos greeted the Minister for External Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahayan. The Minister stressed his admiration for the Emirates' capacity for adaptation and renewal over recent years without the loss of their tradi-tions and identity, and now being at the global forefront with their economic progress based on the diversification of the economy and support for dynamic sectors such as renewable energy.

Team Presidency of the EU Council. Among the main priorities of the Presi-dential Troika will be overcoming the economic crisis, the Social Agenda and the fight against climate change.

Spain, Belgium and Hungary draw up the Road Map for the presidency Spain, Belgium and Hungary have drawn up the Road Map which will guide the 18 month Team Presidency, in the course of which the three countries will work together to confront the challenges now facing Europe. In the current climate of economic and financial crisis, the Troika of Presidencies has stressed the impor-tance of coordinated action within the European Union and the need to bring institutions closer to citizens, thus pro-moting a social and competitive Europe. In this respect, the Presidential Troika has given priority among its aims to overcoming the crisis through revising the Lisbon Strategy for the period af-ter 2010, with two fundamental goals: sustainable economic growth and an increase in employment as a result of investment in R+D+i. Further priori-ties will be approval of the new Social Agenda for 2011-2015, with its emphasis on the eradication of poverty and social exclusion and the implementation of a plan for gender equality.

Likewise, their attention will be focused on the fight against climate change, by approving the new E.U. Energy Action Plan 2010-2012, and in relation to the results of the Copenha-gen Conference. The Trio of Presiden-cies will also develop the area of Free-dom, Security and Justice, work on constructing a European judicial area and reinforce the Common European Policy on Migration and Asylum. The extension of the Neighborhood Policy to the Mediterranean countries, and in particular the impetus towards form-ing a Union for the Mediterranean, are other areas to which the team will de-vote close attention, and they will also work on the correct implementation of the institutional reforms set out in the Lisbon Treaty, which may be approved at the end of 2009. Spain will assume the Presidency of the EU Council on January 1, 2010, followed by first Bel-gium and then Hungary on June 30, 2011.

35A foreign action in brief

award of diplomas to the fourth class of master's students at the diplomatic SchoolOn June 17, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Án-gel Moratinos, awarded diplomas to the graduates of the Inter-Univer-sity Masters in Diplomacy and In-ternational Relations, who this year numbered 120 participants from 42 countries. The master's program at-

tracts Spanish and foreign students, the latter including many career diplomats. The Spanish graduates may now opt for an internship in Spanish Embassies or Consulates-General abroad, or in the central services of the Foreign Ministry in Madrid.

36 A foreign action in brief

The Alliance of Civilizations presents the Nexos project at the UN The Alliance of Civilizations presented a thirteen-part televi-sion series aimed at exploring points of contact between dif-ferent cultures and religions at the United Nations headquar-ters in New York. The documen-tary is one of the projects being undertaken by the High Level Group for the Alliance of Civi-lizations which brings together 18 specialists from different countries.

Spain ratifies the Convention on cluster bombs Spain is the tenth signatory to the convention, having played an active role throughout the negotiation process. The country welcomes the adoption of this new instrument of International Humanitarian Law as it prohibits an entire category of convention-al arms which have an unaccept-able impact on the civil popula-tion in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Madrid hosts the seminar on “Civil Society Facing the Consequences of Terrorism” This event, promoted by Spain and Switzerland in conjunction with the Insti-tuto Elcano, brought together relevant international special-ists to study and evaluate the social impact of terrorism. The experts analyzed some of the most important elements relating to the fight against terrorism such as the victims and the economic and social costs of terrorism together with respect for and promo-tion of fundamental rights and freedoms.

Visit to Nigeria and Togo. At the Summit between the European Union and the West African Economic Community the President guaranteed that Spain's aid for development goals objectives would be maintained.

Second visit by josé Luis Rodríguez zapatero to Sub-Saharan africaOn June 22 and 23 Spain's Prime Min-ister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, travelled to Sub-Saharan Africa where he visited Nigeria and Togo. In the Nigerian city of Abuja, the President took part in the first summit meet-ing between Spain and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), an organization set up in 1975 comprising fifteen states: Be-nin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Con-akry, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Ni-ger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

In his speech to summit delegates the President emphasized the “piv-otal” and “historic” nature of the sum-mit and proposed that the next meet-ing should take place at the Casa de África in the Canary Islands. He also pointed out that in the last few years Spain has continually increased its aid to Sub-Saharan Africa -of the total Spanish aid budget, 40% goes to West

Africa- and underlined Spain's com-mitment to the aims of official aid for development, confirming his support for the four basic objectives for the region: strengthening of the Rule of Law, formulation of public policies to achieve the Millenium Goals, encour-agement of investment in energy and infrastructure and promotion of tour-ism. Finally, he promised, “not only as Spain's President but also as a member of the European Union”, that Europe would pay “closer attention” to Africa.

During his stay in Nigeria, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero met with Presi-dent Alhaji Umaru Yar’Ardua and held a meeting with representatives of the Spanish and Nigerian business com-munities. Later, in Togo, he attended a session of the Togo Parliament which approved the abolition of the death penalty and had a meeting with Presi-dent Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé. The law passed will be known as the “Zapatero Law”.

The Spanish President, with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Nigeria's Minister for Trade and Industry, during the meeting in Abuja. pHoTo EFE

37A foreign action in brief

Packed Spain-Africa agenda In the context of contacts with Africa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Coop-eration recently met with his counterparts from Ethiopia, Cameroon and Senegal to discuss matters of common interest. Also, from July 7 to 9, the Minister will visit Equatorial Guinea accompanied by members of Parliament and the business community with the aim of forging closer relationships between the two countries.

Spain attends the Tokyo Conference on Pakistan The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Angel Lossada, took part in the meeting of the Friends of Pakistan and the International Donors' Conference both held in Tokyo (Japan). Spain is a member of the Group of Friends of Pakistan, which was formed in 2008 as a strategic instrument for international political support for development, security and good governance in Pakistan.

Agreement with European Court of Justice on the use of official languages in Spain. Spain is the first European Union country to sign an agreement of this kind with the European Court of Justice. The agreement will allow its citizens to apply to the court in their own language and receive replies in the same language, and is to be seen in the context of the Spanish government's initiative to facilitate access to Community institutions.

Casa Sefarad-Israel organizes an international law gathering Madrid was the setting for a high-profile gathering of lawyers organized by the Casa Sefarad-Israel and the Fundación Garrigues. At this meeting the limits and competences of the current application of the principle of International Law were discussed. There were participants from Israel, the United States, Argentina, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy as well as major Spanish legal authorities.

Birth of the Spain-India Council Foundation The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Secretary of State for Commerce, as well as various participating institutions and companies (La Caixa, Grupo Santander, Chaincorp, etc.) inaugurated the Spain-India Founda-tion Council aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries. Antonio Escámez is the President of the Foundation, and the General Secretary is José Eugenio Salarich.

EU-Rio group Meeting in Prague In May the Czech capital hosted the 14th Ministerial Conference of the EU and the Rio Group, a permanent organization for consultation and political coordina-tion between Latin American countries set up in and comprising 23 States. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation attended the Summit, which dealt with the strengthening of links, the coordination of economic recovery and the encouragement of economic and regional alliances.

The United States adopts the high-speed AVE train as model The United States Secretary of State for Transport, Ray LaHood, visited Spain recently in order to find out more about the Spanish high-speed train model which will be a reference point for future railway investment. During his visit he was shown around by the Minister for Development, José Blanco, who an-nounced that a delegation from the INECO company would be sent to the USA..

Public diplomacy

Four new researchers

The Casa del Mediterráneo is up and running

Meeting of instituto Elcano directors

On April 30 the Articles of Association of the Casa del Mediterráneo were signed in Alicante. The Casa's aim is to become an effective mechanism for promoting closer political, economic, social, educational, cultural and hu-man relations between the various societies, cultures and peoples which come together around the shores of the Mare Nostrum.

La Casa del Mediterráneo was created on the model of other similar institutions set up under the aegis of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, such as the Casa de América, Casa Asia, Casa Árabe, Casa África and Casa Sefarad-Israel. These are specialized organizations with the goal of promoting relationships between Spain and various regions of interest through foreign policy exer-cised through public diplomacy.

Elena Salgado, Second Vice-President of the government, chaired the meet-ing of the Directors of the Real Insti-tuto Elcano which approved the 2008 Annual Report. Among the activities carried out by the Institute last year special mention should be made of the creation of the Central Asia Observa-tory -in conjunction with the Casa Asia and the CIDOB Foundation- and the publication of books and reports, as well as the setting up of working groups composed of distinguished ex-perts and well-known individuals from academia and politics. During the year, four new researchers were appointed: Ignacio Molina, Carmen González, Carlos Oya and Fernando del Pozo.

Meeting in Madrid. Under the title "Towards a political agenda for gender equality in Latin America and the Caribbean", the current situation of gender equality for women in Latin America was analyzed and debated, and parlia-mentary strategies were drawn up to aid its implementation.

Female MPs debate gender equality in Madrid

38 c cooperation

Around 100 female MPs from 20 coun-tries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Spain held a conference in Ma-drid to establish a "political agenda" to promote gender equality in the region. During the conference, orga-nized by the AECID together with the UNDP and the UN Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the three main areas of specific challenges facing women were discussed: women leading de-velopment at a time of economic cri-sis, a strengthening of their political participation and the development of a gender agenda in the region's parlia-ments.

The First Vice-President, Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega, called on

participants to fight for equality and claim the public space owed to women for them to provide solutions to the crisis. She reminded those present that "today, women are a part of politics, a central part, and we continue to claim the public space that we have always occupied". The Vice-President high-lighted the creation of the Global Mul-tidonor Fund for Gender and Devel-opment at the heart of the UN, a fund which could be of great benefit for the countries of Latin American and the Caribbean, providing some 50 million euros to promote gender equality in accordance with the Millennium De-velopment Goals.

Rebeca Grynspan, Regional Di-

The Secretary of State for Cooperation, the Regional Director of UNDP for Latin America and the Caribbean, the First Vice-President, the Executive Director of UNIFEM, the Director of the AECID and the UNIFEM Delegate in Spain. Photos PePa acedo / aecid

rector of UNDP for Latin America pointed out that "we cannot allow the damage caused by inequality to indi-viduals, families, communities and nations, particularly during these dif-ficult times of financial and economic crisis". Inés Alberdi, Executive Direc-tor of UNIFEM, states that "it is nec-essary for women to realize that they can get responses through those who hold decision-making positions both nationally and internationally”.

Women: advances in politics. The victories in recent decades regard-ing gender rights and equality have been reflected in political represen-tation and, in particular, in parlia-ment. There has been a significant rise in the proportion of female MPs. The regional average is now at 20.7%. The countries with the high-est female representation are Cuba (49.2%), Argentina (40%) and Costa Rica (36.8%), whilst the lowest rates are found in Colombia (8.4%), Brazil (9%) and Guatemala (12%). Changes in the Senates have been slower. The figures in 2009, in comparison with 2001, show just one country with a decline (Paraguay: 18% in 2001 and 16% in 2009) and a slow yet sustained general increase in the number of women representatives.

On the other hand, four women have been democratically elected to the post of President of the Republic: the Nicaraguan Violeta Barrios de Chamor-ro (1990); the Panamanian Mireya Elisa Moscoso (1999); the Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (2005); and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, in Argentina (2007). Their integration into ministe-rial cabinets is another point to high-light. While in the 1990s women held just 9% of ministerial roles, ten years later the percentage has tripled to 24%. Figures for 2009 indicate a fall to 21.6%. A qualitative change to bear in mind is that women increasingly hold positions traditionally reserved for men, such as Home Affairs, Defense, Economy and Production.

39c cooperation

The Princes open the AECID Technical Office for Cooperation in San Salvador On May 30, the Prince and Princess of Asturias opened the AECID's Techni-cal Office for Cooperation in El Salvador, which is situated within the grounds of the Spanish Embassy, adjoined to the Foreign Office and the Agency's Cultural Center. Contracts for both the architectural project and the construction were won by local companies. The building boasts 1,100 square meters of offices, 800m2 of parking spaces and cellars, and another 600 square meters of gardens and access routes.

Meeting of the ICRC's Group of Major Donors in Segovia On May 28 and 29, the Parador de La Granja (Segovia) played host to the Group of Major Donors to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This was the first time that Spain has led the group, in which it figures among the top ten donors; a sign of the growing importance placed by this organization on Spanish humanitarian aid and the important role it played by our country. Many subjects were discussed during the meeting, such as the preservation of so-called "humanitarian space" when faced with difficulties in accessing populations, the current insecurity in many countries and the protection of volunteers; the quality of aid in humanitarian action; the study of practical cases such as responses to situations in Chad and Colombia and the general functioning of the ICRC.

1st National Educational Award for Development The AECID and the Ministry of Education have announced the first National Educational Award for Development, whose objective is to recognize the projects and initiatives being developed in educational centers to raise awareness and foster greater understanding of global development, the fight against poverty and the promotion of sustainable and humane development. Information on the award can be found at www.aecid.es/PremioNacionalED

Miquel Barceló, at the Venice Biennale The artist Miquel Barceló is representing Spain at the 53ª Venice Art Bien-nale, which is open to the public until November 22 2009. The exhibition brings together recent, large format paintings and earlier works demonstrating a revi-sion of Barceló's work since 2000.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias during the inauguration of The Techni-cal Office for Cooperation in San Salvador. Photo M.a.nieto

Presentation of the Action Plan

Women for disarmament

The Secretary of State for Interna-tional Cooperation, Soraya Rodríguez, presented the Action Plan Women and Peace Building in the Spanish Cooperation, “a commitment made by the Spanish Government to the cause of women and gender equality in development”.

Today, 90% of the victims of armed conflicts are civilians, the majority of which are women and children who represent around two thirds of displaced persons. It is in-creasingly common for armed forces, insurgents and rebels to use sexual violence against women and girls. Humanitarian crises exacerbate gen-der violence.

However, it must not be forgotten that, when it comes to armed con-flicts, women are not simply victims or combatants. In the midst of con-frontation and violence, they contin-ue supporting their families and com-munities in their daily lives.

The Plan of Action, which reflects the Spanish Cooperation's commit-ment to equality, was drawn up by various ministers and members of civil society and provides practical guidance to all of those in the Spanish Cooperation involved in peace build-ing.

The Plan is based around four key areas of work: an increase in female participation at all institutional levels and in all processes involved in peace building; transversal integration of a focus on gender in the main modes of data collection and information systems within multilateral organiza-tions, alongside an implementation of their programs; training for peace building and peacekeeping from a gender perspective and the protec-tion of women in violent situations, especially during and immediately after armed conflicts.

40 c cooperation

Interview. Jacob Kellenberger attended the La Granja meeting, where issues were discussed such as the relevance of international humanitarian law in cur-rent wars or how to deal with the challenging problem of internal refugees and women affected by war.

