miradas al exterior_11_en

An Informative Diplomatic Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation JULY-SEPTEMBER 2009. N˚11. www.maec.es

FOREIGN AFFAIRS > Master of Diplomacy and International Relations > Spain, three months away from the Presidency of the EU > Interview of the Director of the CIDOV Foundation COOPERATION> Cooperation Week CULTURE AND SOCIETY > A sociological portrait of the Spanish people in the 21st century > Sacyr Vallehermoso, on the cutting edge of engineering INTERVIEW > Luis Rojas Marcos: “Positive thinking is what has enabled the development of humanity”

Spanish cinema:reflection of an identity

Spanish-language cinema represents an important vehicle for conveying culture throughout the Ibero-American community along a route that comes full circle, a vehicle to which our country is fully committed.

editorial office > Director: Julio Albi de la Cuesta. Editor-in-Chief: José Bodas. Art Director and Editor: Javier Hernán-dez. Editors: Beatriz Beeckmans. Contributors: Luis T. Melgar, Virginia Castrejana, Laura Losada, Carmen Giner, Jacobo García, M. Ángel Nieto, David Doncel 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 Cooperation. 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 > [email protected] > NIPO: 501-09-006-1

ImageThe Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation (AECID) prepares to load the plane it chartered, destined for Padang, to deliver humanitarian aid to those affected by the Sumatra earthquake at the beginning of October. The AECID also sent aid to the Philippines, which included emergency supplies, healthcare and logistics equipment, and water and sanitation experts.

2 Image and the facts

15˚position in the UNDP Human Development IndexSpain maintains its position in the an-nual ranking produced by the United Nations Development Program.

THE DATA

20˚anniversary of the fall of the WallThe fall of the Berlin Wall took place on November 9, 1989. This historical point in time changed the European political scene and brought about an end to the Cold War.

ANNIVERSARY

1October 1997 The Amsterdam Treaty was signed which amended the Maastricht Treaty and marked the creation of the modern-day European Union.

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 Depart-ment for the European Union and the State Department for Ibero-America, and the Cabinet of the Director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.

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6 > Spanish cinema: a shared language and cul-ture. A common venue for 450 million Spanish speakers, cinema serves as a vehicle for exporting a shared language and culture.

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14 > Masters in Diplomacy and International Rela-tions. 18 > Spain, three months away from the Presidency. 22 > Spanish Embassy in Andorra. 26 > Interview with Jor-di Vaquer, Direc-tor of the CIDOB Foundation. 28 > Spain consolidates its presence at the upcoming G-20 Summits

34 > Coopera-tion Week. 36 > Saint Louis de Senegal, emerging cooperation 37

> Spain creates a humanitarian fund to increase its aid to the Red Cross

38 > Olive oil, a genuinely Spanish hallmark 42 > A sociological por-trait of the Spanish people in the 21st century 46 > Sacyr Vallehermoso, at the cutting edge of engineering 52 > The world's largest telescope unveiled on the island of La Palma.

60 > Luis Rojas Marcos: “Positive thinking is what has enabled the development of humanity”

Support cinema inside and outside of Spain

Tell me, why do you spend money on movies? As Spain em-barks on a process of reviewing what it does to protect cinema as it looks to the future, it is im-portant to properly explain why we do what we do. And what it comes down to is that it would be catastrophic for Spain's collective identity if only a few filmmakers, even the best in the country, had the enormous social power associated with audiovi-sual creation in their hands, em-ployed in the service of a single world vision. A culture that loses its capacity to represent itself to its citizens and to the rest of the world through the audiovisual medium, which relinquishes its capacity to tell its own stories, to give an account of its history, its geography, its hopes and fears, and its own way of looking at things; if a country were to lose this it would be like losing something as significant as its language or part of its territorial integrity. This raises the need for clear government interven-tion that allows this diversity to be preserved, thus rectifying the

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Ignasi GuardansGEnERAL DIRECTOR OF ThE InSTITuTE OF CInEMATOGRAPhyAnD AuDIOVISuAL ARTS

inevitable homogeneity of goods and services towards which unfettered market forces tend to lead. This proposition was stated by UNESCO in its promotion of a Convention that guarantees the right of countries to adopt mea-sures of this type, and the posi-tion was adopted by the Europe-an Union, its members and other countries around the world. But this support can be given in many ways, as we can see just by looking around. In Spain we are going to modernize our system, with the aim of trying to improve the balance between the vital public support for the type of cinematographic work that will always have smaller appeal, and the need to promote a stronger and more stable film industry than the current one, which would produce movies that are capable of winning over the pub-lic in the digital era both inside and outside Spain, equaling or bettering the quality and the in-ternal market shares of countries against which we can measure ourselves in other spheres.

However, we must keep in mind one obvious fact: cinema is, of course, culture, and if govern-ment resources are allocated to protect it then it should be done for the reasons stated above, and within the context of cultural di-versity. Cinema is also a creator of wealth; a powerful industry that transforms the creativity of a few into the employment of many. This is true because a great many human and mate-

Cinema is also a creator of wealth; a powerful industry that transforms the creativity of a few into the employment of many.

It would be catastrophic for Spain's collective identity if only a few filmmakers, even the best in the country, had the enormous social power associated with audiovisual creation in their hands, employed in the service of a single world vision.

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rial resources are required to transform somebody's idea into a work of art or cultural reality.

Cultural reality and economic reality in cinema are inseparable within Spain, but perhaps even more so abroad. Not without reason, the Spanish Cinema Act (Ley del Cine) expressly men-tions this commercial dimension when it entrusts the coordina-tion of the foreign promotion of Spanish cinema to the ICAA (In-stitute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts). For this rea-son it is impossible to conceive of a genuine film policy without the involvement of those in the government and the adminis-tration who are responsible for Spain's international relations, and the management of the con-siderable public resources that are allocated to it.

Of course, this added dimension doesn't always have to always be treated equally or be combined in the same way: an internation-al film festival that includes a broad audiovisual market is one thing, while a purely cultural event organized by an embassy is quite another. But it would be wise not to forget: a season of Spanish cinema in Sydney, Mumbai or New York has many things in common with a good painting exhibition from Spain organized in these same cities. It must also be, where possible, a way of publicizing the “trade-mark” image of the movies made in Spain (in Spanish and

other languages), and of helping our filmmakers and audiovisual performers, as well as their works, become better known among distributors, potential investors and television rights buyers. We at the ICAA will make ourselves available to the various administrative offices and organizations to facilitate this task in practice, maintain-ing our tremendous respect for their authority.

We are proud that, as a whole, movies made in Spain, with their great thematic and, on occasions, linguistic diversity, as well as the co-productions with Spanish involvement, do not lack quality or talent. Nor are they lacking in terms of technology. Without getting involved in flag-waving, which would be ridiculous, we have to be aware that we have have lots of excellent cinema to showcase and share throughout the world. Therefore, when disseminating and promoting both our own and European productions abroad, we must not forget that there are many writers who have already gained recognition from the public and at countless festivals, who enrich Spanish filmmaking on a daily basis, and who must be given the international exposure they deserve. These last few years have produced a plentiful supply of top quality films, perhaps hid-den on occasion by the very large number of premieres. And the prospects, like wine, are only set to get better.

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How many times have you seen New York before going to New York? How many times have you thought you recognized a landscape that you had seen before? The big screen has allowed us to get closer to the reality of other countries and cultures, and to imagine, travel and discover the way that others see the world. Spain has a large number of professionals that export their talent and a language that enables it to reach 450 million people. This has translated, in 2008, into more than 170 documentary, fiction and animated feature films made in Spain. The film medium has become a visual link with the rest of the world and has strengthened our relations with countries such as Mexico and Argentina, with whom we maintain a fruitful partnership. By Beatriz Beeckmans and Carmen Giner.

A year after the Lumière brothers as-tounded the world with their record-ing of “Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory”, in Spain, Eduardo Gimeno Correos was shooting “La salida de misa de 12 de la iglesia del Pilar de Zaragoza” (Leaving the Midday Mass at the Church of Pilar in Zaragoza). It was 1896 when that first Spanish film was shot and, since then, Spanish cin-ema has reflected the transformation of a society that has evolved, in real-ity and on the screen, into something far removed from the clichés that have traditionally characterized us. Spain is now perceived as a modern power with global interests and a great draw for talent, with a presence at all the international forums. And the fact is that, as Javier Gil, coordinator of the Film Archive of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, states, “Film is one of the mediums that can best reflect our cultural and social identity”. It is a medium that, in addi-tion to being a means for cultural ex-pression, serves as a powerful driving force behind Spain's influence abroad.

In 1982 at the Chinese Theater in

Los Angeles, José Luís Garci collected the first Oscar awarded to a Spanish film as Best Foreign Language Film. This award for his work, “Volver a empezar” (Starting Over), marked the beginning of a new era in which there was a huge opening-up of Spanish cinema abroad. Since then it has received, behind France and Italy, the most Oscars of all the for-

eign film industries. Good examples of this are “Belle Époque” and “All About My Mother”. The director of the latter, Pedro Almodóvar, is one of the most renowned ambassadors of Spanish cin-ema, and his fame has helped the quality of Spanish film gain recognition abroad. Spanish cinema has also received ac-claim in Europe, winning more than 20

Spanish cinemashared language and culture

The Minister of Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde, the President of the Film Academy, Alex de la Iglesia, the Minster of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos and the Secretary of State for Cooperation, Soraya Rodríguez, during the presentation of the González Sinde Award to the Film Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 14 in Madrid.

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awards from the European Film Acad-emy since it was created. At the most re-cent Cannes Festival –one of the indus-try's leading benchmarks- four Spanish films were presented to the public and the industry. Through his innovative language, director Carlos Saura –one of the first to receive an award outside of Spain, when in 1965 he received the Best Director Award for “La caza” (The Hunt) at the International Film Festival in Berlin- has also contributed to chang-ing and modernizing Spain's image in Europe. In addition, many of our film professionals are called upon to work as judges at festivals all over the world.

But what is the secret of this suc-cess? The key lies in the mastery of the professionals in both artistic and tech-nical areas. This talent has received international acclaim and enabled our professionals to jump ahead of other film industries. A partnership that has already paid off and which is evident in the large number of co-productions and exchanges that take place with oth-er countries, especially from the Ibero-American region, as a result of our tra-ditional historical and cultural links. “Spanish nationality” is understood to mean that at least 75% of a film's cre-ators –directors, screenwriters and crew- are either Spanish or citizens of a European Union member state. Or, it can mean that a work has been filmed in Spanish. And the fact is that the Span-ish language is, precisely, one of Span-ish cinema's trump cards. According to a study by the Cervantes Institute, in 2050 Spanish will be the most widely spoken language in the United States and currently, within the North Ameri-can film industry, the value of Spanish is beginning to be recognized as a re-flection of its society. In “Spanglish,” for example, one of Spain's most inter-nationally famous actresses, Paz Vega, performs the role of an illegal Mexican immigrant in the United States, who speaks Spanish in the film. Also “Che: The Argentine” is shot entirely in Span-ish, despite being an American film.

But language transcends mere

speech. As the critic Guzmán Urrero Peña points out: “Language doesn't irrefutably identify the nationality of a film”. Movies such as “The Others” by Alejandro Amenábar or “My Life Without Me”, by Isabel Coixet, filmed in English, are an example of opening-up to the international market and cooperation between professionals on both sides of the Atlantic. Those early experiences have reemerged in the careers of both directors with the recent release of “Agora” and “Map of the Sounds of Tokyo”. The best-selling film of 2008 in Spain, “The Oxford Murders” by Alex de la Iglesia, also uses English to achieve greater pen-etration into the foreign market.

Other filmmakers go even further. Such is the case with Catalonian broth-ers David and Álex Pastor, who have just released the American production “Car-riers”, a horror film shot in English, or their predecessor, Juan Carlos Fresna-dillo, who did the same in the filming of “28 Weeks Later”. The work of actors as well-known as Antonio Banderas, Pené-lope Cruz or Javier Bardem fills both na-tional and international headlines and has become the most visible symbol of this transformation.

Links with Ibero-America. With regard to co-productions, the most important links continue to be those maintained with countries from the Ibero-American region. These links started in 1940 with the founding of the Council of the His-panic World and were later reinforced with the creation of the Hispano-Amer-ican Cinematographic Union in 1948, with the aim of encouraging the ex-change of films and cinematic imports.

The co-productions started in the 1950s and 1960s, in the heart of the Franco era. The collaboration with Mexico was the most noteworthy, with a huge proliferation of titles that were released in both countries. “Jalisco canta en Sevilla” (Jalisco Sings in Seville, 1948) with Jorge Negrete and Carmen Sevilla, is an example of the popular subject matter that was so well-loved in that

THe drive TowArdS creATiviTY iN figureS.In 2008 Spanish film industry has increased the amount of films it has made: 173 full-length feature films from a wide variety of genres: 108 fiction, 55 documentaries and 10 animated features. 49 of those were co-produced with other countries, a system that has estab-lished itself as an important means for releasing Spanish cinema onto the foreign market. Argentina, France, the United Kingdom and Mexico are the countries with which we have collaborated most. We have also begun co-productions with Brazil, which has never happened before.

THe fuNding of our filM iNduSTrY.As the Institute of Film and Audio-visual Arts points out, not all films have the same opportunities for funding. Those of a more commer-cial nature can find it easily in the form of pre-sales of exploitation rights and bank loans, which can be amortized with government grants for commercial exploitation once they are released. More experi-mental films or films of a predomi-nantly cultural nature need to be supported by government grants and subsidies. The combination of public and private funding in film production remains vital to be able to make quality films at competi-tive prices and enable them to be released onto the open market. The total amount of the financial grants given to the ICAA for making, producing, and promoting films in 2008 reached 67 million euros.

Spanish film as a common element of the Ibero-American world

The Spanish Agency for Interna-tional Development Cooperation is in charge of carrying out the functions and responsibilities assigned to the MAEC for the promotion and development of Spain's cultural and scientific re-lations with other countries. From this perspective, it considers culture in all its forms as a cata-lyst for the processes of conver-gence and mutual understanding between societies.

One of the most important cultural sectors of our time is, without a doubt, cinema. The promotion of Spanish cinema and the backing of cinema in Spanish as a common element of the Ibero-American cultural sphere are fundamental objec-tives of cultural action abroad. For this task, the AECID has a Film Archive service, created in 1979, whose role is to dissemi-nate cinematic productions in Spanish through image. Recently, by presenting the González-Sinde Award, Spain's Academy of Mo-tion Picture Arts and Sciences has recognized “The work and commitment of the AECID's Film Archive to the dissemination of Spanish cinema”.

The Directorate of Cultural and Scientific Relations car-ries out a considerable number of activities with the aim of consolidating an Ibero-American cultural space. Taking the Ibero-American Cultural Charter as a

reference point, and in keeping with the actions that, from the multilateral perspective, are carried out in the region through organizations such as the OEI or SEGIB, Ibero-American cinema is supported, principally, through one of the most important programs in the sphere of Ibero-American cooperation: the Ibermedia Program.

Ibermedia's objectives are to encourage the making of co-productions, the staging, dis-tribution and promotion of films in regional markets, as well as the training of human resources for the audiovisual industry. Since its inception, the program —which receives approximately 40% of its funding from the AECID— has supported 379 audiovisual projects, awarded 348 financial grants to cinematic co-productions, 209 grants for the distribution and promotion of Ibero-American film, 168 scholar-ships to students and profes-sionals and 62 direct grants to academic institutions. By pursuing its goals within the audiovisual space, then, the AE-CID strengthens the international presence of Spanish cinema. In order to do this, every year it takes part in the European Film Festivals organized by diplomatic delegations of the EU countries, collaborating with some of the most prestigious international festivals held in Spain and sup-

porting the Spanish Film Abroad Program.

The latter represents a powerful system for promoting and ex-hibiting Spanish cinema through cultural institutions and actors abroad: cultural programming for embassies and consulates, cul-tural centers, OTCs, universities, Cervantes Institutes, etc.

Within the context of this dis-semination network, the program to acquire non-exclusive licenses for non-commercial public broadcasting rights for Spanish and Ibero-American productions undoubtedly plays a seminal role. Based on agreements entered into with the Federation of Spanish Audiovisual Producers' Associations and the Ibero-American Federation of Film and Audiovisual Producers, a collec-tion of more than 500 titles has been acquired.

Lastly, the Film Archive takes part in all the shows and seasons that are put on in homage to and recognition of the professional careers and activities of our most prominent filmmakers, techni-cians and producers. All of this aims to boost the dissemination abroad of what has become a key piece in the construction of the contemporary Spanish and Ibero-American collective imagina-tions; a piece that, furthermore, is today a cultural industry of undeniable significance.