Jakob KellenbergerPRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC)

SDSqThe sizeable humanitarian aid provided by Spain is an asset for the ICRC˝

— This year Spain presides over the group of donors. What is its role as an ICRC donor?— The country that presides over the Donor Support Group plays an essen-tial role, as they help the ICRC to orga-nize two visits to the donor countries in preparation for the annual meeting also held by the Group. Spain has been a member of the group since 2006 and its presidency has produced very good results. Spain's sizeable humanitarian efforts are an asset for the ICRC, as is proven not solely by its generous fi-nancial support, but also by its interest in participating in the debates on the principal challenges facing humani-tarian organizations. — Today the majority of armed con-flicts are not international. How does the ICRC face the challenge of raising awareness of international humanitarian law on both sides and ensuring its application? How does the international community aid this task?— The ICRC's main tool is dialogue with all parties. If the ICRC has reli-able information on violations of the law, it takes the issue up directly with the party responsible, whether they are a Government or a rebel move-ment. States can help by using their influence on the parties involved in

the conflict to contribute to a greater adherence to the law. With regards to this, it is worth highlighting the importance of the EU Directorates in encouraging the observance of inter-national humanitarian law.

We are now commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Con-vention, do you think this is a good occasion to revise or study a new ad-ditional Protocol with reference to specific issues, such as the declaration of sexual violence as a serious infrac-tion of the law, and new measures for the victims of war requiring special protection, as is perhaps the case with volunteers?

Rape and other forms of sexual violence are already detailed as war crimes in the Statute of the Interna-tional Criminal Court and other trea-ties on international humanitarian law. Volunteers that provide assistance are protected as long as their actions are not contrary to their status as civilians. In our opinion, the main challenge fac-ing us is gaining a greater adherence to these and other existing rules of inter-national humanitarian law. That said, there is obviously always room for a development of the law and for the clarification of some of its fundamen-tal concepts.— How has your institution changed

over the past six decades and what are the future challenges facing the ICRC?— The ICRC has changed a great deal. There has been a significant increase in the areas and the volume of its ac-tivity and we are much more active in armed conflicts and cases of inter-nal violence. However, the ICRC's basic mission - assisting and protect-ing victims of violence - continues to be the same. Nor have the challenges changed much: the biggest is still gain-ing access to people affected by war who require assistance and protection. Doing our best to ensure all sides in armed conflicts adhere to internation-al humanitarian law continues to be of the utmost importance. The world has changed in many ways that affect an organization such as the ICRC. The instant globalization of information, a growing complexity in conflicts and an ever-growing number of humanitarian organizations increase the importance of projecting a clear identity, of man-aging information efficiently and co-ordinating with other humanitarian agencies. In recent years, it has also been necessary to point out time and again that the fight against terrorism is perfectly compatible with respect for international humanitarian law.◆ Virginia Castrejana

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41c cooperation

The Spanish Spain, seventh largest contributor to UNESCO The Mixed Spain-UNESCO Commission on Cooperation met in Paris with the objective of monitoring the funds Spain donates to the organization. In 2009, Spain became the seventh largest contributor to UNESCO's regular budget and the fifth donor of extra-budgetary funds with a total of 10,645,210 euros in 2008, marking a substantial increase on previous years (7,701,260 euros in 2007 and 5,221,200 euros in 2006).

Contribution of 4 million euros to combat swine flu The Spanish Government has made 4 million euros available to the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) to help stem the spread of the H1N1 virus in Latin America. Spain annually donates 500,000 euros towards eventualities that may occur in the continent; however, the severity of the epidemic recently led Spain to authorize the PAHO to use another 500,000 euros immediately.

A Commitment to Accessibility The Spanish Cooperation and the ACS Foundation have signed an agreement to include criteria regarding accessibility and architectural sustainability in the daily lives of populations in developing countries. Among the planned activities are a seminar on Health and Safety conditions in building works, which will be held in Montevideo at the end of August, and technical assistance for the treatment of solid residues at the Mayor's Office in San Salvador.

A Commitment to literacy and technological development Spain and Morocco have signed two cooperation protocols to set in motion two important projects regarding literacy and informal education, and tech-nological development. All of this for a sum of 2,900,000 euros, around 32 million dirhams.

Mexico to open its second Training Workshop in Oaxaca As part of AECID's Heritage for Development Program, a convention has been signed to establish a training workshop in the Antiguo Convento Domini-co in the municipality of San Juan Teitipac, Tlacolula, state of Oaxaca.

Meeting of Young Hispanic Leaders of the United States The 11th edition of the Program for Young Hispanic Leaders, organized by the Fundación Carolina, was held in the cities of Madrid and Santander. 16 re-nowned professionals of Hispanic origin and resident in the US from the worlds of politics, academia, business, media and arts took part.

The Secretary of State Soraya Rodríguez with Her Majesty the Queen during the presentation in the AECID headquarters. Photo PePa acedo

For 2011

Valladolid to host the Global summit on Microcredit

Valladolid will be the host city for the Global Summit on Microcredit in 2011. The decision was announced by the Secretary of State for International Co-operation during a ceremony attended by HM the Queen, honorary co-chair of the Summit on Microcredit. Since 1997, when the first summit was held in Washington, Queen Sofia has taken part in numerous international meetings on the subject. In the words of Soraya Rodríguez, the success of the 5th Global Summit “will not depend solely on our cooperative efforts”; rather, it will be the result of a “combined effort on the part of Non-Governmental Development Orga-nizations and a whole network of public and private entities” that are commit-ted to microcredit. Queen Sofía closed the ceremony by stating she is “firmly convinced” that the 2011 Summit “will have a very positive impact” and that “it will help to achieve the Millennium De-velopment Goals that we long for, espe-cially as regards support for the poorest people and for women”.

The 2011 Global Summit on Micro-credit will focus on issues such as how to reach the poorest people, promote decision making powers for women, construct financially sustainable institu-tions, and ensure a positive, tangible im-pact on the lives of the beneficiary popu-lation and their families.

RESPUESTAS ALCUESTIONARIO PARALAS CIUDADESQUE DESEEN SERCANDIDATASA LA ORGANIZACIÓNDE LOS JUEGOS DELA XXXIª OLIMPÍADAEN 2016

REPLIES TO THEQUESTIONNAIRE FORCITIES APPLYINGTO BECOMECANDIDATE CITIESTO HOST THE GAMESOF THE XXXIOLYMPIAD IN 2016

42 C culture and society

“It has been a resounding success”, declared the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, upon leaving the most recent meeting in Lausanne with the members of the IOC, on June 17 of this year. For the first time in history, the four finalist cities (Madrid, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo) had the opportunity to present their plans to the majority of the IOC's voting members. Madrid's presentation was given by the seven members of the delegation, which included the Mayor, the President of the Spanish Olympic Committee and the Secretary of State for Sport. Now we are just awaiting the final decision, which we will find out on October 2, 2009 when the International Olympic Committee convenes in the Danish city of Copenhagen. Although, as the Madrid candidature points out, “We have a good feeling about things”.Miradas al exterior

Madrid is again a candidate city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, after just missing out on be-coming the host city during the last selection. It is third time that Madrid has submitted a bid to host the Games. The first attempt was in 1965, when the municipal authorities decided to submit a bid to host the 1972 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which was eventually held in Munich. On that occasion, Madrid's other rivals were Detroit (United States) and Montreal (Canada).

Almost forty years on, the Spanish capital's Olympic dream was revived when Madrid City Council decided to make another attempt, bidding for the 2012 Games. This time its rivals for the great Olympic dream were Istan-bul (Turkey), Havana (Cuba), Leipzig (Germany), London (United King-dom), Moscow (Russia), New York (United States), Paris (France) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

The first cut took place after the submission of the bid questionnaire and Madrid was the second most high-ly rated city with a score of 8.3, coming in just behind Paris (8.5). London (7.6), New York (7.5) and Moscow (6.5) were the other candidate cities. On July 6, 2005 the members of the IOC finally decided, after a hard-fought vote, that London would be the host city for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Moscow and New York were elimi-nated in the first two rounds; Madrid went out in the third, missing out by just two votes.

Final stage for the Madrid 2016 bid

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Towards 2016, a long and exciting pro-cess. The bidding process for the 31st Olympic Games began in May 2007, when the International Olympic Com-mittee (IOC) invited the 203 National Olympic Committees to submit the name of the city under their jurisdic-tion that they wished to put forward to host the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. September 13, 2007 was the deadline for the ap-plicant countries to submit their bids. In the end there were seven: Baku (Azerbaijan), Chicago (United States), Doha (Qatar), Madrid (Spain), Prague (Czech Republic), Rio de Janeiro (Bra-zil) and Tokyo (Japan).

As of that date, the seven applicant countries embarked on a process divid-ed into two stages. The first part con-sisted in an in-depth analysis of the cit-ies by the IOC. During this period, each of the cities had to fill out a question-naire. The answers were studied by the IOC Executive Committee, who award-ed the Madrid bid the second highest score (8.4), alongside the bids from Tokyo (8.6), Chicago (7.4) and Rio de Janeiro (6.8). During the second stage the nominated candidate cities had to deliver the bid dossier to the IOC, which included a detailed description of their Olympic proposal. Following this they received a visit from the IOC Evaluation Commission. In February 2009, the Madrid bid took another step towards winning the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games when it submitted its dossier in Lausanne. This marked the beginning of a new phase as a can-didate city, which will end with the announcement of the host city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

What Madrid 2016 offers. Through it “Games for the People” Madrid will provide Spain's citizens and the rest of the world with sporting and Olympic values, strengthening them and creat-ing a unique experience that will reflect a culture of tolerance, respect, warmth and friendship in what will represent an opportunity to show the Hispanic

The MADRID 2016 bID IN FIGuReS6.055 billion dollars in the bid budget, the3rd most economical behind Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro. 92.6% support for the Olympic bid among Span-ish society, according to the most recent surveys. 80% of the venues in the bid are already built or are under construction. 15 kilometers is the radius within which most of the venues are located, all of which are accessible by the metro. 10 minutes is the time it takes to travel from the airport to the Olympic Village. 8.4 is the score it received in the previous evaluation, which took place in Athens in 2008 and was only bettered by Tokyo with a score of 8.6.

Virtual recreation of the Madrid 2016 project. Images of several facilities such as the Olympic Stadium, the Athletes Village, the Volleyball Arena, the Caja Mágica (Magic Box), the Madrid Arena, the swimming pool and the boxing arena. phOTOS eFe

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The OTheR CANDIDATe CITIeS

Chicago The US city is playing the Barack Obama card as the im-age of its candidacy. It is starting out behind Tokyo and Madrid in the

IOC evaluation. It requires a sizeable investment in the venues, unlike Tokyo or Madrid, in order to host the Games. Life during the Games will revolve around Lake Michigan, the indisput-able landmark of Chicago. Another distinguishing feature are its parks, which take up over 3,000 hectares of the city. The green area is constantly increasing thanks to over 500,000 new trees planted in an initiative by the mayor, conscious of the IOC's increas-ing interest in the environment. population: 3,100,000 inhabitants. IOC score: 7.4. Dates: From July 22 through August 7.

Tokyo. It has emerged from the first IOC evaluation as Ma-drid's strongest rival.

The Japanese city has got fully behind bringing back the Olympic torch to Asia and its proximity to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing has not discouraged its bid. Tokyo's strong points are security and accommodations. It has been planned so that the Olympic Village and all the sporting events, apart from Olympic shooting and five soccer stadiums, are within an 8 kilometer radius, which will facilitate communications. Further-more, the Tokyo City Council has placed a particular emphasis on highlighting the Japanese capital's commitment to the environment.population: 13,064,000 inhabitantsIOC score: 8.6 . Dates: From July 26 through August 14.

Rio de Janeiro. In principle it is the can-didate with the few-est options, although

counting in its favor is the fact that the IOC has never awarded this honor to any Latin American country. The Bra-zilian city had an attempt in 1936, and tried again in 2004 and 2012. Barra da Tijuca is the chosen location for the Olympic Village. The facilities will be built around it, most of which will be new and involve a high level of techni-cal expertise. Rio de Janeiro could play a decisive role in the voting, since it is expected that the Latin American members of the IOC could later move over to Madrid if the Brazilian city is eliminated. population: 6,253,000 inhabitants IOC score: 6.8. Dates: From August 5 through 21.

and Mediterranean cultures to world. Following Beijing 2008 and London 2012, where the Chinese and Anglo Saxon cultures will have had the oppor-tunity to do so, 2016 will be a genuine rotation of cultures, which is far more important than a rotation of continents. As King Don Juan Carlos stated before the members of the IOC Evaluation Commission in May this year “the time has come for the Spanish Games”.

Furthermore, physical and social regeneration will go hand in hand with social integration and cohesion. The so-called Legacy Commission will provide sustainable benefits before, during and after 2016 that will extend to sporting, social, economic, envi-ronmental cultural and educational areas. International sporting venues, efficient transport links, a party at-mosphere and an event charged with emotion will be the distinguishing fea-tures of the Madrid Games.

For 59 days, the Games will repre-sent a sporting festival like no other

and a unique plan for urban and hu-man development. It will be spread over two zones; the Zona Núcleo (Central Zone), the heart of the games, and the Zona Río (River Zone), the lungs. Around 830 hectares will be transformed into green and accessible areas. 70% of the venues will be situ-ated just 15 minutes from the Olympic Village and 85% will be within 10 kilo-meters of the center.

Maximum involvement and partici-pation from the community and young people are the basis for the cultural and sporting plans for Madrid 2016. It will reach out to the 400 million His-panic people worldwide, as well as to Africans, Europeans and the countries in the Mediterranean Basin, and the venues will be packed with visitors from all over the world.

The Cultural Commission will co-ordinate several programs based on Madrid's incredible historical and artistic heritage and will use innova-tive technology to show it off. All the

events and especially the ceremonies will give visitors the opportunity to enjoy the “party” at the venues and in the city's streets, squares and parks. The Spanish hospitality, party spirit and passion for sport will make a last-ing impression.

And now Madrid has returned with the conviction that it is going to realize this common dream shared by all. More than 93% of Spanish citizens have shown their support for the bid. All of Spain's and Madrid's institu-tions, including the Royal Family, the Spanish government, the Community of Madrid, Madrid City Council and the business sector are also backing the bid. In addition, in all of its sub-missions the Madrid 2016 Olympic bid has demonstrated its proven orga-nizational ability, its passion for sport and the tremendous hospitality of its citizens. Without a doubt the Spanish capital is the best possible destination to host the greatest sporting event on the planet.

What does Madrid suggest to us? The capital of Spain, party-ing, culture, gastronomy, soccer, tennis, basketball... In short, sports and elite athletes backed up by hundreds of thousands of amateur athletes. If we add the number 2016 to Madrid it takes on an even greater magnitude, offering infinite possibilities.

Who wouldn't like to be a teen-ager right now, dreaming of tak-ing part in the Olympic Games? What's more, if they are held in Madrid, it would be the ultimate. Since I can no longer aspire to this, what better way to make the most of the opportunity than by cheering on our representatives.