Since its inception, the Ibermedia program has supported 379 audiovisual projects and has awarded 168 scholarships to students and professionals

Antonio NicolaudIReCToR oF The AeCId'S CulTuRAl And SCIenTIFIC RelATIonS

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era. This fact takes on particular sig-nificance when you consider that dip-lomatic bilateral relations had broken down until 1976. This did not, however, prevent viewers from both sides from enjoying a much-loved and popular film industry. One of the pioneers was Luis Buñuel who, after beginning his career in France, where he achieved resound-ing success with the release of “An An-dalusian Dog” -which marked a turning point in the history of cinema and the European avant-garde-, moved to Mex-ico, where he spent a large part of his career. In the 1960s, personalities such as the comedian Mario Moreno (Cantin-flas) became mass idols in Spain, while big names such as Rocío Dúrcal did the same in Mexico. However, towards the middle of the 1980s the co-productions became more few and far between, as di-rectors such as Arturo Ripstein, Guiller-mo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu made some interesting films

and felt comfortable working in both the powerful North American film industry and pursuing more personal projects. It was also in the 1980s when collabora-tions with Argentina started to make more of an impact. Since then, Spain has been involved in more co-productions filmed in Buenos Aires than any other country. Many industry professionals –Ricardo Darín, Adolfo Aristaráin, Fed-erico Luppi, Cecilia Roth and Juan José Campanella- work on both sides of the Atlantic. An example of this is the jour-ney made by Spanish actor José Sacris-tán in “Un lugar en el mundo” (A Place in the World), which reflects the cultural convergence between the two countries, as well as the social transformations that they experienced during those years.

Another country with whom we have a long history of collaboration, in spite of its delicate international posi-tion, is the island of Cuba. The Interna-tional School of Film and Television of

San Antonio de los Baños, also known as the Havana Film School, emerged in 1986 as a setting for cultural diversity of international scope. Its teachers are professional film producers who travel to more than 20 countries to pass on their knowledge, with the ultimate ob-jective of strengthening expositional exchange and the undertaking of proj-ects with other institutions.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s –according to a report by the New Latin American Film Foundation- there were successive meetings between Ibero-American studio heads with the aim of setting out integration agreements which dealt with, in particular, issues relating to the regional common mar-ket and co-productions. In the 1st Ar-ticle of the Ibero-American Agreement for the Integration of Cinematography, the signatory countries, which includ-ed Spain, committed to “contribute to the development of the film industry

Several decades previously, it would have seemed impossible to reconcile the ideas of the school with the film industry in the Ibero-American world. Young students had apprehen-sions about the specter of mass production that loomed over the industry, seemingly destined to restrict freedom and imagination. Within the industry -which was in itself just a dream- those who didn't believe in the schools mis-

trusted these students, thinking them arrogant, naive, radical and parricidal. There were also those who feared them: military juntas used to close down the schools, if possible with the students inside. The more established schools were set up in the fifties and survived until the middle or late seventies, disappearing over the next two decades (the two most important Mexican schools -CUEC and CCC- were the only

ones to survive). During these years the idea spread, like a fog of reason, that film couldn't be taught and, therefore, couldn't be learned. For film, as for fine art, it had to “come from within”. This assertion only served to cover up the true -and all too human- intention of this discourse: that no public resources could be channeled to this uncertain thing that we call education. This small

Alberto García FerrergeNerAl SecreTArY of ATei. forMer direcTor of THe ScHool of SAN ANToNio de loS bAñoS

A matter of time

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In 1986 the International School of San Antonio de los Baños, in Cuba, spread its influ-ence through-out the entire Ibero-American region

within the audiovisual space of the Ibero-American countries and their in-tegration through an equal partnership in regional film production”.

The Ibermedia Program. These ef-forts are also apparent in the Iberme-dia Program (Development Program in Support of the Construction of the Ibero-American Audiovisual Space), which aims to lay the foundations for an Ibero-American audiovisual space by promoting the co-production and distribution of films for cinema and television in the Spanish and Portu-guese languages. Through the AECID, Spain is working on this process of Ibero-American regional integration and is the principal donor. Its func-tions include the exchange of industry professionals, the international open-ing up of companies through financial and technical support, the distribution and promotion of products on the re-

gional market and the training of hu-man resources.

This collaboration has manifested itself in the many awards won by films that Spain has co-produced with other Ibero-American countries. “Son of the Bride” (Spanish-Argentinean) and “Pan's Labyrinth” (Spanish-Mexican) both won nominations for Best Foreign Language Film and, in the case of the latter, six nominations and three Os-cars from the Academy, which served as confirmation that Spanish profes-sionals –art directors, make-up direc-tors, etc.- can be placed on an equal footing with the industry bigwigs.

Challenges for the future. Neverthe-less, we still have a matter to resolve with the Spanish public. According to a recent survey by the Ministry of Cul-ture about the cultural habits of the Spanish people, foreign film is thought of more highly and does better at the

box office than our own productions. “It is a massive contradiction that di-rectors and actors of international re-nown don't have the same success at home”, laments Álex de la Iglesia, Di-rector of the Spanish Film Academy.

The fact is that there is still a long way to go. The new Film Act tries to solve the main problems: promotion and distribution. As Iglesia points out, “Span-ish cinema is not a favor, it's a business” and should be considered as such. This Act tries to focus financial resources in order to achieve a solid and stable indus-try with access to the markets. One new feature is that, as of now, legal Internet downloads will be taken into account when awarding production grants. Ig-naci Guardans, director of the Institute of Film and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), states that “Protecting film is protecting cultural diversity”, since film is an ideal tool for gaining a better understanding of the daily realities in other countries.

and fragmented vision of the value chain in film always left the schools excluded: the links in the chain with most influence didn't understand or accept -except with lip service- that education was, and is, the R&D&I of that sought-after industry. In 1986, the creation of the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños, in Cuba, made its influence felt through the entire Ibero-American sphere

and contributed to driving out that magical -and all-too-human- no-tion while replacing it with the real issue: how to teach and learn the creative processes of film. During the following decade dozens of schools were created, including the Film University Foundation in 1991 in Buenos Aires, the ECAM in Madrid and the ESCAC in Barcelona in 1994. In the winter of 1993, Leonardo Favio, most certainly Argentina's greatest

living filmmaker, stepped onto the stage of the Palace of Exhibitions and Conferences in Madrid to collect his Goya for the Best Span-ish Language Foreign Film, for his film “Gatica”. Favio, a man who learned about film in the school of hard knocks of lengthy shoots and the rigor of film sets, said to me that night, in a subdued but re-gretful tone: Just think how much time I would have saved if I'd been able to go to a film school!”

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There are also voices from the ICAA saying that the pro-duction industry in general needs to continue strength-ening its business structure in order to prove not only its productive capacity, but also its financial solvency. With the current business structure in Spain, a small group of companies are continuously producing films, receiving a high level of income and achieving fi-nancial balance through diversification. However, at the same time, there is little activity in the rest of the sector. In 2008, of the 217 companies that produced feature films, only 4 were involved in producing 5 or more films, 34 made be-tween 2 and 4, and 179 produced just one feature film. It is precisely this trend towards sporadic and non-diversified production that makes it difficult to im-plement economies of scale in order to optimize profits and resources.

One of the institutions that has put the most effort into achieving an in-crease in the dissemination of Spanish film abroad is the AECID's Film Archive of the General Directorate for Cultural

Relations, which recently re-ceived the González-Sinde Award from the Spanish Film Academy in recognition of the work of institutions and people who use the medium of film to realize their social objectives. The Academy has valued the work that the AECID chan-

nels through the Spanish Film Abroad Program. In partnership with Spain's diplomatic delegations and consulates, this program serves to raise the profile of Spanish culture through cinema, a medium that is capable of transcend-ing borders. “We have always aimed to contribute to mutual understanding, ex-change and dialogue between societies through Art Week”, stated the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Soraya Rodríguez, when she accepted the award. In order to carry out this work, every year the AECID's Film Ar-chive acquires the non-commercial public broadcasting rights for films and documentaries in order to expand the film archive for subsequent exhibition at our delegations abroad.

New technologies are also intro-ducing a radical twist and questioning the traditional forms of filmmaking and exhibition. As a result, the AECID has undertaken an ambitious project that uses new technologies to give all embassies and Cervantes Institutes access to a virtual archive that enables on-line downloads. This new system, which will soon be in operation, will enable the current method of film dis-tribution to be sped up, so that Span-

ish cinema can continue to be enjoyed around the world.

A film-making country. Since the cre-ation of the San Sebastián Film Festival in 1955 and the Seminci de Valladolid one year later, people started to become aware of the power of cinema as a tool for cultural dissemination and attract-ing interest. Nowadays, although these continue to be major points of reference in Spain, we find Spanish film festivals and seasons in places as unlikely as In-donesia. Although these are for a mi-nority audience, they raise awareness of Spanish culture and demonstrate the interest that the Spanish film industry inspires globally. “In the same way that we promote our language, audiovisual productions are even more effective in the short-term, especially among the cultural elite, on whom it has a direct impact, as is the case of teachers, artists, diplomats, etc. This can be clearly seen when you speak to people from foreign countries. They no longer have the per-ception of sun, bullfights and tourism”, says Álvaro Matud, a PhD in journalism and director of the Masters Program in Institutional and Political Communi-cation at the Carlos III University. In Spain, festivals such as the Sitges Horror Film Festival, the Malaga Film Festival, the Euro-Arab Film Festival in Santiago de Compostela, the Mostra de Valencia and the Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival exist alongside others overseas, such as the Tangier Spanish Film Fes-tival and the Hispanic Film Festival in Tokyo and Kobe. These events demon-strate the dynamism of an industry that is enriched by exchange and that asserts its worth through the dissemination of Spanish culture and values.

USA10 002

France 511 Germany439

U. Kingdom 408

Canada388

Australia347

China179

India99

Spain 60

rAnkInG oF CounTrIeS wITh The hIGheST Box oFFICe reCeIPTS ABroAd For ITS FILmSSource: Cabinet of Demoscopic

Analysis.Figures in millions of

dollars

Romania46

Behind France and Italy, Spain has received the most oscars of all the non-uSA film industries.

Spanish film and audiovisual production, at the pinnacle of its creativity

The homegrown film industry in Spain isn't experiencing the best of times with regard to dissemination, and at FAPAE we are aware that, currently, Spanish cinema is not as in tune with its audience as it could be. The audiovisual industry has man-aged to connect with the public, better than any other nation, through television drama, but it is not able to compete with foreign films at our movie theatres. Very often the same scriptwriters, directors, actors and producers who have achieved great success with dramatic series, mini-series or made-for television movies, have been derided when they have put forward a cinematic project for release. In fact, as Alex de la Iglesia stated when he was elected President of the Academy, Spanish cinema has greater acceptance outside our borders than within.

Nevertheless, Spanish cinema and audiovisual production as a whole are currently at the pinnacle of their creativity. No other country's film industry, apart from that of the U.S., has received such universal recogni-tion and achieved what ours has in recent years. In this sense, it is worth highlighting that when we export a film, we are not only making a profit for the audiovi-sual industry, but we are also dis-seminating a culture, a particular way of looking at things which, as a launching pad, will achieve

greater penetration for all Span-ish products.

As a result of all this, and in order to take advantage of the inter-national prestige of our cinema, at FAPAE we consider it neces-sary to have a more active policy and greater flexibility in signing co-production agreements. With this same goal in mind, greater collaboration with the Spanish embassies on Spanish film mat-ters would be desirable.

It is also important to men-tion one of the issues that is, as we see it, the most commonly used and the worst explained, and which is, without a doubt, among the potential causes for the divorce of the film industry and Spanish public: subsidies. In order to deal with this issue thor-oughly, we mustn't forget that in 2008 the government provided 1.144 billion euros in subsidies to wind energy producers and 968 million euros to solar energy producers. If we add all of energy subsidies included in special regime, the total amount of subsidies received reaches 3.304 billion euros. Furthermore, during 2007, even without taking into account those assigned to energy and the railroads, there was a to-tal of 5.369 billion in grants and subsidies awarded to a whole range of industries. The Spanish film industry received 78.1 million euros in the form of production grants during 2008.

If we compare ourselves with the rest of Europe, taking into account the total amount of film grants, we are the fifth-place country, behind France (with grants almost seven times larger than in Spain), Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy. When a producer receives a subsidy, in no way does it get a guarantee of financial suc-cess. It undoubtedly reduces risk, but it doesn't free the producer from the uncertainty of getting a full return on investment.

As President of the FAPAE, I have always stated that we're not asking for more resources, just better allocation of the existing resources; what we are asking for is that the tax lever passed by law be as efficient as investors require. Finally, another of the commonly misunderstood problems affecting the audiovisual industry is that of piracy. It threatens not only our industry, but places all legal busi-nesses based on the downloading of content at risk. Overlooking the problem could lead us to having to apologize to those who profit from something that isn't theirs, stealing from the legitimate owner and making it impossible to get a return on sizeable investments. This means that sufficient intel-ligence and energy is required from all to address a problem that is greater in our country than in countries that are culturally or geographically our neighbors. In this area, regrettably, after China, we are champions.

Piracy threat-ens not only the film and audio-visual industry, but places all legal business-es based on the downloading of content at risk

13P cover story

Pedro PérezPReSIdenT oF The FedeRATIon oF SPAnISh AudIovISuAl PRoduCeRS ASSoCIATIonS

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Every year, the lecture halls at the Diplomatic School are filled with students who arrive from all corners of the globe to earn the Masters in Diplomacy and International Relations, administered in partnership with six Spanish universities. This partnership goes beyond the strictly academic and forges personal links that transcend borders.by beatriz beeckmans

Javier Gil Infante ● SpainEconomist and graduatE of thE class of 2007-2008“The masters has given me a fantastic opportunity to refocus my studies in economics towards a multi-disciplinary field such as international relations. After the academic year at the Diplomacy School I received a grant to do an intern-ship at the Consulate General in Istanbul. The professional experience has been enriching and very rewarding. Thanks to the Consul General I have been able to discover first-hand the complex and es-sential work carried out by the Consulate and the practical application of rules and regulations which, at times, may seem far removed from reality. What's more, after living for almost a year on the banks of the Bosporus, a part of me has remained in the city, a city that you can fall in love with again and again. I'm currently pre-paring for the competitive examinations for the diplomatic service, with a mixture of excitement and enthusiasm which I hope turns out to be fruitful”.

Sonoko Abe ● Japanese DiplomatgraduatE of thE class of 2007-2008.“The diplomatic school has always had a good reputation among Japa-nese diplomats, not only as a center of academic training but also as a meeting place where you can get to know people from all over the world. That was the reason I decided to take this prestigious masters. After finishing it, and having worked for a year in the diplomatic mis-sion of the Japanese Embassy in Chile, I feel, on many occasions, that diplomacy is forged through personal ties and, as a result, I consider all the people I met at the school to be of great worth. I still see some of them now and again, even in Santiago, Chile”.

Alejandro Dorado Nájera ● Spain Biologist and graduatE of thE class of 2007-2008“As a biologist, I have always been con-cerned about environmental problems such as the biodiversity crisis, climate change and desertification. I decided to take the masters to supplement my environmental knowledge with an edu-cation that would give me a clear and concise idea of the international situa-tion, since I think that these problems can only be tackled using an interdisci-plinary and global approach. In addition to the masters I have to be thankful for the incredible experience of being able to spend a year working for the Embassy and the AECID in Mali. Mali is a country where Spanish diplomacy is held in high regard due to our efforts in development cooperation and where I have been able to appreciate the needs and problems that are faced there, as well as the importance of maintaining and increasing our presence”.

October 6, 2009. A new Inter-Univer-sity Masters in Diplomacy and Inter-national Relations starts at the Diplo-matic School. For one academic year, students from places such as the Ivory Coast, the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Morocco, Philippines and Turkey will live alongside Spanish students with the common objective of furthering their knowledge of international rela-tions. “The masters made me aware of the many possibilities that exist within

international relations. Meeting peo-ple from different geographical, aca-demic and professional backgrounds enriches the academic experience in a way that is almost comparable to the classes themselves,” says Ángela Díez, translator and graduate of the masters program.

The wealth of diversity. And to the end-less list of diverse backgrounds, another of noteworthy aspect of the masters

can be added: the diverse nature of the profiles of the students in the program. Students passing through the school have included not only law and political science graduates, but also aeronautical engineers looking for a career change, translators aiming to get into interna-tional organizations, and biologists who are passionate about environmental is-sues.