During my sporting career I never had a great deal of luck, some-thing very important in athletics, when taking part in the Olympic Games. For me it has always been on my to-do list, perhaps because of what it means for a top level athlete to achieve Olympic glory. In contrast, I had my best performances in the European and World Cham-pionships, winning a gold in the World Championships in Gothenburg (1995) and a silver at the World Championships in Athens (1997). I recall the silver with particular affection because of what the silver and the gold

meant for me and my colleague Abel Antón.

I've experienced the Olym-pic Games three times. At Barcelona´92 I realized the dream of any athlete by taking part, especially in my own coun-try. Four years later at Atlanta ´96 my dream moved from the albeit important taking part to having ambitions of winning a medal in the marathon. I came close; after coming in fourth I was bathed in tears. At Sydney ´00 I was an experienced athlete and all I was aiming for -and I succeeded- was to retire from top level competition in a digni-fied manner. I was awarded an Olympic Diploma, finishing sixth.

With every passing day the pos-sibility of holding the Olympic Games in Madrid seems more likely. It has it all: infrastructure, facilities and experience in orga-nizing international events. Aside from this, Madrid is bursting with life 24 hours a day. An event such as the Olympic Games doesn't end when the referee blows the final whistle or when an athlete crosses the finish line; rather, it continues all day long and throughout the night, discuss-ing and applauding what has happened. And Madrid has that spirit, which is not easy to find.

Madrid undoubtedly deserves the 2016 Games because it is the city with the best program and, what's more, it has been prepar-ing itself for them for quite a few years. The selection process for 2012 left Madrid in a good position and the gains made will undoubtedly help us in this new opportunity. Madrid is a cosmo-politan city that is accustomed to welcoming people of all different races from all over the world. We will leave a good taste in people's mouths and everyone will want to come back to our city.

Taking part again in the Olympic Games makes me excited. At Madrid 2016 I will experience them from a different perspective than what I am used to. I will be a fan as well as an ambassador and a lover of peace and sport. Organizing the Olympic Games is the push that Madrid needs to step up to the podium of the most important cities in Europe. It is getting closer all the time. The International Olympic Com-mittee (IOC) should select it. The athletes deserve as city such as this one.

Athletes, citizens of Madrid, Spaniards: we want and believe that on October 2, Madrid will be prepared for Madrid 2016 to finally become a reality.

The bid has it all: facilities and experience in organizing international events.

Madrid deserves the 2016 Games because it has been preparing itself for them for quite a few years.

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Madrid 2016 will be Madrid 2016

Martín FizMArAthOn gOld And SIlVer MedAl wInner At the wOrld ChAMpIOnShIpS And wInner Of the 1997 prInCe Of ASturIAS AwArd fOr SpOrt

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Madrid and Barcelona top the list in business management training, and each year more international students choose Spain to receive an executive education of the highest level. Our language, Spain's status as a gateway into Latin America and Europe, the internationalization model of our companies and, of course, the climate, are some of the biggest attractions. But the main reason is the fact that Spain, according to the most respected rankings, boasts three of the best business schools in the world.by beatriz beeckmans

Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas… the range of origins of the students who choose our business schools is huge. In some programs, almost half of the stu-dents are Latin Americans who com-plete MBAs in our country to obtain an understanding of Europe that is highly valued in the business world, and to do so in a place where they feel com-fortable because of our shared cultural background. Among the main destina-tions for these students are IE, IESE and Esade, world leaders in executive edu-cation.

But why? Spain offers many attrac-tions for international students. Barcelo-na and Madrid are viewed worldwide as cosmopolitan cities with good climates and dynamic lifestyles. The schools all agree that the language also influ-ences the choice. Spanish is viewed as a language of the future, and Spain as a gateway into the Latin American market and culture. The internationalization of Spanish companies in recent decades and our business management model are other factors that have captured the

attention of students who choose to complete their edu-cation in Spain.

But above all, what at-tracts them is the quality of teaching and the reputation of our schools. Their movement up the most respected inter-national rankings (Financial Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, América Economía, Forbes and Busi-ness Week) has played a fundamental role. As Julián Trigo, Admissions Director at IE Business School, points out, “when a student from any country in the world is looking for a good school, it's highly likely that we'll be on the list of possibilities.” “The language and the fact that the school is in a city like Barcelona helps," comments a spokesperson from Esade, "but a lot of them wouldn't come if it didn't have the position it has in the rankings. They think that if in addition to getting a mas-

ters with prestige, they can do it in a city like Barcelona, all the better. In this sense, the com-petition has been very healthy for all three schools and has pushed us to keep improving and competing with each other just as we do with European or North American schools.” Their curricular innovation, their marked international character, their teaching staff, their ability to meet student ex-pectations and their network of agreements with other interna-tional schools are just a few of the reasons behind this unstop-pable rise in their reputations. Some, like IE Business School, offer a specific unit for business creation, where up to 400 busi-

ness plans are presented and more than 50 companies are set up each year.

And they are schools concerned not only with providing the market with ex-cellent managers with extensive knowl-edge of finance, marketing and human

Spain, at the forefront of business management training

The current economic situation is being viewed as a good oppor-tunity to learn and to improve your prospects of getting back into the labor market

Studying in Spain provides a good platform to make the leap into Europe and Latin America

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resources, but also people whose train-ing includes business ethics and corpo-rate responsibility.

An MBA, or Master in Business Administration, is a general program that offers students from diverse back-grounds - legal experts, engineers, econ-omists - an overview of business man-agement. “Standardization” is its chief characteristic, as few educational pro-grams in the world are as homogeneous. “It is a program that allows you greater mobility, because it's the same through-out the world. Whether you get an MBA in Spain, Japan or Singapore, the com-panies know exactly what it is and what

knowledge you possess," explains the spokesperson from ESADE.

The profile of the students who take these programs is determined to a large extent by the admission criteria, which require a university degree, at least two years of professional experience, proof of a high level of fluency in English, the resolution of a small business case and the passing of a test – usually the GMAT, an exam that evaluates the aptitude of candidates for this type of program. Ac-cording to Nuria Guilera, MBA Market-ing Director at ESADE, the selection process, which includes a personal in-terview, considers qualities such as “the

candidate's level of motivation, success orientation, empathy, and leadership and communication skills.” Consequent-ly, professional careers after completing an MBA have a marked international character. “People go wherever an offer arises, and are highly aware of the need for mobility.”

Students from 50 countries. Diversity is one of the most outstanding features of the International MBA at IE Business School, which this year has more than 90% foreign students originating from 50 different countries. Considered one of the 10 best in the world in the interna-

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ThE criSiS AS An OppOrTuniTy TO LEArnCuriously, business schools have experienced a growth of up to 30% in the number of applications in the last year, as, according to IE Busi-ness School, “many people see this time as a good moment to further their training and be better prepared to emerge from the crisis.”

“i knOw yOu”… Or ThE iMpOrTAncE Of nETwOrkingAlthough it isn't one of the goals that students usually have when they start an MBA, they soon realize the importance of the social network that they can establish during their time in a prestigious school. “Each year, more and more foreign students enter Esade who want to keep in touch with the school and with their fellow students when they go back to their countries or move around the world for work,” explains Dominik Mertens, manager of ESADE ALUM-NI. To keep this global networking alive, the alumni club's chapters, in 96 countries, have as their main mission the organization of events to strengthen the ties between students and the institution. They therefore regularly arrange Christmas dinners, cultural meetings, sports events, updating sessions, conferences or visits to companies to learn about the initiatives being implemented by other former students. In addition, this complex social network gives its members direct access to more than 38,000 former students in 110 countries via its virtual directory.

Three of our business schools are among the world's best according to global rankings

The students have a marked international profile, both in terms of training and professional achievements

tional rankings, the program is offered in 2 versions - one in Spanish and one in English. Students analyze more than 500 case studies, including multimedia cases, simulations and interactive games. In addition, they gain experience in real business cases of financial management, economic environment or managerial competency development, among other subjects.

The program has been reformulat-ed this year to enhance the internation-al experience of the students. Among the new initiatives will be a 2-week pre-program course, during which students will attend lectures on com-munication from actors from Shake-speare's Globe (the famous theater in London); they will also take part in a design workshop with teachers from London's Architectural Association School of Architecture, the institu-tion where architects such as Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid studied; and they will participate in a Humanities training module to explore areas such as the Arab world, the civilizations of India and China, the history of Spain and contemporary culture. Among this school's graduates are Gerhard Gross Rojas, President and General Manager of DaimlerChrysler, Pablo Largacha, Global Communications Director for Coca Cola, and Sebastián Paredes, CEO of Bank Danamon in Indonesia.

Among the best. The IESE Business School at the Uni-versity of Navarra, rated in the “Financial Times Execu-tive Education 2009” rank-ing as the third best school in business education in the world, offers three types of MBA, whose contents and structures are updated in keeping with the demands of the business market. Contin-uous contact with interna-tional academic institutions and the IESE's exchange of ideas and constant contact with the business world fa-

cilitate a balanced and comprehensive training that promotes professional excellence. Its program combines tra-ditional teaching systems, such as the case method (one of the distinctive features of the IESE) with new tech-nological solutions such as e-learning platforms. During the two courses of its MBA program, students form an active part of a work group under the guidance of a course tutor, and analyze and discuss hundreds of cases and real situations. During the third term of second year, students can participate in exchange programs with interna-tional business schools such as Berke-ley, Chicago, Columbia, Wharton or MIT.

Connection with Latin America. ESADE Business School is also continuing to develop its international reputation. This is evident from the ranking pub-lished by "América Economía", the maximum authority in the Latin Amer-ican business world, which places the school's MBA program in the world's top 5. The school's prestige, curricular innovation (very important in times of crisis), and its connection with Latin America have been among its most highly valued assets. The Chilean mag-azine also gives a very positive rating to the ESADE Alumni network, particu-larly due to its strong presence in Latin

America through its chapters throughout Brazil, Peru and Venezuela. And in 2004, ES-ADE also opened a campus in Buenos Aires, dedicated to offering training to managers, local companies or multina-tionals with an office in the region who want to improve their managerial skills and competencies. ESADE's high international profile is also due to the numerous collabor-ative agreements and strategic alliances that the school holds with various prestigious insti-tutions and universities, such as Harvard Business School.

As a first consideration, I will offer the point that executive training needs to be viewed from a strate-gic perspective, as an essential fac-tor in any response to demands of business management, which are becoming increasingly complex, variable and sophisticated.

The focal point of the analysis of the current business environment should be what we might refer to as the “society of change”, charac-terized by features such as growing competition, more dynamic markets, constant technological development, an increased influ-ence of external agents and power groups in business management, and the oft-discussed but not necessarily inexorable globaliza-tion of the economy. Without a doubt, this situation should set the themes that we believe should be at the core of all managerial training initiatives. The aim is to contribute through training to the development of a managerial pro-file in keeping with the challenges faced by our society. Another im-portant aspect to consider is that high-level executive training should provide challenges for managers.

From this perspective, the follow-ing would be some of the clearer trends that can be identified as demands of the corporate world: first, to make available to the manager the latest advances with proven success in manage-ment. At the same time, we need

to create environments that favor deep reflection and the sharing of ideas and experiences between participants and with the teach-ers, which means considering teaching methodologies that go beyond the case method. To contribute to furthering devel-opment, not only professional but personal as well. A special effort should also be made to reinforce competencies that favor a more enterprising approach to management, more inclined towards innovation and accep-tance of change as a generator of new opportunities, as is needed for an environment as highly competitive and variable as the current one. Finally, we need to be capable of providing not only “know-how” but also “know-who”, so that managers, through their participation in programs, can substantially increase their social capital. Today's technology offers numerous possibilities in this area with the development of virtual communities. All of this needs to happen in environments that bring out today's burning issues, such as globalization, sustainable development, social responsibility and diversity. At the same time, formats need to be designed that are truly com-patible with professional activity. Worthy of special attention is the use of “blended” methodologies, which combine class contact with “e-learning”. This means that business schools need to

make a considerable effort to develop outstanding training models for senior management.

Taking these trends into consid-eration, we can propose a training model for senior management that aims to contribute to the improve-ment of managerial profiles in these three key aspects: first of all, vision and strategic thinking, to enhance the design capaci-ties of strategies that approach change as fundamental to gaining a competitive edge in the market. We need to develop the idea of creating vantage points for reflec-tion, from which managers can make decisions not only about what is urgent but also about what is important. Secondly, efficiency in management, to ensure the proper implementation of the strategies established. And last but not least, the leadership that will enable managers to build high performance, strategically aligned business teams. In conclusion, I should stress that the business training industry is immersed in processes of change similar to those being experienced in other sectors, and especially with regard to the new demands of our customers. Those of us working in this field must make a significant effort to keep in step with these changes and to help managers in their professional and personal development throughout their managerial careers.

The business training industry is immersed in processes of change similar to those being experienced in other sectors

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Training for senior management:future trends

Manuel BermejoDirector of Senior ManageMent PrograMS, ie BuSineSS School

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Almagro, Mérida, Itálica (Seville), Alcalá de Henares, Barcelona, Olite…are a few of the many and varied destinations preferred by lovers of the performing arts. With the exception of the Teatre Grec in Barcelona, the Puerta del Mediterráneo in Teruel and Los Veranos de la Villa in Madrid, most of the the summer theater festivals held in Spain are dedicated to classical theater. And this summer in particular to the "Phoenix of Spanish wits".Miradas al exterior

Each summer, an old church, a mag-nificent Roman amphitheater, a castle courtyard, a porticoed square, a make-shift open-air venue or the most unex-pected of places could be the setting chosen by theater lovers to enjoy the work of the Spanish and foreign the-ater companies that tour Spain summer

after summer. According to data from the Ministry of Culture, more than one hundred professional festivals with for-eign companies in their programs are held in Spain each year. The calendar fills up when the weather turns hotter.

The Mérida Classical Theater Festival is the oldest of its kind in

Lope de Vega is the star of the summer festivals

Spain. This summer it will hold its 55th edition. On Saturday, June 27, the imposing Roman theater in the Extremaduran capital opened its pro-gram with a gala event featuring the Zarza company from Castellón and the Extremadura Orchestra perform-ing Mahler's Symphony No. 1, as well as "Fedra" danced by Lola Greco, and the Animalario company presenting Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus". At the same time, El Brujo presents a re-cital inspired by the Gospel of John, while Tamzin Townsend directs "The Twins" by Plautus. And in August, the dancer Ángel Corella will perform Pe-tipa's choreography of "Diana & Ac-teon", and the actress Blanca Portillo will lead the cast of "Medea". www.festivaldemerida.es

Another of the major Spanish summer festivals is the festival in Almagro. In the Corral de Comedias theater in this town in La Mancha, between July 2 and 26, four different productions of Lope de Vega's "Fuente

w

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In the garden of Lope de Vega's house on the Madrid street of Francos (today Number 11 on Calle Cervantes), there is a well. This was something quite rare in 17th-century Madrid, and marked a noticeable difference between those who had one and those who didn't. The few had water in their own houses, while the many had to go fetch it from the closest spring or stream.