As José Miguel Bello and Patrick Sandoval, from the 63rd Graduating

A school of mastery

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Angel Chica ● Spain BachElor in audiovisual communication and graduatE, 2007-2008“Before entering the School I al-ready knew that I wanted to work in development cooperation, but I was very aware of the massive ignorance and the huge short-comings I had to overcome in

order to understand the complex situation of the world today. After

having taken the masters I feel for-tunate to have been able to receive

such a high quality education from a group of professors whom I remember

fondly. Of course, living with the rest of the students was and continues to be an enriching experience; today we continue to grow together even though we are spread out all over the world. I did my internship in Ethiopia. Following my ex-perience I stayed in the country under an assistance contract and continued mak-ing the most out of this opportunity and working hard to perform coordinated and efficient development cooperation”

Jeremy Cadiz ● United States studEnt from thE class of 2007-2008“Taking the masters has undoubtedly been one of the best experiences of my life. Never before have I met people from so many different countries. What's more, being the only person from the USA in the masters program, I had to bear the enormous responsibility of rep-resenting North America. This genuinely worried me quite a lot because of the bad reputation the USA had in the pre-Obama era. In spite of this, I'm delighted to have made some very good friend-ships. Although we came from diverse backgrounds, we were brought together by a passion for relations between the different communities of the world. Two years after the masters I'm still in con-tact with most of my classmates. I have visited some of them in their respective countries. As the song for Barcelona Olympics says, they are friends forever”


Carlos Belda Bustín ● Spaintranslator and graduatE of thE class of 2007-2008“The theoretical knowledge, the practical lessons in language, oratory and negotiation, the insight into current affairs that the distinguished guests who address the forum of the Aula Magna provide us with and, in particular, the Ambassadors of Spain, have been extremely useful during the internship at the Spanish Embassy in Singapore, as well as for the consultant for whom I currently work. On top of all this I would like to highlight that sharing a course with unforgettable classmates and friends from all over the world is an incred-ible international experience. Thanks to them, the Diplomatic School's masters program changed our way of looking at the world, since these nations are no longer far-off points on a map but invitations to set out to discover these undiscovered reali-ties.”

Félix Ramón López ● Spain aEronautical EnginEEr and graduatE of thE class of 2007-2008“After almost ten years as an aeronauti-cal engineer, I made the decision at the start of 2007 to sit for the examinations for the diplomatic service. It was one of those “now or never” moments, after I had finished my work on the Airbus A380. Several months later, I managed to get into the masters program, which is an experience that goes beyond the pure-ly academic; the intensity with which you live, the prestige of the teaching staff... I think they make it unique in our country. Likewise, the internship at the Delega-tion to the Council of Europe was extraor-dinary. My time there coincided with the Spanish Presidency, which increased the number of situations with which I could get involved. Today, having thought that the masters and the internship were merely a means to becoming a diplomat, I now realize how mistaken I was, since they are both an end in themselves”.

Class of the Diplomatic Career and graduates of the masters program, point out: “A course at the Diplomatic School, in addition to the academic benefits, provides a great opportu-nity for Spanish and foreign students to enjoy an exceptional campus -the Diplomatic School-, a virtually global student base and a setting -the city of Madrid-, which offers a wealth of op-portunities for cultural, sporting and social life”.

After the teaching period at the Diplomatic School, Spanish students have the opportunity to do intern-ships at Spanish Embassies and Con-sulates all over the world, as well as the Central Services of the Ministry. This experience is an excellent intro-duction to the life ahead for a student aspiring to embark on a diplomatic career and provides privileged access to work experience. “Thanks to this great opportunity, I spent a year liv-ing in China, in the astonishing and at

the same time traditional and futuris-tic city of Shanghai. During the year, which was as intense as it was en-riching, I have been able to put much of the knowledge that we learned at the school into practice and see first-hand how a foreign diplomatic mis-sion works in a country as different as China,” explains Cristina Moral, who took the masters two years ago and did her internship at the Spanish Consulate in Shanghai.

One masters, countless destinations.Taking the masters is the starting

point for a wide range of personal and professional careers. A good example of this is the case of Ivana Nikolovski who, after attending the school two years ago and experiencing Spain's capital, decid-ed to continue her career in Spain and is currently working as a consul of Serbia in Madrid.

With the dream of entering the diplomatic service, a large number of

Spanish graduates have begun their preparation on the basis of what they have learned in the masters program. Others have opted to continue their education at other international stud-ies centers, take examinations to work in community institutions or become part of the international expansion departments of Spanish and foreign multinationals.

Thus, the school's masters pro-gram has become both a starting point and a meeting point. Last year the then-ambassador of Japan to Spain, His Excellency Motohide Yo-shikawa, began his lecture with the words: “More than 25 years ago when I took this course, I found myself sit-ting where you are now”. Seated in the Aula Magna auditorium, perhaps Sonoko Abe, a very young Japanese diplomat who at that time was a stu-dent in the masters program, was dreaming of one day returning to Spain.

Pablo Senís. ● Spain translator and graduatE of thE class of 2007-2008 “June 2008. After eight months of classes, projects and exams the time came to request the destination for the internship. In my case, I opted for the most faraway of all those offered, Manila. The Philippines turned out to be a fascinating country and the work in our Delegation was an invaluable experience. On the one hand, this was due to the great working atmosphere and the care shown by all the Embassy personnel. On the other hand, I also had the opportunity to see the real ap-plication of what I had studied, to be a witness to and take part in relations -in the case of the Philippines, as steeped in the past as they are energized by the future- between two nations that are more than close. And all of this took place against the backdrop of a unique archipelago, 7107 islands with mag-nificent beaches, marked contrasts and traits as familiar as they are shocking.

A masters that awakens vocations

Since 2005, the Diplomatic School, the official center of education for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, has offered an Inter-University Masters in Diplomacy and International Relations. The program was set up after intense negotiations between the school and the six participating universi-ties and as a result, this top-level university program has become firmly established. This effort made possible the signing of the collaboration agreement, on July 11, 2005, between the MAEC and the universities of Alcalá, Complutense de Madrid, Carlos III, Internacional Menéndez Pelayo, Rey Juan Carlos and the UNED.

The basic objective was to modernize and open up the Diplomatic School to civil society, offering Spanish citizens as well as foreign students and diplo-mats the opportunity to receive a highly specialized education that would provide them with the necessary tools for acquir-ing a greater understanding of the historical, sociological and economic situation of the most prominent areas of international relations. Currently, it is a unique postgraduate program that re-sponds to the increasing demand for a high level of specialization in international studies. Never-theless, it is important to high-light that the teaching included in this masters draws on over 40 years of accumulated experience, during which the international studies course has been offered continuously. This has formed

the basis upon which the current masters is designed.

The masters program is founded on six pillars. Firstly, the eight core subjects that students take ranging from Public and Private International Law to International Economics, to the History and So-ciology of International Relations. Secondly, the masters offers more than 30 seminars, both obliga-tory and optional, which cover all subjects related to international current affairs and analysis. It also includes five specialization modules, each lasting 100 hours: Latin-American Studies, Geostrat-egy and International Relations, organized in conjunction with CESEDEN, Development Coopera-tion, Spanish Enterprise Abroad, and Maghreb and Middle Eastern Studies, organized in conjunction with Casa Árabe. Another pillar upon which our masters is founded is the importance that we place on languages. We offer a total of 10 languages in the program, from which students must choose two. And, finally, the masters offers Spanish students the opportunity to do paid internships for nine months at our Embassies and Consulates abroad and the Central Services of the Ministry.

With the masters our goal is to train professionals who can hold posts in our Foreign Service, inter-national organizations and Spanish companies abroad and, therefore, we have a faculty of professors and diplomats of renowned prestige selected from the universities tak-

ing part in the masters, as well as from other academic centers and institutions in Spain and abroad. However, without a doubt, one of our greatest motivations for start-ing up this masters program was to establish the Diplomatic School as a genuine breeding ground for our future diplomats. After complet-ing the masters, lots of Spanish students have decided to sit for the competitive examinations for the diplomatic service, and several foreign students have joined the diplomatic services of their own countries.

In this way, the MAEC is jointly responsible for the training of its professionals. At this point, the financial aid that the masters pro-gram offers to its students should be mentioned. Students are admit-ted to the masters program after passing a written examination to test their knowledge about certain aspects of international relations. Almost 600 people sat the exam for the 2009/2010 academic year. Of those, only 100 were selected. All of them are subsidized with a grant from the MAEC, which means that it costs absolutely nothing to take the masters program. Furthermore, for those on lower incomes, the MAEC has made numerous assistance grants available (900 euros per month for those residing outside the Com-munity of Madrid and 400 euros per month for Madrid residents). For foreign students, every year through the AECID the MAEC offers numerous grants to cover living expenses in Madrid.

With the masters program our goal is to train professionals who can hold posts in our Foreign Service, international organizations and Spanish companies abroad.

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Francisco Oda ÁngeldirEctor of studiEs at thE diPlomatic school


An important date in Spanish foreign policy is approaching. On January 1st, Spain will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the fourth time, representing a great opportunity to again highlight Spain's organizational capacity and the profound European sentiment felt by its citizens, as well as to tackle the numerous challenges that Europe and global society face. The count-down to the start of the Presidency has begun, something that the entire Administration is already working on, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and its Secretary of State for the European Union taking on a especially important role. by beatriz beeckmans

The big moment approaches. On Jan-uary 1st, Spain will assume the Presi-dency of the Council of the European Union. Spain will undertake this re-sponsibility as part of the innovative Trio Presidency system, and for 18 months will form a team with Belgium and Hungary as part of this new way of organizing and planning the Council's work. Among other communications initiatives, the joint presidency will have, for the first time, its own logo and web page, which will help EU citi-zens to identify with the troika.