But Lope's greatest, most incom-parable asset was another well, without which he never would have been able to raise the 9,000 reals necessary to buy a house with a garden in the middle of Ma-drid. This priceless asset was the bottomless well of poetry, which welled up within him naturally, with an ease and abundance that were truly prodigious. The spring from which Lope drank was, in addition to being plentiful and constant, impressively clean and clear, in contrast with the obscure language that typified the produc-tion of the Culteranismo school.

In addition to producing all kinds of verse from a very young age (ec-logues, dialogues, epistles, stanzas,

sonnets, eulogies, epitaphs, romances), Lope had the blood of a playwright pulsing through is veins. At thirteen, he produced his first comedy, written in verse. Blessed with a highly refined ear and a sound intuition, he had the ability to guess what the people would like to hear on the stage and created for them a new literary and theatrical genre - the "novelesque" drama.

His achievement was not merely writing thousands of pages, but doing so with such author-ity that he imposed order on the somewhat anarchic world of pre-Baroque theater. Vulgar farces, calamitous tales, shape-less dramas, overblown language, epic romances, and the confusion between the heroic and the sub-lime were the daily fare of Spanish theater before Lope. Forming a for-midable vanguard, he, Cervantes, Góngora and Quevedo raised the bar for the Spanish language to a level that has never been equaled since. The third pillar upon which Lope built his career was the cult of the fairer sex. Women burst into his life at a very young age, and often they came along so quickly

that he didn't have time to tire of one before he was caught in the net of another.

Verse, theater and profane love gave rise to a new genre, whose rules and plots we still live on today: a yearning subject, an object of desire and a third party possessed by the demon of jealousy and the poison of money and power... To make this formula successful with an audience de-pended on the ability of the ex-pert, in this case being capable of speaking in hendecasyllables from morning until night.. Having writ- Having writ-Having writ-ten the first hundred comedies (Cervantes bragged of having had “twenty or thirty” performed without having tomatoes thrown at him), the rest was a piece of cake. The audience would show enthusiastic appreciation for the effort, applauding the author even when he was walking down the street, and ladies would step into his line of vision in the hope of being immortalized in his verse, or with other more mundane aspira-tions. Sometimes it was the ladies who took the first step, writing him letters in verse, which he had no choice but to answer.

the noteJacobo GarcíajOurnALIST

In Lope's garden

The Roman Theater in Mérida, one of the greatest legacies of the Roman era in Spain, is the setting for the Theater Festival

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THE COrrAL DE COMEDIAS, A jEWEL OF THE GOLDEn AGE Although there are sixteen stages where theatrical performances are held in Almagro, the Corral de Comedias is the most emblematic venue in this Castilian town. De-clared an artistic historic monument in 1955, it has undergone various conservation and restoration opera-tions, the last between 2003 and 2004, which have enabled the tech-nological modernization of Spain's only extant 17th century theater. The Corral de Comedias is the axis around which the Almagro Festival has turned since it began, having become a meeting and study center for specialists in the theater of the Golden Age.The Corral de Comedias in Almagro was built in 1628 by Leonardo de Oviedo. It consists of a cobble-stone hallway with a rustic roof over its entrance. The courtyard is surrounded by covered balconies that open into it. These structures served as chambers during theatri-cal performances and would also be used as cells or bedrooms for travelers.

Ovejuna" will be presented, including a Japanese production. The National Classical Theater Company is offering two more plays by Lope: "La estrella de Sevilla" and the premiere of "¿De cuándo acá nos vimos?", as well as "El caballero de Olmedo", by the Corsario company from Valladolid, "La Dama Bob" by Pie Izquierdo, and "La gato-maquia", directed by Héctor Manuel Vidal. Shakespeare will also take the stage in Almagro with Animalario's "Titus Adronicus" and the Morboria company's version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Also scheduled are Cervantes's "Quijote" by the Fontanka Theater company from Saint Petersburg, Calderón de la Barca's "La dama duende" and Tirso de Molina's "La celosa de sí misma". www.festivaldealmagro.com

The castle in the Na-varran village of Olite will celebrate the tenth edition of its festival from July 17 to August 1, presenting works as emblematic as "A Mid-summer Night's Dream" and the productions "Las gracias mohosas" and "Auto de los Reyes Magos" by the Nation-al Classical Theater Compa-ny. Audiences can also enjoy "Historias de Martín de Vil-lalba" by Lope de Rueda and a review of the world of jest-ers from the perspective of Commedia dell’arte. www.cfnavarra.es/OliteTe-atro

In Barcelona, the Teatre Grec will run from June 20 until August 2. It will offer modern theater with the Italian directors Romeo Castelucci, Lucca Ronconi and Pippo Delbono. A high-light of the dance program will be the show created and performed by danc-er Silvye Guillem, Canadian director Robert LePage and Russell Maliphant. www.barcelonafestival.com

Two small towns in Teruel - Mora de Rubielos and Rubielos de Mora - will host a program somewhat re-

moved from the classical, with circus, dance and, of course, theater perfor-mances. The mime theater company Familie Flüz will perform "Hotel Par-adiso" and the group El Espejo Negro presents "Los perros flauta".

Cáceres is dedicating its festival entirely to the classics. In its twentieth edition, this provincial capital in Ex-tremadura welcomes Molière's "Don Juan", and several plays by Lope de Vega, as well as "La dama duende" by Calderón.

In Alcalá de Henares, Antonio Gades's version of "Fuente Ovejuna" shares the stage with various plays by

Lope and Shakespeare. There is also an adaptation of Cer-vantes's "Rinconete & Cor-tadillo" and of "El licenciado Vidriera".

Other towns, such as Agüimes on Gran Canaria, Ol-medo in Valladolid, and Riba-davia in Ourense (which cel-ebrates its 25th consecutive year of theater this summer), are examples of the work that both public and private insti-tutions do to make possible these indispensable events that are so anticipated by lov-ers of theater, an art as old as history itself.

The summer of 2009 is a historic occasion as it marks the 400th anniversary of the

publication of "Arte nueva de hacer comedias" ("New Art of Making Com-edies" (1609) by Lope de Vega, known as the "Phoenix of Spanish wits". This is not an outstanding work in the huge catalog of Lope's writing, but it serves to call attention to the most important figure of all time in Spanish theater.

Indeed, the light-hearted, colorful spirit of Lope de Vega will preside over the main classical theater festivals this summer, such as Almagro, Olmedo and Olite, the first of which is virtually an exclusive tribute to the playwright, while the others include a good num-ber of his plays in their programs.

the Mérida Classical theater Festival is the oldest festival of its kind in Spain; this summer it celebrates its 55th edition the summer of 2009 marks the 400th an-niversary of the publication of Lope de Vega's treatise on play writing

This is a country where Culture is an everyday necessity. The break in activities that is viewed as essential with the change of the seasons is not possible in Culture; the people would not allow it. Of course we take vacations, we leave our homes in search of more sun or a breath of fresh air, under different skies. But we can't do without our dance, our music, our theater. We wouldn't even entertain the notion that the summer slowdown might invite us to lower our demand for art or mental stimulation. The summer is, in many parts of Spain, the time when we expect to see the best of the performing arts.

According to data from the Theater Information Center of the National Institute of Perform-ing Arts and Music (INAEM), more than one hundred theater festivals with international par-ticipation are held in Spain each summer. From Agüimes on Gran Canaria to the Catalonia's Fira de Teatre al Carrer de Tárrega, our whole country shines on summer nights with theatrical offerings from all over the world. These festivals - one hundred and thirty-seven of them professional events with foreign companies in their programs - are a way of keeping things going through the summer in towns which, thanks to the public theater networks (most of which are managed by the town councils), have regular

programs of high quality and an audience used to theater being a part of their lives. Neither the audience nor the profession-als - for whom these events are also a place for meeting and reflecting - could conceive of a summer without these hundreds of offerings. Does any festival in particular stand out? This is an easy question to answer because, in spite of the great quality and highly varied offerings, there are two festivals that anyone in the profession would describe as world-class events, due to their uniqueness and their histories.

The idea of a festival, of some-thing beyond the program that enhances the image of a theater and a town, inevitably prompts us to look back to the days of the Second Republic: Spanish Prime Minister Manuel Azaña, attending the premiere of a play by Seneca starring Margarita Xirgu, the actress whose exile would convert her into a 20th-century icon in drama instruction in the Ameri-cas: it was Mérida, June 18, 1933 - seventy-six years ago. Today, that theater in Mérida, built in the year 15 B.C., is the site of a festival that was able to attract 20,000 theater lovers to see Sophocles's "Oedipus" directed by Jorge Lavelli last summer, for example.

While Mérida in its last edition celebrated 75 years since Mar-garita Xirgu stood on its stage,

this year Almagro celebrates four centuries of the "New Art of Making Comedies", in which Lope de Vega explains the secrets behind the success of his four hundred plays. The Almagro Festival, which began in the same year as the Spanish Constitution, is a symbol of the importance that Spanish theater has had in the world since the 17th century. It is a place where new perspec-tives are presented each year – this year, for example, "Fuente Ovejuna" performed by the Japa-nese company Ksec Act and by Mefisto from Cuba, or different versions of "Quijote" by the Rus-sian company Fontanka from St. Petersburg and by Irina Brook's company - to revive in their own languages the stories of the Spanish Golden Age: Lope, Tirso, Calderón, Cervantes, Alarcón... The Festival is also the natural home to two jewels that form part of the Ministry of Culture: the National Theater Museum and the National Classical The-ater Company.

The Ministry of Culture is the thread that joins together this ar-chipelago of hundreds of stages, participating in trusts, providing contributions from the compa-nies under its direction, offering occasional or ongoing support both for the festivals themselves and for the companies that par-ticipate in them; this work is our responsibility and our pride.

the idea of a festival, of something beyond the program that enhances the image of a theater and a town, inevitably prompts us to look back to the days of the Second Republic:

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Summer theater festivals. 137 windows on the world

Félix PalomeroGeneRal DiRecToR oF inaeM

54 C Spanish business abroad

Abengoa, Spanish innovation for sustainable development.

A global reference point for alternative energies, the Seville group is increasing its international activity and is already one of Spain's most global companies. Faithful in its commitment to future generations, its investment in solar energy, biofuels, desalination and energy transmission place Abengoa at the forefront of world innovation.by beatriz beeckmans

In the Seville district of Sanlúcar la Mayor, thousands of tiny plaques reflect the some 3,000 hours of sun that this munici-pality enjoys every year. In this immense field, 55 times larger than a soccer pitch, enough electricity is produced to meet the energy needs of 10,000 homes. What seems from the air to be a sea of mirrors is, in fact, the Solúcar platform made up of (among others) the PS10 and the PS20, the first solar plants in the world with tow-

er technology built for commercial use. It was opened by Abengoa in 2006 and by the time it is finished in 2013, it will have 15 times its current strength and at full capacity it will be able to produce double the electricity of the Zorita nuclear power station in Guadalajara. With a strength of 300 MW, it will avoid any large quantities of CO² being emitted.

Abengoa's commitment to the envi-ronment does not stop there. 150 kilome-

ters away, in the bioenergy plant of San Roque in Cádiz, different kinds of veg-etable oils such as soy, canola and palm, are being used to produce more than 200,000 tons of biodiesel, the most prom-ising alternative with which to lessen the environmental impact of the transport sector.

These kinds of innovative proposals developed by Abengoa have made Spain a global reference point for renewable

55C Spanish business abroad

energies. According to the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDEA), renewable energy companies dedicate ten times more than the sector average to R&D. Abengoa is no exception. The compa-ny pursues three specific objectives within their work on innovation: diversification - the development of new products and services; differentiation - improvement and adaptation to new needs- and an im-provement of the processes involved.

Furthermore, our country has the right geography and climate to capital-ize on this kind of energy and the global conditions are also favorable. At the end of the year, the international commu-nity will meet in Copenhagen and try to agree future guidelines with which to tackle climate change, and it is likely that the development of renewable en-ergies will play an important role in the global strategy. Within the EU, the goal set by the European Council in March 2008 for energy from renewable sources

to represent 20% of production by 2020 is also a strong in-

centive for companies like Abengoa. The group is already operative in

China and India, the two markets with the strongest growth potential, and has just taken over construction of an elec-tricity line in Argentina worth more than 200 million dollars. It also has a significant presence in the US and is able to actively participate in the ambitious programs in sustainability and alterna-tive energies set in motion by the new Obama administration.

According to Forbes magazine, Aben-goa is one the largest companies in the world. Its history dates back to the 1940s when the engineers from the Instituto Católico de Artes e Industrias (ICAI), Javi-er Benjumea and José Manuel Abaurre, founded the Sociedad Abengoa S.L. in Seville along with three friends and other family members. According to figures

from the first semester of 2009, their ini-tial start-up capital of 180,000 pesetas has been transformed into a net profit of 41 million euros.

Abengoa initially focused on the cre-ation of technical projects and studies, as well as electrical installations. In the 1960s, after the company's consolida-tion and expansion on a national level, it began its international activity. The business grew steadily and from the 1990s, their conventional line of prod-ucts gave way to more technological projects which have marked the compa-ny's extraordinary success over this pe-riod. The current structure of Abengoa, which is divided into five business units, is a response to this evolution. The com-pany now looks to the future with a clear commitment to respecting the environ-ment and sustainable development. Its current President, Felipe Benjumea, is very clear on this subject: “Given the pressing issues of depletion facing the

Telvent is the only Spanish company to be listed on the Nasdaq

Abengoa aims to build the world's largest solar plant in Arizona

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current energy model, one of the most important goals for the near future is to put forward a new model based on non-pollutant renewable energies with a guaranteed supply".

The power of the sun. Abengoa Solar works in the production of electric en-ergy, substituting conventional sources with renewable ones such as solar pow-er in both its forms, thermoelectric and photovoltaic, whilst developing tech-nologies for energy storage, which is key to its economic viability. Among other projects, Abengoa Solar reached an agreement with Arizona Public Service (APS) in 2008 regarding the construc-tion of “Solana”, the world's largest solar energy plant, 100 km from Phoenix. The electricity produced by the plant, which it is hoped will be up and running by 2011, will be sold to APS over a period of thirty years for a total cost of more than 4 billion dollars.

European leader in biofuels. Abengoa Bioenergy produces biofuels, the main alternative to traditional fossil fuels. It is already Europe's primary producer of bioethanol and the fifth largest producer in the US. The signing of an agreement to work with the US En-ergy Department for a total of 38 mil-lion dollars was the first step towards the building in Texas of the first plant in the world to produce ethanol from biomass on a commercial scale. The company is also a pioneer in the devel-opment of projects for second genera-tion fuels, which are can be produced from non-food sources such as agri-cultural residues or wood waste.

However, until this is economically viable, its main production will be from cereal grain. This is the same primary material that will be used to run the plan due to open at the end of 2009 in East St. Louis, Illinois. This is a project Abengoa carried out after receiving a subsidy of four million dollars from the state pro-gram for the development of renewable fuels, and which will allow it to produce more than 300 million liters per year.

A pioneering meASuring SyStemLast April, the company's president presented the system for measur-ing greenhouse gases, a pioneering procedure that, as well as measuring Abengoa's direct and indirect emis-sions, also counts those derived from the products and services of third parties. The development of this tool is another step in Abengoa's com-mitment to the fight against climate change and to finding innovative so-lutions for sustainable development, an issue that has led the company to rethink its buying policy. Abengoa's relationship with its suppliers is now dependent on them providing data on their emissions and promising, through a signed document, to establish a monitoring system within a set timeframe.

Abengoa holds a strategic position in the production of alternative fuels to traditional fossil fuels.

buSiNeSS uNiTSFigures 2008

9.234Engineering

and Construction

Industrial

241Solar

6.172Bioenergy

5.324Information Technologies

2.263Environmental

Services

Water Management. Through the Befe-sa group, Abengoa provides solutions for the integral management of water and industrial waste. Present in more than 20 countries, Befesa's activity abroad is unstoppable: last April it began the desalination project that will provide water to the some 500,000 inhabitants of Chennai, a city in India's Tamil Nadu state. With a desalination capacity of 100,000m³ of water per day, the plant is now the largest desalination center in the country.

A Spanish company on the Nasdaq. Telvent, the Abengoa unit working on information technologies, is the only Spanish company to be listed on the North American technology market, Nasdaq. The strict financial and corpo-rative governance conditions were not a problem as, three years later in 2007, the company was chosen to form part of the Nasdaq Global Select Market, which includes companies competing a top international level.

Its successes, future projects and in-exhaustible desire to improve justify the presence of this once family-owned com-pany among those leading the develop-ment of alternative energies.

41 years ago, the company “Técnicas Eléctricas y Mecánicas Abengoa” (Teyma) was set up in Buenos Aires. Since then it has planned its regional activity so as to later create new businesses which, in the case of Ibero-America, have a local ethos. This was Abengoa's first experience of internationalization.

The tendency, shared with many other Spanish companies, to take the risk and invest in Latin America is not their only one There is a historical pattern that is relevant to both foreign opportunities and the situation of the internal market, linked to the maturity of the companies themselves. In our case, this series of factors meant that the time in which we opened to the international market fell in the 1960s. However, the company's dizzying international expan-sion did not take place until the 1990s, and has only been consolidated in this century.

Today, we have crossed a thresh-old in international presence and this has both qualitative and quantitative repercussions, which provide us with unimag-ined opportunities and significant new challenges. Quantitatively, it is enough to point out that we are operating in more than 70 countries and that at the end of 2008, more than 65% of our total sales took place outside

Spain. Currently, more than 56% of our employees are based outside Spain, highlighting the importance of Ibero-America and North America where 39% and 10% of the work force can be found respectively.

This internationalization is conveniently diversified, having corrected its concentration over time. If we look at the period from 1998-2008, we can see that, in 1998, sales in Spain and Ibero-America accounted for 94 % of the total, whilst at the the end of 2008, those accounted for by Spain and Ibero-America reach just 60%, whilst significant percentages are accounted for by the rest of Europe(16%), United States and Canada (11%), Africa (10%) and Asia (3%).

From a qualitative point of view, we have been enriched by the diversity of our team numbering more than 21,000 at the end of 2008; this allows us to under-stand, evaluate and incorporate their unique vision into the com-pany. Abengoa could not exist without the talent and dedication of its employees.

The challenge facing us as an organization is how to give an ef-fective response to the change in model that we have experienced in our passage from international to multinational company, as characterized, in my opinion very

positively, by Xavier Mendoza and Luis Vives .Among all of our goals I would like to highlight the maintenance and strength-ening of a management model that aims to be dynamic and innovative. These management systems understand the exis-tence of the shared and common values that constitute our Ethical Code.

I would also highlight the unre-stricted attention given to our team, which allows us to meet objectives, identify opportuni-ties and businesses that help us to tackle climate change and contribute to sustainable development, whilst facilitating a permanent strategy for value creation. Recruitment, training, staff retention and valuing talent is, for us, an essential part of our search for excellence.

Finally, we must remember that the demands of businesses regarding their clients have evolved. At Abengoa, we recog-nize that we must be aware of the prospects of the communities in which we are based - this is reflected in our Social Corporate Responsibility action. More than ever, the role played by busi-nesses in the social, environ-mental and economic spheres is becoming a key factor by which to measure our future income and ensure the continuity of our operations.

Our company operates in more than 7o countries and over 56% of our employees are based outside Spain.

At Abengoa we recognize that we must be aware of the prospects of the communities in which we are based

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The internationalization of Abengoa

Germán BejaranoAssociAte to the president And director of institutionAl relAtions

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Quality beach tourism. This year, 571 Blue Flags are flying on Spanish beaches: 44 more than in 2008. Galicia, with 124 flags, is the Spanish community that has been awarded the most.

Spain still in first place for the quality of its beaches and marinasA Blue Flag flying over a beach or a marina is a clear sign of quality and good management. This year, Spain boasts Blue Flags on 493 beaches and at 78 marinas. These figures keep Spain in first place for another year, at the top of a list of the 34 countries in the Northern Hemisphere that meet the requirements of the Blue Flag Pro-gram, which is prepared each year by the Association for Environmental and Consumer Education (Adeac, for its initials in Spanish), a Spanish organi-zation belonging to the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

Of the Autonomous Communities, Galicia has the most Blue Flags (119 beaches and 5 marinas). It is followed by Catalonia (87 and 21), the Valen-

cian Community (89 and 12) and the Balearic Islands (65 and 20). Andalu-sia has Blue Flags at 70 beaches and 13 marinas; the Canary Islands have 32 and 3; Murcia has 15 and 1; Asturias, 11 and 1; the Basque Country, 2 and 1, and Ceuta and Melilla have 3 beaches and

The municipality of Sanxenxo in Pontevedra province has the most Blue Flag beaches in Spain, with a total of 13. Picture shows Silgar Beach. photo efe.

one marina bearing a flag.The FEE also awards Blue Flags in

recognition of life-saving, rescue and first aid services. The Spanish munici-palities of Vigo, Muro (Mallorca) and Telde (Gran Canaria) have all received this recognition, while Foz (Lugo), Tarragona and Porto Cristo (Manacor) have been awarded Blue Flags for their environmental education campaigns and the information they provide.

The Blue Flag Program is a recog-nized symbol that requires compliance with various health and environmental levels, the existence of adequate sani-tary facilities with no sewage, and life-saving, rescue and first aid services at any beach or marina bearing a Blue Flag. The Blue Flag is awarded based on compliance with a series of specific criteria, which are grouped under four basic categories: a) beach water qual-ity, b) information and environmental education, c) environmental manage-ment, and d) safety and services. The Blue Flag is awarded each year in or-der to ensure continued compliance with the criteria.

blue flag beaches on the spanish coastlineSource AEDAC

Galicia 119Valencian C. 89Catalonia 87Andalusia 70Balearic Is. 65Canary Is. 32

Murcia 15Asturias 11Basque Ctry. 2Ceuta 2Melilla 1Cantabria 0

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almodóvar receives honorary doctorate from harvard Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar has be-come the fourth Spaniard to receive the highest distinction offered by the prestigious American university. After accepting his diploma, Almodó-var emphasized the significance of this recogni-tion: “I didn't go to university. I'm a self-taught person, yet my work is exhaustively studied here.” Until now, King Juan Carlos, Josep Lluís Sert and Joan Miró were the only Spaniards to have received this honor.

the london school of economics lays foundations in Madrid Madrid is the city where the prestigious British school of business will make its first international incursion. Starting in January, 2011, the LSE will deliver post-graduate programs in Spain in Economics, Public Administration and Social Sciences to 300 fortunate students.

the beauty of the body, at the MaRQ alicante Until October 11, the MARQ Museum in Alicante will be hosting the exhibition "The Beauty of the Body: Art and Thought in Ancient Greece." The exhibit, opened by Queen Sofía and comprising 125 pieces from the British Museum, includes The Discobolus of Myron.

casa asia organizes a course on business in china In spite of the global crisis, China continues to be one of the priority markets in the internationalization of Western businesses, due to its economic growth, its low production costs and the opportunities offered by its internal market. With this in mind, Casa Asia has organized a course specifically for Spanish companies seeking to include China in their international strategies.

the subway comes to seville With the opening of Line 1, Seville has become the sixth city in Spain and the first in Andalusia to introduce a metropolitan transport network. It is hoped that more than 14 million passengers per year will make use of this new infrastructure, which connects 18 kilometers of the city.

baïbars, casa Árabe's new bookstore Coinciding with the celebration of "La Noche de los Libros" ("Night of Books"), Casa Árabe's director, Gema Martín Muñoz, opened the institution's new book-store. Baïbars-Casa Árabe has already taken part in the Seville and Madrid Book Fairs, with its own publications and a selection of works by Arabic authors or on Arabic topics.

isidre fainé joins the board at bank of east asia Isidre Fainé, President of La Caixa and of Criteria, the savings bank's invest-ment holding, has been appointed as a director of the Bank of East Asia, a financial institution in which the Spanish group holds a 9.85% share in the capital. Fainé's appointment, making him the only non-Asian member of the board of directors, strengthens the ties between Criteria and the Bank of East Asia, which operates in one of the world's most promising markets.

casa África initiative

400th anniversary

‘África Vive’ festival brings African culture to Spain

the Moriscos: history of a minority

Throughout the month of May, Casa África organized a full program of cul-tural activities under the title ‘África Vive’ ("Africa Lives"), in commemora-tion of Africa Day on May 25. The fes-tival, which toured Santa Cruz de Ten-erife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tarifa, Seville, Cáceres, Madrid and Barcelona, offered a full schedule of activities, with special attention given to African film and music.

On April 9, 1609, the first decree was passed expelling the Moriscos from the territories of the Spanish crown. This year marks the 400th anniversary of an event that would continue until 1614, with successive mass banishments that would empty Spain of more than 275,000 of its inhabitants. In remem-brance of this event, the Andalusian Heritage Foundation and the State Society for Cultural Commemorations have chosen Granada as the site of an international conference to reflect on the expulsion.

The macroconcert held on May 23 at the Paraninfo stage of the Complutense University of Madrid. photo cASA ÁfricA

until september 6: The first exhibition at the Prado Museum dedicated to So-rolla is a presentation as comprehensive and ambitious as the retrospectives that the Prado has dedicated to other great names in Spanish painting, such as Velázquez, Ribera, Murillo, El Greco and Goya.

the prado presents the biggest retrospective ever of the work of SorollaOne hundred and two paintings make up the exhibition, which will be on display until September 6 at Madrid's Prado Museum. Included are the art-ist's masterpieces and the works he is most famous for, such as "The Return from Fishing" (1894), provided by Par-is's Musée d’Orsay; "Sewing the Sail" (1896), from the Galleria Internazi-onale d’Arte Moderna di Ca’Pesaro in Venice; "Sad Inheritance!" (1899) from the Bancaja Collection; "Afternoon Sun" (1903) from the Hispanic Society of America in New York, a work which comes back to Spain for this exhibi-tion for the first time since it was sold in New York by the artist himself; "The Photographer Christian Franzen" (1903) from the Lorenzana Collection; and "Nude Woman" (1902) and "The White Boat, Jávea" (1905), both from

private collections. The retrospective also features ex-

ceptional examples of the artist's work from the Prado Museum's own collec-tion, including "They Still Say that Fish is Expensive!" (1894) and "Boys on the Beach" (1909), as well as a large num-ber of works from Madrid's Sorolla Museum, such as "The Horse's Bath" (1909), "Walk on the Beach" (1909) and "The Pink Robe" (1916), among others. The large number of the artist's masterpieces brought together for this exhibition, all of which are considered as such by specialist critics, make this display an exceptional and unrepeat-able event.

For this exhibition, the Prado Mu-seum has organized a special program of activities, which can be consulted at www.museodelprado.es

Two women talking in front of "Walk on the Beach", on display at the Prado exhibition. photo efe

opening of barcelona air-port's terminal 1 The expansion of Barcelona's Prat Airport is now a reality. On June 17, more than 700 guests gathered in Barcelona for the opening ceremony of the monu-mental work of architect Ricardo Bofill which will contribute to the city's global profile as a major airport hub.

henrique cymerman wins the godó prize for Journalism Journalist Henrique Cymerman, correspondent for La Vanguardia in Israel, has been awarded the Godó Prize for Journalism. The prize was given in recognition of his series of articles entitled "40 Years after the Six-Day War". The jury praised his attention to diverse sources, and the independence and impartiality of his analysis, points of particular merit given the sociopolitical situation of the region.

spanish technology in the lat-est nasa mission NASA has gone back to the moon, and has done so with an essential technological contribu-tion “made in Spain”. The plan-ning system developed by the GMV company forms part of the equipment of the Lunar Recon-naissance Orbiter (LRO), the satellite that was launched on June 17 to identify safe landing sites for future lunar explorers.

inditex no. 1 in world fashion sales The Spanish group Inditex has taken first place in world sales, surpassing fashion giants like GAP and H&M in the sales figures for 2008. In the last financial year, the chain exceeded sales of 10 billion euros for the first time.

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iberdrola invests 340 million in europe's biggest wind farm The investment by the Spanish electric company, through its re-newable resources subsidiary, has financed the opening of Europe's largest wind farm, near Glasgow, Scotland. The complex is equipped with 140 wind generators, with a production equal to the electric-ity consumption of more than 180,000 households.

the world of annie leibovitz comes to Madrid They say that if she hasn't tak-en your picture, you're nobody. She photographed Lennon's last kiss, Demi Moore's pregnancy and Brad Pitt on an unmade bed. In "Annie Leibovitz: Life of a Pho-tographer", the U.S. artists offers a sampling of the most intimate images added to her portfolio in recent years. The collection of 200 photographs can be viewed through September 6 at the Ca-nal de Isabel II Center in Madrid.

batman glides over barcelona The Dark Knight has moved from Gotham City to the Modernist streets of Barcelona, where his latest comic book is set. Launched simultaneously in Spain, Italy and the United States, in the latest installment of the adventures of Batman, Bruce Wayne's alter ego faces a new challenge that makes use of the legend of Sant Jordi.