This represents an outstanding op-portunity for Spanish foreign policy in two ways; as Miguel Angel Mora-tinos, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, points out, “it will allow Spain to influence in a decisive way the future of global society, a more complex and globalized society than any other humanity has ever known, leaving a Spanish imprint on initia-tives to be undertaken by the EU in

Spain, three months away from the EU Presidency

tackling the challenges that define the international stage, and to take on a privileged role in the planning and im-plementation of the Treaty of Lisbon's new institutional initiatives assuming that, as we expect, the treaty does go into effect.”

As Spain readies itself to lead the 27 member states, preparations are un-derway to ensure that the Presidency is a success. The Spanish Presidency will focus its efforts on the development of

1An economic and financial crisis that will set the community agenda in the coming months

2Negotiating the outcome of the December Copenhagen Conference, which will likely see the passing of the post-Kyoto protocol for combating climate change

3The drive for improved transatlantic relations

4The implementation of the new institutional initiatives deriving from the likely enactment of the Treaty of Lisbon

5A new European Parliament and a new Commission

ThE ChAllEngES

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a European strategy for the economic and financial crisis without neglect-ing Europe's social solidarity. “This will not be Spain's Presidency, but rather, Spain will be thinking about 27 countries and 500 million European citizens,” stated Diego López Garrido, the Secretary of State for the Euro-pean Union; he also pointed out that “we will be working to ensure that this

Presidency brings an end to the crisis and drives a new model for sustainable growth that prevents us from moving backwards.”

The goals of the Spanish platform. Within the Trio Presidency frame-work, the Spanish platform will be articulated through two global prin-ciples, innovation and the promotion

MUnICIPAlITIES AnD PROVInCES WITh ThE PRESIDEnCYSpain's municipalities and prov-inces are taking on an essential task in bringing the European Union closer to Spanish citizens, one of the primary objectives of the Presidency. As such, the Secretary of State for the European Union, Diego López Garrido, and the President of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), have signed a collaboration agree-ment to encourage local governments to participate actively in the program of activities and in the decisions that are made during the six months of the Spanish Presidency. Among the first agreed-upon actions is the holding of a series of institutional ceremonies in the municipalities which will take place on December 31st, 2009 and January 1st, 2010, with the goal of welcoming in the beginning of the EU Spanish Presi-dency and of giving greater visibility to the European community.


of equality, as well as four ma-jor priorities which will guide Spain's course of action: for six months, Spain will assume the political leadership of an EU marked by a complex situation which will necessitate the fight for economic recovery and the drive for a sustainable growth model and the creation of high quality employment. In addition, Spain wish-es to see the development of European citizenship, an essential Spanish con-tribution to the community-building process which seeks to consolidate the link between the EU and its citizenry. As 2010 has been deemed the Europe-an Year for Combating Poverty against the backdrop of ongoing social exclu-sion, special attention will be paid to the defense of human rights and the eradication of poverty in the world.

The EU as a global player. The chal-lenges of the 21st century require more and more that the EU take on a lead-ing role as a global player, capable of speaking with one voice. Achieving this objective will be one of the priori-ties of the Spanish Presidency. Spain will be hosting a series of summits and bilateral meetings that will highlight the importance of the EU as a special partner to many countries and its role in mediating international conflicts. One of the most important events will be the Summit with the United States, which will give a new impulse to transatlantic relations. The Europe-an-American dynamic will determine relations with the whole of the Ameri-can continent. Together with Mexico, the 4th EU-Latin American and Carib-bean Summit will be held, where Spain has traditionally taken on an essential role as a key facilitator. Spain wishes to go beyond traditional cooperation in the development of its commitment to Latin America and begin a new period of trade and investment, contributing to the technological development of a region with which we share strong historic and cultural ties.

The second focus of Spain's six-month term will be on European-Mediterranean relations. Spain will attend the first EU-Morocco Summit and will be pushing the EU to-wards the Mediterranean region in holding the 2nd

Summit of Heads of State and Gov-ernment. Summits will also be held with Canada, Japan and Russia, all very prominent European Union partners. Thus, an important period is fast approaching for Spain, one in which continued attention will also be given to the process of EU expan-sion. Important challenges that Spain must coordinate with a final objec-tive: making the European Union into a vital global player in 21st century international society.

The Secretary of State for the Euro-pean Union, hard at work. Meetings with Commissioners, communications between ministries, visits to the Trio partners' countries, coordination with Sweden for a smooth transition... The Secretary of State for the European Union is working non-stop on prepa-ration for the Presidency. In addition to the diplomats who have been placed in Belgium and Hungary, the Trio's partner nations, 15 officers from the highest ranks of the Diplomatic Ser-vice have been brought into the REP-ER (Spain's permanent delegation in Brussels) to support in the work to be done during Spain's six-month term.

A government program like that which Spain is preparing requires the highest level of consensus between ministries. In order to reach that level, the Secretary of State for the European Union has carried out a series of infor-mational meetings with the cabinets from all the government ministries, which, on a technical level, have been followed up with meetings that the Secretary-General for the European Union, Miguel Angel Navarro, held with his counterparts from practi-

Civil society will play an important role during Spain's six-month term as head of the EU

DIPlOMATIC ExChAngE OFFICERSStarting in November, two Spanish diplomats from the Office of the Sec-retary of State for the European Union will be transferred to the Belgian and Hungarian ministries, specially designated for the Trio Presidency. This liaison with the Trio Presidency countries responds to the need to en-sure everyday coordination between the three states (Spain, Belgium and Hungary) that will share the upcom-ing Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will begin in January and will extend through the June 30, 2011. The work of these liaison officers is aimed at maintain-ing cohesion throughout the shared Presidency, facilitating the consul-tation processes between the Trio partners and the mutual exchange of information regarding the organiza-tion and the function of the Presi-dency. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has already received the diplomatic officer from Belgium and awaits the coming arrival of the Hungarian diplomat in order to ensure that this new system of coordination of the Council's work is carried out effectively.

cally all of the ministries. In these meetings the dif-ferent cabinets have been provided with information, and further information has been gathered from the contacts established by the various cabinets in their particular areas.

At the same time, Ló-pez Garrido has completed a round of visits to the Au-tonomous Communities to encourage their participa-tion. The Spanish Govern-ment wants to strengthen these regions' role in the European Union, and as such, conversations have been held with all the autonomous governments, which have made themselves available to the Secretary of State for the Euro-pean Union in order to host meetings or cultural events in support of the Presidency. As one example, the As-turian city of Gijón will be hosting the main conference for European Mari-time Day, which will be held on May 20th of next year.

In order to ensure a smooth transi-tion, the Secretary of State for the Euro-pean Union is in constant contact with Sweden as well as with Spain's Trio partner countries, Belgium and Hun-gary, with whom preparations continue to be made for the Trio Presidency. On-going meetings have also been held with European Commissioners, as well as pe-riodical meetings with the cabinet of the President of the European Commission, and with various groups from the Euro-pean Parliament and groups of Spanish eurodeputies.

The prominent role of civil society. The cooperation of Spanish civil so-ciety will be key in guaranteeing the success of the Spanish Presidency. In order to ensure its visibility and involvement, the Secretary of State for the European Union has held in-terviews with more than one hun-dred civil society entities (businesses,

unions, NGOs and think tanks, among others) during the past year. The consul-tations have a dual objec-tive: to inform the public of the main priorities of the Presidency and request con-tributions to enhance the platform, and to contribute to the creation of a sense of belonging and identification with the process of Europe-an integration.

This collaboration is be-ing carried out in support for the main events that will be organized during the Span-ish six-month term, and

which have already been included in the Presidency's official agenda. One of the first such events will be a large meeting of local and regional authori-ties which will take place in Barce-lona in February. In addition, Málaga will host the European Civic Forum next year, a gathering of more than 500 social action networks, united in their goal of strengthening European citizenship. Also being planned is the International European Movement Congress, a large European movement emerging from the Congress of the Hague in 1949 that is scheduled to be held in Toledo in June of 2010. Some of the main Spanish brands will also play an important role in the Presidency. In collaboration with the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, and with the theme “Made in/Made by Europe,” Spain has developed a strategy so that the EU can implement a policy of promo-tion and support for European brands worldwide. Contacts with unions have set out towards consolidating and re-newing the European Social Agenda.