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Annie Leibovitz, during the opening of her exhibition. photo efe

from June 20. More than 60 centers of the Cervantes Institute celebrate Span-ish Day for the first time

the cervantes celebrates ‘Spanish Day’ in 43 countries

Spain reaches a population of almost 47 million

“Malevo” (a trouble-making thug who lived in the slums of Buenos Aires), has been chosen as the favorite Spanish word, followed by “chapuza” (a second-rate piece of workmanship). These two terms initi-ated the barrage of words that started off the events that marked the first celebra-tion of a language spoken by 450 million people around the world. At the Cervantes Institute's Madrid office, Institute Director Carmen Caffarel opened the celebration, which seeks to highlight the importance of Spanish, the official language of 21 coun-tries. “We want to celebrate the energy of the Spanish language, its participatory and open character, and its growing presence on all the continents," she explained. Since June 20, the Cervantes centers in countries such as Lebanon, Russia and Poland have adorned their outer walls with Spanish words and held events such as the launch-

ing of 1,000 balloons into the sky in Bremen and the projection of words in lights in Kra-kow, as well as concerts and movie screen-ings. Coinciding with the festivities was the presentation of a report detailing the status of Spanish in the world. The study indicates that within three generations, 10% of the world's population will speak Spanish, and that by 2050, the U.S. will be the biggest Spanish-speaking country in the world.

The new municipal register prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) indicates that the total number of residents in Spain is now more than 46.6 million, of which nearly 5.6 million (12%) are foreigners. Of these, Roma-nians (796,576) are the largest group, followed by Moroccans (710,401), Ec-uadorians (413,715), Britons (374,600) and Colombians (292,971). According to data published by the INE, 56% fewer immigrants were registered last year than in 2007: 329,929 compared to 701,023. The number of Spaniards registered increased by nearly 180,000.

Celebration at the Cervantes Institute in Shanghai. photo efe.

population gRowthFigures in millions

2001 2003 2005 2007 2009

41.11 42.7144.10

45.246.66

The numbers of Chinese, Paraguayans, Peruvians and Dominicans registered also increased, while the numbers of Ecuadorians, Bolivians and Argentin-eans dropped.

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RtVe and telefónica digitalize the world's largest collection of audiovisual material in spanish More than 800,000 hours of imag-es from the RTVE audiovisual archives will be made accessible to the public. With the ambitious goal to digitalize all the images in the public television station's collection of documentaries within four years, Telefónica has be-come the RTVE Corporation's exclu-sive technological partner to carry out the project, which has been described by César Alierta as “pioneering and essential to give the people access to the most important audiovisual col-lection in the Spanish language that exists in the world."

fc barcelona closes a historic year With the echoes of the national football selection's victory at Euro 2008 still resounding, FC Barcelona has closed a historic season, becom-ing the first Spanish club to achieve the "hat trick" in a single season, taking the trophies in La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League. The team's list of victories now includes their third European Championship.

Jorge Volpi wins the Debate casa de américa prize Mexican writer Jorge Volpi (b. 1968) has won the Debate-Casa de América Prize with “El insomnio de Bolívar” ("Bolívar's Insomnia"), a work that recounts the history of Latin America from its mythical past through to an imagined future. The prize, which awards the winner 35,000 euros, is offered by Casa de América and the publisher Random House Mondadori.

photoespaña: more than 200 images of everyday lifeThe 12th edition of the Festival of Pho-tography and Visual Arts, PhotoEspaña 2009, comprises more than 70 exhibitions in different galleries around the Spanish capital by 248 local and foreign artists. Based on the conceptual theme of “Ev-eryday Life”, the Festival includes the work of artists from more than 40 different countries exhibiting their latest creations, which are “far from the most spectacular art,” according to the exhibition's curator, Sergio Mah. There has been particular ex-citement generated by Dorothea Lange's exhibition “The Decisive Years”, which of-fers around 140 pictures reflecting the dif-ficult situation in the United States during the crisis of 1929.

The Cervantes Institute has taken the People's Prize for the exhibition “Resiliencia” ("Resilience"), which will be on display until September 20 at the institute's headquarters in Madrid. The prize, based on the votes of Inter-net users, recognizes this display as the best of the Official Section. The exhibit features 145 documentary snapshots taken by 10 young artists living in Latin America, capturing everyday reality in their different countries. A photo-graphic marathon, a photography book fair, educational workshops and guided tours round out the program of a festi-val that has established itself as a world benchmark in the arts.

Barcelona to host the final climate summit before copenhagenThe United Nations has announced that the fourth and final preparatory session for the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit will be held in Bar-celona. From November 2 to 6, some 4,000 delegates from 190 countries will meet in Spain to finalize the prep-arations that will enable the establish-ment of an ambitious international

agreement in Denmark to replace the current Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. More than ten years after the adoption of the protocol, a new accord is needed to provide for adaptation to new realities, such as the emergence of countries like China and India, and the increase in consumption and emis-sions.

success for spanish cinema. Anders Petersen, Annie Leibovitz and Mangla-no-Ovalle are a few of the artists offering their views of the world through photography.

Part of the exhibition ‘Resiliencia’ at the Cervantes Institute. photo efe

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With thanks to... Carmen de Zulueta

The girl with the suitcase

After reading her books, which provide an interest-ing window into the Spain of the Republic, the image the reader is left with is that of a student dragging her suitcase from one continent to another, one country to another, one city to another, one university to another, one house to another. But unlike the character played by Claudia Cardinale in the Valerio Zurlini film that is the source of the title of this ar-ticle, Carmen's drama was not a romance, but the tragedy of the Spanish Civil War.

In August, 1936, the family headed by Luis de Zulueta Escolano, former Secretary of State, ex-Ambassador to Berlin and the last Ambas-sador of the Second Spanish Republic to the Vatican, was forced into exile. People like them - educated in the progressive principles of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza - had no place in a Spain of drawn knives and blood-stained walls. At first, the exile had the effect of splitting the family apart. For Carmen, the youngest of the

four children born into the Zulueta-Cebrián marriage, exile was a long series of diverse stages: Paris, Norwich, Bogotá, Cambridge (Mass.), New York, Sao Paulo and then back to New York, where she settled.

That twenty year-old girl with her suitcase in hand needed a range of different qualities to be able to prosper in her new world. From reading her books, we can infer that these qualities included optimism, confidence, serenity, perse-verance, humility, tolerance, respect, intellectual curiosity and a love of hard work.

Another important factor of her success was her abil-ity to participate actively in social networks, without which an exile would never find the opening necessary to become integrated and accepted as a citizen of the adopted country.

Carmen was able to do this with the utmost ease, and also with total respect for the rules of the game. She studied tirelessly to be able

to perform the jobs that came her way - a task for which her years as a student at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza and the experi-mental Instituto-Escuela high school had prepared her very well. It is clear that she had a good ear for languages, as she learned to speak English in only three months. But her successes were, for the most part, the result of perseverance, study, her ability to teach others and her willingness to work as part of a team - a quality that is very important if you are working as a teacher in depressed neighborhoods in a city like New York, where she taught Spanish for many years until her retirement.

Now a widow after almost half a century of marriage, with two children and a grandson living in Spain, she continues to live in New York, where she strolls every day through Central Park while mulling over ideas for a new book.

But she is honored on this page today for the extraordi-

narily unaffected, dignified and elegant manner in which she, like other distinguished exiles of her generation, has always handled her situation as a Spaniard far from her homeland. Her integration into her adopted country was swift and complete from early on. But she never left anybody in any doubt about her true background.

The contribution of liberal re-publican exiles to the promo-tion of a particular idea about Spain in the heart of that new frontier called New York City is a point that still needs to be studied. A tribute to Carmen de Zulueta is also a tribute to all those expatriates who did not limit themselves to a nostalgic longing for the Spain that might have been, but who looked to the future with an open and coopera-tive attitude, determined to go on living as if nothing irreparable had happened, so that the world - not the world as an abstract concept, but that little portion of the world where an individual lives - could be a little more bearable.

In 1936 she went into exile, and has lived outside of Spain ever since. For many years she taught Spanish in New York. She has always been identified as a cosmopolitan woman, liberal, republican and secular. by Jacobo garcía. JOURNALIST

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● Volunteering for Liberty. Petro Marko, “Hasta la Vista”, and the Albanian Brigadistas in the Spanish Civil War. AECIDThis book is the result of efforts by both Albanian and Spanish contributors. It includes writings by Marta María García Suárez, researcher and author of "Social and Literary Reality in Spain during the Time of Petro Marko"; Anita Marko, daughter of the Albanian brigadista; Xhevair Spahiu, poet; and Ramón Sánchez Lizarralde, Albanian transla-tor, literary critic, and writer. Also included are contribu-tions by Ana Pérez, President of the Friends of the Interna-

tional Brigades Association and Petro Luarasi, son of Skender Luarasi, an Albanian brigadista. As Spanish Ambassador to Albania, Manuel Montobbio, reminds the reader in the prologue, "Volunteering for Liberty" is the title that the Albanian brigadistas chose for the single issue of a magazine they published in Madrid in 1937.

● Ibero-America 2020: Challenging the Crisis. Felipe González. Carolina Foundation/Siglo XXIIn this book, the former Prime Minister of Spain collects

the writings of dozens of Spanish and Latin American politicians and intellectuals in seven chapters that hold the keys to facing the crisis, overcoming the crisis, and looking to the future on a firmer foundation. As Felipe González himself states: "a glance through the names of the authors whose works have been included in this book will assure the reader that a powerful political experience combined with a high dose of technical ability and intellectual stimulation is to be had". Writings by Carlos Fuentes, Julio María Sanguinetti, Carlos Sol-chaga, Ricardo Lagos, and Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Michelle Bache-let, Alan García, and Rafael Correa, among others, are included in this work.

● Mother of the Holocaust Children. Anna Miesz-kowska. Styria de Ediciones y PublicacionesA moving, human testimony, this true story of courage,

kindness, and generosity recounts the drama lived by Irena Sendler, a Polish nurse who saved 2,500 Jewish chil-dren and youth from the Holo-caust in Warsaw. In 1942, she was arrested and imprisoned by the Gestapo. She had made, on three narrow strips of silk paper, a record to determine the identity of the rescued children after the war. She revealed nothing and was condemned to death, although she was able to escape. In the opinion of the author, Irene Sendler is "a monument to history, a monument to the memory". Michal Glowin-ski, professor at the Polish Academy of Science and

2009 Alert Report and Yearbook of Peace Processes. Escola de Cultura de Pau. Icaria Editorial Since 1999, the Autonomous University of Barcelona has hosted the so-called Escola de Cultura de Pau (ECP), whose purpose is to work for a culture of peace, human rights, conflict analysis, and education for peace and disarmament. Every year, the Barcelona center publishes a reference report for each of these areas. The 2009 Alert Report analyzes the state of the world at the end of the year with regard to armed conflict and peacebuilding. In spite of the large numbers of armed con-flicts and high levels of social and political tension, as well as increased hostility in many of these areas, the year 2008 also gave glimpses of opportunities for peace in the near future. The Yearbook of Peace Processes analyzes conflicts in which negotiations for an agreement are being made. Most of these are armed conflicts, although situations in which armed disputes are not pres-ent are also analyzed.

✱... a must read

flicts and high levels of social and political tension, as well as increased hostility in many of these areas, the year 2008 also gave

reference report for each of these areas. The 2009 Alert Report analyzes

flicts and high levels of social and political tension, as well as increased hostility in many of these areas, the year 2008 also gave

collects

● Volunteering for Liberty.

tional Brigades Association and Petro Luarasi, son of Skender Luarasi, an Albanian brigadista. As Spanish Ambassador to Albania, Manuel Montobbio, reminds the reader in the prologue, "Volunteering for Liberty" is the title that the Albanian brigadistas chose for the single issue of a magazine they published in Madrid in 1937.

flicts and high levels of social and political tension, as well as increased hostility in many of these areas, the year 2008 also gave flicts and high levels of social and political tension, as well as increased hostility in many of these areas, the year 2008 also gave flicts and high levels of social and political tension, as well as increased hostility in many of these areas, the year 2008 also gave flicts and high levels of social and political tension, as well as increased hostility in many of these areas, the year 2008 also gave flicts and high levels of social and political tension, as well as increased hostility in many of these areas, the year 2008 also gave

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one of the children who was saved by Irene Sendler, writes in the prologue: “The expres-sion Sendler's List has made its way into common language and may even become better known than Schindler's List. After all, this Polish nurse saved many more Jews than the German industrialist Oskar Schindler”.

● The New Image of Spain in Latin America. Javier Noya. Editorial TecnosIn recent years, Spain has been increasing its pres-ence in Latin America on all fronts. At the same time, the region has undergone a pro-found change. These trans-formations have given rise to a new image of Spain, which is undoubtedly the best im-age it has had in 500 years. However, some shadows remain. The image of Spain is the central theme of this book, which also discusses matters such as postcolonial discourse and the influence of Spain and the United States in the region.

● The Towers of Trebizond. Rose Macaulay. Editorial MinúsculaWritten by Rose Macaulay -a friend of Virginia Wolf and W.H. Auden- and win-

ner of the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial Prize, The Towers of Trebizond, long considered the author's masterpiece, tells of the adventures of a bizarre group of travelers making their way from England to the Middle East. Through-out the story, replete with occasionally absurd humor, the characters discover the fabled city of Trebizond, where they must face all manner of material and spiritual anxieties.

● Democracy in Latin America. Peter H. Smith. University of Alcalá Marcial PonsIn this book, United States Professor Peter H. Smith examines the democra-tization process in Latin American from 1900 to the present day, masterfully combining historical detail,

exceptional organization of large amounts of informa-tion, complex data analyses, insightful interpretation, and outstanding writing. This is a essential work for all people interested in de-mocracy and the democrati-zation process, and not only as it applies to the Ameri-can Subcontinent, but also to other parts of the world. Likewise, the prologue shows how this analysis can be used to explain the recent resurgence of the new Latin American left.

● The Crisis of a Century. Ignacio Ramonet. Icaria EditorialThe world is on the road to living its worst nightmare since 1929. Dark times are ahead. It is therefore neces-sary to build a new, more fair and more democratic economic system: to create structures on a global level that will put the needs of citizens first, and that will respect and promote human rights, social justice, and environmental equilibrium. Otherwise, once again, the people will pay. Ignacio Ramonet is a renowned intel-lectual, political analyis, and journalist, and the author of

several books. He put forth the idea for the creation of the alter-globalization orga-nization ATTAC, and is one of the founders of the World Social Forum and creator of the slogan "Another World Is Possible". He is the director of the Spanish edition of "Le Monde diplomatique".

● Kosovo. The Seeds of Hate. Ricardo Angoso. Plaza y Valdés EditoresIn this book, journalist and sociologist Ricardo Angoso García reflects on Kosovo, a mythical land for Alba-nians and Serbs, a disputed territory that is the site of one of the oldest conflicts on the European continent. In the author's opinion, the independence of Kosovo, recognized by the great West-ern powers, is in violation of international law and United Nations resolutions, and con-stitutes a bad precedent for the international community and for Europe.

● Globalization. The Worst is Yet to Come. Un-less… Patrick Artus and Marie-Paule Virard. Icaria EditorialSince the fall of the Berlin Wall, globaliza-tion has unleashed in-

● The Crisis of a Century. ● The Crisis of a Century.