There still remains much to do; in the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, “if we con-tinue working with courage and re-solve, we will again achieve a success-ful Presidency which coincides fully with the expectations of all Spanish and European citizens.”

MEETIng OF AMbASSADORS On ThE SPAnISh PRESIDEnCYIn an important milestone in the preparations for the Presidency, the Viana Palace hosted the Ambas-sadors Meeting on the EU Spanish Presidency on October 8th and 9th, inaugurated by the First Deputy Prime Minister. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation called together all Spanish Am-bassadors accredited before the member countries of the EU, as well as the countries that are current candidates for membership, with the goal of continuing to prepare for the Presidency. Together with the EU Permanent Representative, Carlos Bastarreche, the EU Adjunct Repre-sentative, Cristóbal González-Aller and the Political and Security Com-mittee Permanent Representative, Carlos Fernández-Arias, the partici-pating Ambassadors discussed the main issues relating to the success of the Presidency.The meeting, led by the Secretary of State for the European Union, was also attended by members of the Delegate Commission for the EU Spanish Presidency in 2010 and representatives of the European Commission, accompanied by top officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, including the General Secretary for Consular Affairs and Migration and the Gen-eral Directors of Domestic Market Coordination and Other Commu-nity Policies. These work sessions covered the Government's Priorities for the Presidency in terms of politics, eco-nomics, social factors and foreign relations. The Ambassadors also received documentation on the main topics of interest, including eco-nomic recovery, the new post-Lisbon strategy, the fight against climate change, energy security and sum-mits with third-party countries.

The Secretary of State for the EU is hard at work in preparing for the upcoming Presidency

Spain maintains constant contact with Sweden and with its Trio Presidency partners in order to coordinate the transition

Andorra, a Country One-Third Spanish


What do Nicolas Sarkozy and Bishop Joan Enric Vives Sicília have in com-mon? The answer may not be so ob-vious. The President of the French Republic and the Bishop of Urgell share the title of co-prince of Andor-ra; they are both heads of state with equal power and esteem, of one of the oldest and most singular countries in Europe.

The fact that there are two Andor-ran Heads of State and that they are both foreigners says a lot about this country, which from its origins has sought to maintain equilibrium with its two neighbors. It is true that Andorrans are quite zealous in maintaining their national identity, which throughout history has been defended with such effec-tive instruments as the Na-tionality Law, an extraor-dinarily restrictive statute that was in effect between 1939 and 1995. But at the

same time, this Principality remains conscious of its need to coexist with its two neighbors, France and Spain, countries with whom Andorra shares ties that go beyond mere cross-border relations. One illustrative example is the Andorran Constitutional Tri-bunal, the members of which always include two foreigners, a Frenchman and a Spaniard, with the idea that the system's deficiencies can be better observed from outside Andorra's po-litical reality.

In a certain sense, this Co-princi-pality is a bridge between Spain and

France, as it is the only country that is a member of the Ibero-American Conference and the Inter-national Organization of La Francophonie.

The special relation-ship between Andorra and Spain makes this small country in the Pyrenees essential to our foreign

DISCOVER YOUR EMBASSYIn the southern Pyrenees, between Spain and France, is found one of the most historic microstates in all of Europe. It is the Principality of Andorra, Winter tourist destination and shoppers' paradise of yore, now a loyal economic partner of the European Union. Spanish-Andorran relations cover all spheres, but are especially rich in the human area.By Luis Melgar

AndorrA In nUmbErSPopulation: 81,222 inhabitantsArea: 468 square km.GDP: $1.9 billion USD (2003)GDP % annual growth: 2% GDP per capita in $: 29 000 (2005)Life expectancy at birth: 91.64 yearsImports (2006): 1.415 billion euros Exports (2006): 119 million eurosHDI: 28thAverage population growth (2000-2006): 3.6%Source: MAEC

With the new financial and tax standardization, the Principality becomes a reliable economic partner within the context of the larger community.

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The high mountains and narrow valleys shape the Andorran lifestyle. Below, an image of the building which houses the Spanish Embassy in Andorra la Vella.

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policy, particularly from the consul-ate standpoint. Of the approximately 81,000 inhabitants of Andorra, almost 28,000 are Spaniards who work, con-sume, and live in Andorra. The inher-ent features of a small country have made it so that Andorra has not found it necessary until very recently to modernize its system of social rights, in particular as it refers to foreigners. As a result, one of the current chal-lenges in Spain's bilateral relations with Andorra is the strengthening of equality in social and labor rights be-tween Andorrans and foreign nation-als.

Another challenge in Andorra that affects Spain in a direct way is the standardization with the European Union currently underway, especially as with reference to the financial sys-tem. On April 18, 2002, the Organiza-tion for Cooperation and Economic Development reported a total of seven tax havens; on the list was Andorra, due to its refusal to cooperate in the fight against tax evasion. Since then, the Principality has done everything possible to rid itself of this classifi-cation. In a conference held on June 26, 2007 in the New Economic Fo-rum of Barcelona, the then-Andorran

rElAtIonS WIth thE EUAndorra, as is the case with the other Old Continent microstates, is not a member of the European Union, and due to its own unique conditions, probably never will be. However, the history of relations – especially economic relations - between the Principality and the EU is long and complex. But, there do exist two principal milestones. The first was the signing of the Customs Union between both entities in 1991, and the second is the Collaboration Agreement established in 2004 that stipulated, among other measures, the diffusion of Catalan in Europe and the preparation of a tax policy agreement.


What opinion do Andorrans have of Spain and the Spanish people?Spain is a neighboring country with which Andorra shares a great cultural proximity, and on which Andorra depends economically, largely because of the millions of tourists, most of whom come from Spain. It is also the preferred country for Andorrans to pursue higher education. In addition, Andorra is now a place where one can establish oneself profession-ally, especially in those profes-sions that, because of their level of specialization, do not offer great opportunities for training within Andorra. Public opinion is quite high, then, for visitors as well as residents in the coun-try. We must keep in mind this cultural proximity, beginning with language, as the official language of Andorra is Catalan, and the most commonly spoken language is Castilian Spanish, which is spo-

ken by all inhabitants of the Princi-pality, whatever their background. Another important factor is the significant presence of the Span-ish media, from the daily press to magazines, radio and television stations, all of which brings the two countries very close together.How well integrated are our coun-trymen in Andorran society?The level of integration is very high in the social, cultural and economic spheres. On the other hand, in the political sphere there is great igno-rance and lack of concern, which as I understand it, is motivated by the lack of political rights of the residents.How would you rate Spanish-Andorran relations, especially economic relations?They are broad and, in general, very friendly. From the economic standpoint, a large percentage of Andorran foreign trade is done with Spain, and as such the

Andorran market has practically all the items that are available in Spain.Give us a few reasons to choose Andorra as a vacation or business destination.As a vacation destination, Andorra has a superb offering for tourists at a medium-high level of qual-ity, located in a beautiful scenic mountain environment, skiable in the Winter, with plenty of slopes. This is complemented by an ample offering of leisure activities and thermal waters, all in an impor-tant commercial setting. And all this is found in a very small area. Also notable is Andorra's safety; crime rates there are among the lowest in the world. As a profes-sional destination, Andorra offers several advantages. The first is the language. Also, its proximity with Spain, and that fact that it is a society which is culturally similar to Spanish society.

Pere BlanchPrESIdEnt oF thE coUncIl oF SPAnISh rESIdEntS In AndorrA

A SPANIARD IN ANDORRA

Head of Government, Albert Pintat, affirmed that a series of tax reforms was being prepared to develop a fiscal model that was “standardized, clear and transparent,” and which created the foundation to begin negotiating agreements against double taxation with France and Spain. These mea-sures rest on Andorra's commitment to lift its current bank secrecy laws, which would mean the definitive end to this tax haven. The time when Andorra was just a Winter holiday getaway, universally seen as an op-portunity to buy perfumes and gad-gets at lower prices than in Spain, is no longer. With the new financial and tax standardization, the Principality becomes a reliable economic partner within the context of the larger com-munity.

That aside, Spanish-Andorran re-lations are especially rich in the social and cultural spheres. From a human

perspective, the border that separates Spain from Andorra is quite fluid, as Andorrans and Catalonians cross the border every day to go about their daily lives, without giving it a second thought. The official language is Cata-lan, and Castilian Spanish is the most commonly used second language. There are three education systems in Andorra: that of the Principality it-self, the French system and the Span-ish system, all three of which are used with almost the same prevalence. However, the majority of citizens and residents of Andorra come to Spain, and especially Barcelona, to complete their university studies.