● Kosovo. The Seeds ● Kosovo. The Seeds ● The New Image of Spain The New Image of Spain

ner of the prestigious James ner of the prestigious James

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creasingly untamable forces that are not regulated in a cooperative way, and that have turned the world into a corral of egotism of all types. In 2007, the subprime crisis showed the extreme fragility of the international financial system and marked the insanity of a world where money flows in torrents: hundreds of billions of dollars disappeared in just a few days. This crisis was undoubtedly the first sign of greater troubles. As the

authors of this essay explain, with lucid and well-founded arguments, the worst is yet to come due to the combined action of various explosive trends created in the process of globalization. Among these are growing inequality and the squander-ing of increasingly scarce natural resources. However, the authors believe that if certain radical measures are taken, there may yet be a way out.

● Gibraltar: The Military Base. Anglo-American Interests in the Rock. Ángel Liberal Fernández. Editorial Civitas The English occupied the Rock of Gibraltar in 1704 to use it as a support base for their warships in the Medi-terranean. 300 years later, other equally significant operations are also taking place in the territory -where to this day, operation of the

original support base op-eration continues- because Gibraltar is not an isolated point in the Strait. This book describes the characteris-tics, potential, and limita-tions of this military base: its port equipped with docks for nuclear submarines, the air-field located on the illegally occupied isthmus, intel-ligence gathering, the fuel and munitions depots, water and energy production, etc. References are included

● Africa Plan 2009-2012. Directorate General of Foreign Policy for Africa. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.Directed and coordinated by the Directorate General of Foreign Policy for Africa

in collaboration with the Directorate General of For-eign Communication, this publication sets forth the guidelines for new action and projects to be carried out by the Spanish Govern-ment in the area. This will be its 2nd Africa Plan. This publication, with a prologue by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, underscores the new close relations between Spain and Africa that would be established by the dialog and effective consensus

mechanisms set forth in the 2009-2012 Africa Plan. The document outlines the various cross-sectional and general objectives that will frame the courses of action. It also includes a chapter dedicated to geographic priorities, follow-up, and Plan evaluation, as well as the principal instruments to be used in its execution. Finally, it includes detailed continental and regional geographic data, as well as a detailed geographic analysis by country.

✱... a must read

to the legal exemptions it enjoys on the international stage with regard to nuclear security, the fight against terrorism, and conventional weapons, which strengthen the base's performance. The relationship between Gibraltar, the United States, NATO, and Cyprus is also described. Through these pages, the reader will be given a glimpse the Rock of Gibraltar's "hidden face".

● 100 Photographs by Don McCullin for Freedom of the Press. Reporters without Borders.In celebration of the Inter-national Freedom of the Press Day, Reporters with-out Borders has released an album of 100 photographs by Don McCullin, an English war reporter (London, 1935) whose images of human suffering are known the world over. Throughout his life he has traveled all over the world to capture its most significant and dramatic events in black and white: Cyprus, Congo, Biafra, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Northern Ireland. His images reflect his desires for peace, and highlight the dignity of human exis-tence in a special way. The

creasingly untamable forces creasingly untamable forces

● 100 Photographs by Don

in collaboration with the Directorate General of Foreign Communication, this publication sets forth the guidelines for new action and projects to be carried out by the Spanish Government in the area. This will be its 2nd Africa Plan. This publication, with a prologue

✱

● Africa Plan 2009-2012.

in collaboration with the Directorate General of Foreign Communication, this publication sets forth the guidelines for new action and projects to be carried out by the Spanish Government in the area. This will be its 2nd Africa Plan. This publication, with a prologue

✱

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album will be available for purchase at newsstands throughout Spain and at shopping centers. Funds raised from the purchase of this album will be used by Reporters without Borders to fund the safety of jour-nalists and freedom of the press throughout the world.

● The Glorious Triumph of Prince Arjona. Francisco Ayala. State Society for Cultural Commemorations (SECC)In celebration of Francisco Ayala's 103rd birthday, the SECC has published 500 copies -with the first 103 numbered- of Ayala's short story The Glorious Triumph of Prince Arjona, which was published for the first time in 1980 in the Nueva Estafeta magazine. This work is a testament to the literary skill of its author and can be considered the keystone of his narrative work. The story follows the dialogue of Prince Arjona and Sendar, his mentor, as they discuss the nature of life and reflect on the exercise of power and violence with language that gives way to narration, con-trasting powerful images of action with the intimate cir-cumspection of meditation

shared by the two heroes.

● Between History and Memory. Fernando María Castiella and Spanish Foreign Policy, 1957-1969. Marcelino Oreja Aguirre. Rafael Sánchez Mantero. Royal Academy of Moral and Political SciencesA recent collection, Between History and Memory echoes the work of Fernando María Castiella, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1957 to 1969--twelve years dur-ing which Spain underwent considerable changes that shaped the future of our country. Edited by Professor Rafael Sánchez Mantero and Marcelino Oreja, Castiella's Chief of Cabinet who later became Minister of Foreign Affairs, the book contains the work of 13 authors, including economist Juan Velarde Fuertes.

● The Places In Between. Rory Stewart. Alcalá Grupo Editorial.This book describes the experiences of the author as he walked from Herat to Kabul in Afghanistan just after the fall of the Taliban. He offers a complete vi-sion of an overwhelming, ever-changing landscape,

from the tragedies of war to the sense of humor of its survivors, from the snow-capped mountains to settlements still controlled by the Taliban. With his deep understanding of Is-lamic culture and his spare, unsentimental language, he has created a captivating book--a brilliant, revealing portrait of a fascinating yet unfortunate country. 'The Places In Between' was awarded the 2nd Camino del Cid Prize for Travel Lit-erature, by a jury consist-ing of Javier Reverte, Rosa María Calaf, and Carlos García Gual. This award is one of the Camino del Cid Consortium's largest prizes, and immortalizes the route as a universal literary space. Rory Stewart formerly served in the military and as a diplomat and is now a rising name in English literature.

● Microcredit for Devel-opment. Casa Asia, Casa África.This publication is a collec-tion of the discussions held during international confer-ences on microcredit spon-sored by Casa África and

Casa Asia. Over a year ago, both institutions began a joint project exploring the role of microfinancing in economic and social devel-opment in Asia and Africa. The purpose was to bring together top Asian and African representatives from the most renowned microfinancing institutions and representatives from

key Spanish social organi-zations such as Ministries, Autonomous Communities, City Governments, NGOs, Foundations, Universities, and businesses, and at the same time establish a dia-logue on the value of mi-crofinancing during these times of economic crisis. The conferences men-tioned by the publication were inaugurated by the founder of the Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus, a banker and economist from Bangladesh who developed the concept of microcre-dit and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, "for his efforts to cre-ate social and economic development from the bottom up", and the Prince of Asturias Concord Award in 1998.

● Microcredit for Devel

Autonomous Communities, City Governments, NGOs, Foundations, Universities, and businesses, and at the same time establish a dialogue on the value of microfinancing during these times of economic crisis. The conferences mentioned by the publication were inaugurated by the founder of the Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus, a banker and economist from Bangladesh who developed the concept of microcredit and was awarded the

key Spanish social organikey Spanish social organi

68 e interview

69e interview

A firm believer that individual talent is the key to business success, the CEO of Spain's leading energy company granted us an interview at his office at Repsol headquarters in Madrid. One of Spain's foremost energy and industrial sector experts, he has a warm, friendly demeanor and defines himself as “a mixture of circumstance and hard work”.

A proponent of non-stop learning and adaptation to changing environments, Antonio Brufau was able to turn the very difficult downgrade of company reserves into an opportunity for improvement. His management model for exploration and production has brought Repsol some of the largest gas and petroleum discoveries in the history of the company.

Antonio Brufau“The EU Needs a Common Energy Policy”

— In recent years we have wit-nessed a growing international presence of Spanish companies. Based on your experience, how has this occurred? — Spanish businesses have enjoyed remarkable success in certain foreign regions, particularly in Latin America. They are now making their way into the U.S. and certain parts of Europe and Asia. Dependence on a single market like Spain, which is relatively small on the global level, makes them highly vulnerable, so when the time was right, each of these companies decided to expand, taking advantage of more stable interest rates and pow-erful credit ratings. At that time, Latin America was entering an important privatization stage, and the desire to

become involved meshed perfectly with the need for involvement. — In your opinion, what role does the private sector play in the estab-lishment of foreign policy priori-ties?— I believe many things have changed in this regard. When we started mov-ing into foreign markets, Spain and Spanish diplomacy were not prepared to mix economic interests with politi-cal interests; but today, we see a com-plete symbiosis. Today, the ties that allow foreign policy to strengthen or base its ideas on economic expansion policy ideas and vice versa are very strong. In my opinion, this is best for everyone. Having allies like the Em-bassies, which the Spanish Govern-ment has placed all over the world, is a

key asset for Spanish businesses today. There may be one or two exceptions, but in general, there is a strong feeling among diplomats to lend support to entrepreneurial activity.

On the other hand, Spanish busi-nesses also serve to strengthen foreign policy, as we are directly involved with the countries and can have a signifi-cant influence there. Politics, with a capital "P", is strengthened by eco-nomic presence; the two complement each other perfectly. As the Americans have always said: foreign policy is for-eign economic policy. Where political relations are good, investment grows, and vice versa. It is difficult to imagine a complete diplomatic policy without an underlying business presence in the countries in question.

70 e interview

— How is Repsol's relation with Spain's foreign representatives? — The oil and gas sector is flourishing and is frequently present in develop-ing countries, countries plagued by political instabilities, and countries with political ideas that seem peculiar to the Western mind. I could mention hundreds of specific cases of collabo-ration with foreign countries, includ-ing Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and strengthening relations with Argentina and its authorities; and in every case we have always worked hand in hand with and been able to count on the Spanish Government. Whenever things have gotten tough for our company and for our business in these countries, we have always felt the unwavering sup-port of the Spanish authorities. Every single person working at every level of Government related to economics or diplomacy has always been there for us. I recall many, many late-night conversations with representatives of our political system expressing their support for our ideas and approaches during those very difficult times. I feel that it would be completely untrue and unfair for a company like ours to say that its woes were caused even once by lack of support or not being heard. — To what extent have political matters and investment confidence determined Repsol's international expansion? — Investment occurs at the fringes of politics--it occurs where opportuni-ties arise. Investments in the gas and oil sector are long-term investments; we have to invest a lot of money up front and then stay there for at least 20 or 30 years to even get a return on the initial investment. So for us, the predictability and legal security of the region we are working in are vi-tal. This is obviously a problem when our business takes us into areas that lack the predictability and legal se-curity we would like. When this hap-pens, we consider the situation very carefully. And this is where a political type of thought process takes place:

In the event of a crisis, will the politi-cal environment remain predictably favorable? Will legal security be pre-dictably maintained? And we can base our decisions on the answers to those types of questions. — What repercussions do the dras-tic fluctuations in the price of crude, like those we have seen over the past year, have on an oil company? — This business is volatile by defini-tion. Our sales are based on products that today are worth 40 or 50 dollars, when six months ago they were worth 100 and a year ago they were worth 150. This will obviously have an effect on the value chain and thus affects us significantly. Sudden fluctuations like these, whether they spike or drop, as they have recently, are not good for the economy. A company like Repsol needs more stability. We would like to see energy availability at reasonable prices become a right throughout the world, because the energy sector is the basis for growth. Naturally, these prices must also compensate produc-ers, like Repsol, because exploration is done at risk and producing a barrel of crude is expensive. We need to find a balance between reasonable prices and responsible consumption. — Do you think this situation could repeat itself in the near future? — It most certainly will. It is simply a question of supply and demand. Last

“It is difficult to imagine a complete diplomatic policy without an underlying business presence in the countries in question”

“A country's foreign policy is always strengthened by an economic presence”

“Access to energy should be a right, because the energy sector is the basis for growth”

“In the EU, businesses compete with one another; it is the States that must establish common standards and unify criteria”

“With regard to alternative energy sources, Spain has the opportunity to spearhead the process“

71e interview

year, a combination of several factors drove the price per barrel up to 140 dollars: there were financial and li-quidity issues, but more importantly, we started to approach the critical situation where supply equaled de-mand. We had nearly reached the equilibrium point between what we were capable of supplying to the mar-ket and demand. Obviously, when the economy begins to collapse, demand also falls, but the supply remains at its former levels, producing an excess. When the economy begins to grow again, less-developed countries like China and India will begin to demand large quantities of energy and we will find ourselves once again in the same situation as before. — So, are there places where extrac-tion is no longer profitable? — If the slump in the economy lasts for too long, oil producers will be forced to reduce investments, because they simply do not make sense at 40 dol-lars/barrel. But a reduction in our investments will have a nefarious ef-fect: supply will be reduced, and when demand rises again we be faced with high prices--much higher than those we saw last year. The problem lies in the abruptness of the changes. Ideally this process would occur much more smoothly. — In this regard, what do you see as the energy sector's role in economic recovery, especially in Europe?— Europe is mature and energy-effi-cient in all areas, from the use of die-sel engines and alternative energy to its society's awareness of energy con-sumption. There is always room for improvement, but we are far ahead of many other regions. At that point, en-ergy begins to play a key role. Energy is necessary for growth, and what needs to be done is responsibly allow coun-tries that possess neither sufficient re-sources nor sufficient energy sources to have access to the energy they need to grow. Energy is a key component of world development. — Repsol's impact in the various

countries in which it operates is also a key. How has Repsol become socioeconomically integrated into these societies, and how does it in-teract with local communities? — This is a phenomenon that is very difficult to understand and that must be managed very carefully. It may seem to us, as the Repsol company, that our work in Ecuador or Bolivia, for exam-ple, makes up a very small percentage of the group as a whole. However, Rep-sol is the largest company in countries like Bolivia, Argentina, and Ecuador. We are not only the largest energy company, but also the largest, most important company in the country. It is therefore important that we remem-ber not to view it from the perspective of what percentage of the group's busi-ness comes from a given country, but from the perspective of what the pres-ence of the company means to that country. We have to become very in-volved in society in each of these coun-tries. I would say that our involvement in society is much more important there than it ever would be in Spain, where we have pretty well covered all our bases. In these countries there are many basic things that are still await-ing development, which is why we are highly committed to very significant Corporate Social Responsibility initia-tives: we have established health assis-tance programs, we are helping create scholarship programs...

We are working very hard to be-come involved in society. We under-stand that we work in a sector that is sensitive to valuation by society, be-cause we deal with natural resources, specifically hydrocarbons, which are highly sensitive topics in today's world. We must in turn be sensitive and redouble our efforts in complex social environments. — One of your top priorities when you became president of Repsol was to acquire new reserves, and you have achieved this goal. To what do you attribute Repsol's exploratory successes, which have yielded some

of the most important reserves in the world? — As with everything in life, there are no secrets here. It is a matter of method, resources, and quality. First, you have to have the best people and find talent that will add value to your business. Second: method. We are not playing the lottery; we are dealing with the law of large numbers. When you have a basin with a given potential, you have to apply a methodology that, in the long run, will ensure success. Then, patience, because 10 years may go by from the time we begin to study an area until the time we produce our first barrel, if we are successful. Thus, in this business, anxiousness is a man-ager's worst enemy. The manager has to remember that he will most cer-tainly not see the results of the deci-sions he makes today, but make them he must. Every year we invest on the order of 6 billion euros. At my age and with my responsibilities, I am certain I will not see the results of these invest-ments, which means that in theory I could not make them, and our bottom line would look better. But what you have to do is think to the future and make very long-term investments, be-cause if you do not invest, you will not produce.

Explorations are what we call "up-stream" operations, and they normally have a 10 to 20% success rate, which we are aware of even before we begin the project. When we make the decision to invest, say, 100 million dollars in a well in Brazil, or 150 million dollars to build an off-shore rig, the probability of a return varies between 10 and 20%. In economic terms, this means that, in order to be successful, we have to drill five wells at a total cost of 500 million dollars to get the one viable well. And that is the nature of the business. So success is built on a combination of factors: staying calm, looking to the fu-ture, thinking about the company more than about one's self, having a method, having resources, having highly skilled people, and risking your money.

72 e interview

— You mention talent quite fre-quently. How important is employee education and training to Repsol? — We employ a lot of university gradu-ates: a lot of engineers, geologists, geo-physicists and, believe it or not, a lot of mathematicians. I believe that for a company like ours, talent will lead to success. When you make a risk in-vestment, like the 20% success rate I mentioned before, you stand to lose a lot of money if you are wrong. You can also get lucky on the first try, but that's really a once in a lifetime deal. Talent is critical to maximizing your investment. Thus global education--because we employ people from all over the world--is essential. The refin-ing industry is an engineer's world, a world of higher education, because it is the efforts of these individuals that might, for example, improve the per-formance of a cracker or some other unit, and thus manufacture the same product in a much more efficient and cost-effective way. Again, it is a mat-ter of having individuals who are very well educated in their fields and re-quiring them to continually expand their education and training. Fostering the mentality that progress cannot be made until you make daily technical improvement your goal is even more important than the initial education you may have coming into the job.

We have an absolutely wonder-ful corporate university in Móstoles, where nearly everyone has studied. Every day we strive to ensure that the training modules offered there will strengthen the professional careers of

our company's 35,000 employees. Any-one who wants a career has to partici-pate in this professional development, and it is by far the best investment any-one can make. — Lately, a lot has been said about the need for the European Union to create a common energy policy that will ensure energy security and soli-darity for Member States. What are your thoughts?— Europe does not have a common en-ergy policy. It has great discourse and great messages like the 20/20/20 pro-posal for saving energy, reducing CO2 emissions, using renewables, etc. But each country is essentially left to make its own decisions on energy issues, with no overall progress. You can't have common European goals without common policies to ensure all parties comply. Each country may have its own interests regarding the negotia-tion of energy policy and security, but the fact that Europe refuses to unite and establish, say, a system to intercon-nect all gas, power, and petroleum net-works is absolute nonsense, because in the end, supply is just as powerful as demand. Demand is very powerful, and we cannot make energy policy our goal if we do not simultaneously estab-lish an energy-unified EU. This has not happened so far, and I think it might be time to set discourse to the side for a while and really figure out where our common interests lie.

This is not a job for energy com-panies, because we are all competing against one another. It is the states themselves that must establish com-

“A good manager must make decisions knowing that he will never see the results”

“Having allies like the Embassies, which the Spanish Government has placed all over the world, is a key asset for Spanish businesses today”

“You can't have common European goals without common policies to ensure all parties comply”

PROfilEAntonio Brufau was born in Mollerusa (Lleida) in 1948. He obtained a degree in Eco-nomics from the University of Barcelona and started his career at Arthur Andersen, eventually becoming an Audit Associate. In 1988,

he was hired by La Caixa, where he worked as CEO from 1999 to 2004. In July of 1997 he was named President of the Nat-ural Gas Group. He served as a member of Repsol YPF administrative council from 1996 until he was named

CEO of the company in 2004. Currently, he is also serving as vice president of the Natural Gas Group and president of the Spanish Energy Club. Throughout his long business career, Antonio Brufau has been a member

the boards of directors of several companies, includ-ing Suez, Enagás, Abertis, Aguas de Barcelona, and Colonial. Since he arrived at Repsol, he has fostered a business culture based on commit-ment, transparency and rig-

73e interview

mon standards and unify criteria and policies for the suppliers... There will be no such thing as energy security if each country is acting independently. Germany's problems are Spain's prob-lems, and England's problems are Italy's problems; we cannot continue to believe that each country will be capable of solving its problems inde-pendently. We got a taste of this just recently with the Russian gas crisis, which had the entire world on edge. These sorts of disputes could be avoid-ed with a more coordinated policy or a single policy. — What role can Spain play in this regard during its upcoming EU Presidency? What sort of actions do you hope to see?— I hope to see quite a bit, because Spain may just be able to inject some common sense into things. Spain has always been sort of at the margin of the rest of Europe; we even find our-selves off in a corner geographically, which is a good thing, because I feel that Spain's oil and gas model and its electricity and renewable energy mod-el are exemplary. They are this way because of careful planning, but also, and more importantly, because we have remained isolated. With regard to energy, Spain has been more or less disconnected from the rest of Europe, and has therefore been forced to find its own resources and plan its own strategy. Now, this strategy has the po-tential to work throughout Europe. In my opinion, Spain's decision to inter-connect the LNG from regasification plants and two large gas pipelines is an example of what should be done at the

European level. Furthermore, during its EU Presi-

dency, the Spanish Government should be able to add a bit of pragmatism into the decision-making process, with less discussion of sweeping goals, which it does not tend to make, while Europe in general does, and a greater dose of reality through the establishment of timetables. I will give a brief example: We cannot have a common energy pol-icy without, for example, coming to a consensus on the matter of nuclear en-ergy, which is best suited for Europe. We have one country saying one thing and another something else. I will not elaborate on the debate of yes or no, that is a topic for another time, but what seems ridiculous to me is that no one talks about a European mixed gen-eration scheme. Someone has to make the decision and if we do not, the U.S. will see us as having lost the battle. Obama's stance is clear; he knows ex-actly what he wants, although I'm not saying I necessarily agree: huge invest-ments in R&D&I to change the energy model of the country, which today is an enormous energy consumer and largely energy inefficient. If we look at what Europe is spending on energy R&D&I, we will see that it is spending 30% of what it was 20 years ago. Ev-eryone it talking about 20/20/20 and great sweeping goals, but if we do not provide the means to meet those goals we will be left behind. Spain needs to give us an injection of pragmatism. — What do you see as the future of alternative energy? — It will have its role, but it will not be as central as it is made out to be.

The International Energy Agency and other relevant studies project that by 2030 or 2050, the energy mix will not be much different than it is today. Fossil fuels -petroleum, coal, gas- will continue to be the foundation of our energy consumption.

Alternative energy sources will begin to play a role, but it is clear that to do so, they must clear a significant experience curve to become truly ef-ficient. Today they are not. Today they are where we would expect them to be. And, as alternative energy sources, they have their limitations: wind en-ergy depends on a multitude of fac-tors; solar energy in all its forms is still technologically underdeveloped; and biofuels have other implications such as rational water use, CO2 emissions of fuel production, etc. And there is another issue that must be addressed: it is nice to talk about alternative en-ergy sources, but again, we need to be pragmatic: how much CO² is released during the production of a solar pan-el? And how much CO² will the use of that solar panel prevent from be-ing released into the atmosphere? I like to believe that Spain's alternative energy model could be similar to its wind energy model; that is, Spain will incorporate itself into the value chain. I don't feel that we should be favoring alternative energy if we do not have a place in the value chain. Until just last year, 80% of solar panels were import-ed from China, which is preposterous if we hope to develop an entire sector and obtain maximum value from the entire value chain.

We would have to develop research

or in management. He has a special ability to captivate with words and he gives high priority to personal relationships. The President of Repsol feels that talent and leadership are essen-tial to the company, and he promotes multicultural and

interdisciplinary teamwork. His transparency in manage-ment has been recognized with international awards, such as the most transpar-ent oil company in the world, according to The Dow Jones Sustainability World and Dow Jones STOXX Sustain-

ability indices. Antonio Brufau has pro-moted the hiring of disabled individuals at Repsol, a management effort that has been recognized by vari-ous awards, including the INCORPORA prize. Antonio Brufau has an

amazing way with people and an unwavering work ethic. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf, cheering on the Barcelona soccer team, and spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

74 e interview

and technology centers and produc-tion and development centers. Spain has a unique opportunity to spearhead a process that will be ours from the beginning -R&D&I- to the actual gen-eration of energy, a process that will be as efficient as possible. We must be aware that this process will take a long time. And I return again to European policy: When we talk about alternative energy sources, who pays the bill? If Spain's solar or eolic electricity gen-eration or consumption becomes very large, someone has to pay for it; but Spain will not be doing it only for its own benefit, because it will also help optimize the European electrical gen-eration mix. So, will Spanish consum-ers, or the State budget foot the bill? Who will pay the bill? Europe urgently needs a single, serious energy policy. — How would you summarize your career? — I am a mixture of circumstance and hard work. — You tend to be critical of what you call "the culture of self-satis-faction". This belief must certainly have guided you, not only in your professional career, but in other as-pects of your life as well.— Of course. I have seen many compa-nies whose CEOs act as if they are in possession of absolute truth. As soon as that happens, the company will be dead in the water.

The most important thing in life is to be able to listen and keep learning. If continual education and learning is the foundation of personal devel-opment, much of that education can be found by listening to and learning from others. I have had the good for-tune to be surrounded by people who are much, much better than I. I have been fortunate to have collaborated with superiors, colleagues, and subor-dinates who were much better than I was, and they have made me who I am today. I owe everything to others and to good fortune. — Would that be part of your advice to young entrepreneurs?

— I would tell them to surround them-selves with talent, not flunkies. There are two ways to manage, and both can work: One is through talent and intel-lectual competitiveness, where teams are motivated by intellectual excite-ment. The other is by subservience, where orders given by one person are followed to the letter, in typical army fashion. This also works. If you are nice and give orders and people ad-here to those orders, the company will work perfectly, but you have to be the nice guy. But since I don't think I'm that nice (laughs), I have go with the first option: talent. If I just give orders, I can't be sure things will work as ex-pected; but if I allow others to share their knowledge and expertise, I can be confident that things may even ex-ceed our expectations. — How did you face the challenge of going from essentially national companies to the head of a company like Repsol, with a huge interna-tional presence?— I think what I like most about this job is exactly that: its variety. The same business and the same product can be completely different when you are working in Venezuela, Kazakhstan, or Argentina. The personal interac-tions are very rewarding as well. Our transnational culture -we have people from 70 countries working for us- is extremely interesting and working in an organization where everyone feels deeply involved in a unique project is a very rewarding experience. The global village becomes even smaller as your personal career grows, and that is one of the things I like best about Repsol. — Just out of curiosity, since you seem to fear nothing, did you ever ride the Dragon Khan roller coaster during your time as president of the Port Aventura theme park? — Although I prefer the more tradition-al rides, yes, I did ride the Dragon Khan. It is one of those things you just have to do once in life. A roller coaster like that shows you that you never know where you will be 60 seconds from now. It was

like being in an alternate universe, a re-ally strange sensation...

I was hired as president two years before the park was built. It was really a very exciting time for me, because it was a sector I knew nothing about. It is an exciting project and a unique addition to the region. It was very well executed and, unlike other projects, combined great business sense with a wonderful social sense, because it meant job creation, recovery for a re-gion that needed an economic jolt, and was located near a petrochemical refinery... It was also good for Spain to show that it could combine quality lei-sure and tourism with a petrochemical complex. The whole project has been a marvelous success. — Thank you for your time…— It was nothing compared to the time the Ministry has given us, that the Secretaries of State have given us, that Trini (Trinidad Jiménez), who went to Bolivia to talk to Evo Morales about a Repsol problem, has given us. The Minister prepared the way for the King to visit Trinidad and Tobago, when Repsol was the only company there. All of this means a lot. And I could tell you similar stories about Ecuador and other regions. I believe that everyone is pleased with the changes that have been made in this latest phase of in-stitutional support, especially under Moratinos. It started with Piqué, with diplomatic meetings with businesses, and now we have unconditional sup-port.

Interview conducted by Beatriz Beeckmans

RecueRda que en el extRanjeRo

tu embajada puede ayudaRte

GOBIERNO DE ESPAÑA

MINISTERIO DE ASUNTOS EXTERIORES Y DE COOPERACIÓN

Para atender a nuestros compatriotas en el extranjero, España cuenta con una amplia red consular dependiente del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación, compuesta en la actualidad por 176 Oficinas Consulares y Secciones Consulares de Embajadas, así como cerca de 375 Consulados y Viceconsulados Honorarios. > La función de los Consulados consiste en prestar determinados servicios administrativos a los ciudadanos españoles, ayudar a quienes hayan sido víctimas de delitos o abusos y asistir a quienes se encuentren en situación de necesidad. > Cuando te encuentres en un país o ciudad donde España no posea Consulado, podrás dirigirte a la Sección Consular de la Embajada de España, oficina que se encontrará únicamente en la capital de dicho país

Los consulados pueden > Expedir pasaportes o salvoconductos en caso de caducidad, pérdida o robo. > Informar sobre los servicios médicos, educativos y legales del país; > Prestar asistencia a detenidos; > Adelantar, de manera extraordinaria, el dinero imprescindible para eventuales casos de necesidad que pudieran surgir, incluída la repa-triación.> Realizar inscripciones en el Registro Civil, expedir poderes y actas notariales, legalizar documentos así como otros trámites administrativos.

Los consulados no pueden > Hacer funciones de agencia de viajes; > Conseguir un trabajo en el extranjero; > Garantizar en un hospital o en una cárcel un tratamiento mejor que el otorgado a los nacionales de ese país; > Avalar, prestar dinero o pagar multas; > Hacer de intérprete, guía o asistente social.

Registro de viajeros > El sistema de registro de viajeros, accesibe desde la web del Ministerio www.maec.es. permite a quienes viajen al extranjero facilitar todos sus datos personales, los datos de su viaje (país de destino, lugares que va a visitar y en los que se va a alojar) y los de los familiares que tienen previsto acompañarle, así como los de las personas a las que habría que contactar en caso de emergencia. > Ello permitirá a la Unidad de Emergencia Consular, en caso de crisis, disponer en todo momento de listados actualizados de las personas que se encuentran de forma transitoria en el país o región afecta da por la misma, facilitando la puesta en contacto con los viajeros y su asistencia en caso de necesidad. > A partir del 15 de julio próximo entrará en funcionamiento una nueva aplicación informática que permitirá el envío de SMS y correos electrónicos a los viajeros previamente registrados, con objeto de enviarles información y recomendaciones en el caso de que se produzca una crisis o emergencia en el país al que han viajado.

www.maec.es