Andorra, despite its peculiarities, can no longer be considered as a dis-tant cousin. Relations between both countries are so old, extensive and intricate, that it seems appropriate to consider these two States as brothers, in the broadest sense of the word.

thE AndorrAn cUrrEncyTraditionally, Andorra has not had an official currency, but instead has been limited to using those of its two neighbors, that is, the peseta and the franc, with a slight prefer-ence for the former, as official budgets were prepared in pesetas. The only exception was during the Spanish Civil War, a time dur-ing with Andorra minted its own currency. Since the Euro came into being, the Principality of Andorra has come to use the only de facto European currency, although still no agreement has been signed in this respect between Andorra and the European Union.

Andorra, the third iberian country

In 1278, the same year that Kublai Kan conquered Peking, the Pariage, or feudal agreement, was signed in Lerida by the Bishop of Urgel, Pere d'Urtx, and the Count of Foix, Roger Bernat III, before King Pedro III of Aragon, who served as the agreement's guarantor. Through the many rises and falls of history, the Pariage came to an end with the 1993 Constitution, which converted the two co-princes into magistrates, with little more than symbolic power. The powers that until then had been held by the co-princes were passed on to democratically elected institutions. The Principality had become a fully sovereign state and a member of the United Na-tions and the Council of Europe.

In 1993, following the passing of the new Constitution, the Spanish Embassy was opened. Relations are, as is normal between neigh-boring countries, intensive and complex, with a high level of trust and understanding. Andorra's ge-ography is quite stunning: Andorra is in the southern Pyrenees; its wa-ters flow to the Segre and the Ebro Rivers. To the north, the Pyrenees form a wall that until very recently was impassable for half the year. Barcelona is the closest large urban center, at two and a half hours by car. The language and culture are Catalan. In addition, in the last few decades, relations have been increasingly more prominent between Andorra and its southern neighbor, although Andorra tries to maintain the traditional equilibrium between both neighbors.

Prior to Spain's entrance into the

EEC, Andorra had come to be a huge warehouse, with France as the supplier and Spain as the buyer, but since then things have changed. In 1968, 70% of Andorran imports came from France and almost all of the remaining 30% were from Spain. In 1992, for the first time, imports from Spain surpassed those from France. In 2007, Spanish imports represented 58% of the total as compared to 18% from France. In terms of the Spanish export market, in 2007 exports to Andorra had increased to 964 mil-lion euros, placing Andorra ahead of Argentina, Venezuela, Tunisia and India. Tourism, business, finance and construction are the foundation of the Andorran economy.

Spanish culture predominates, especially through commercial circuits. In the three and a half years I've been in the country, I've seen a lot of our greatest names pass through: Nacho Duato, Paco de Lucia, Tamara Rojo, Miguel Bosé, Alejandro Sanz, Sara Baras, Lluís Llach; Jose Luis Sampedro and later Juan Goytisolo presided over the Principality's summer uni-versity; currently there is a Sorolla exhibit, among many others. The majority of Andorran university students study in Spain, especially in Barcelona. This year, in a gesture of friendship, Spain has donated to Andorra the building and the facili-ties of the mythical Radio Andorra, which did so much to put the name of this country on the map decades ago.

Andorra is going through a period of profound change. The economic

model of the last few decades is considered to be outdated, and a new one is being developed. The first order of business is to get off the OECD list of tax havens. To accomplish this, An-dorra has recently signed agreements for the exchange of tax information with France and other countries, and soon will do the same with Spain. Other agreements designed to avoid double taxation will follow, once An-dorra has standardized its tax system, which will allow it to export services without the taxes currently imposed by Spain and France, and to attempt to attract foreign capital. At the same time, the new government is in favor of an association agreement with the EU, surpassing the current level of cooperation. After many years living twenty hours from my home town, La Seo de Urgel, now I'm only twenty minutes away. (I ask myself, how many ambassadors can say the same; perhaps the Italian ambassador to the Vatican, but only if his house is on the same corner of Saint Peter's Plaza.) In other words, I have known Andorra since I was a child, and my father's family has Andorran ancestry. This knowledge has brought me to a new discovery. Andorra, because of its geography and its history, looks with one eye towards the North, and the other towards the South. For that rea-son, Andorra operates as a barometer of how Spain is perceived and valued outside our borders. A half-century ago, Spain's image was very negative: a poor country, a dictatorship, exclud-ed from Europe. France, on the other hand, was the paradigm of all virtues. Today things have really changed; Spain has reached the same level of respect and consideration as France according to Andorran opinion.

Andorra, because of its geography and its history, looks with one eye towards the North, and the other towards the South. Spain has reached the same level or consideration and respect as France, accord-ing to Andorran public opinion.

25a foreign affairs

Eugenio BregolatSpAniSh AmBASSAdor To AndorrA

26 A analysis

The CIDOB Foundation. The Director of this Barcelona-based institution comments on some of the most current foreign policy issues in Spain, including the upcoming European Union Presidency and relations with the United States.

— First of all, can you tell us what the CIDOB Foundation is and what are its main activities?— CIDOB is an independent think tank dedicated to studying and researching international issues; also, it is one of the main documentation centers for inter-national studies in the Spanish-speaking world. Our main areas of interest are in-ternational politics, crises and conflicts, global security, intercultural dynam-ics, migration, development and Span-ish foreign policy. CIDOB's mission is to contribute from a local perspective to the understanding and resolution of some of the most important global chal-lenges through political discussion and research. In order to achieve this, CI-DOB facilitates meetings between those who study international issues, promotes research in strategic areas and generates concrete ideas and policy proposals, with the goal of being useful to global actors with an international impact, especially those from Catalonia, Spain and the Eu-ropean Union, while always maintaining an independent opinion.—What is the relationship like be-tween the CIDOB Foundation and other similar institutions like the El-cano Institute, the Carolina Founda-tion, FRIDE...?—In 2009, CIDOB reached its 30th year, remaining faithful to its spirit of col-laboration with all institutions that are dedicated to reflection and debate over international issues. This includes pri-vate institutions similar to CIDOB, that emerged from the initiative of civil soci-ety, such as INCIPE, FRIDE or IGADI, as well as institutions created within the last decade by government initiative. The relationship we share is one of lasting collaboration and cooperation; at times we seek complementarity in our activi-ties, but at other times we tackle the same issues with the belief that a plurality of opinion is an important addition to this rich network of institutions dedicated to action and reflection. — The last edition of the CIDOB In-ternational Yearbook analyzes cur-rent events in international politics as

Jordi Vaquerdirector of the cidob foundation

“Spain has a global vision and many very valuable attributes to offer to a European Union in need of a new political drive.”

27A analysis

ProfilE. Jordi Vaquer i Fanes holds a degree in Political Science and Business Administration and has served as the director of the CIDOB Foundation since December of 2008. He is also the coordinator of EU4Seas, a research program funded by the European Commission that studies the effects of the European Union's cooperation policies on the Mediterranean, Black, Caspian and Baltic Seas. Previously, he worked with the Office of International Relations of the Catalonian Government. He received his doctorate in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and is the author of various publications relating to Spanish foreign policy, relations between the EU and North African countries, and the conflict in Western Sahara.

well as Spanish foreign policy. In your opinion, what is Spain's current posi-tion on the international stage? — In the 1980s, Spain broke from a long period of isolation and during the next two decades managed to gain an impor-tant role in the European, Mediterranean and Ibero-American context, which was complemented with the development of the Asia and Africa plans, thus con-solidating a global vision and presence. However, as we witness the emergence of new powers and an apparent leadership crisis in Europe, it would be a good idea to analyze the possibilities of a country that, having quickly become the eighth largest economy in the world, will see its clout diminish while the emerging pow-ers come to occupy a place on the inter-national stage more suitable to their po-tential. For that reason, Spain finds itself in the dilemma of whether to attempt to consolidate its own international role as a middle-power country, a risky decision in my view, or to commit to focusing on multilateralism, strengthening the Euro-pean Union first and foremost. — What do you expect, as the director of CIDOB, of the upcoming Spanish presidency of the European Union? —The EU presidency will be the exact moment in which it becomes clear what the Government's approach will be for the coming years, and in what direction it wishes to channel its new foreign policy assets (an open economy of a respectable size, international investment, its own diplomatic network, development coop-eration funding, etc.). As the director of CIDOB, an institution that has always been an strong advocate for multilateral-ism, I would like to think that the presi-dency will make clear Spain's intention

not to use this opportunity to create a space for itself on the fence between Eu-rope, Latin America and the Mediter-ranean, but instead to advance a much more powerful European ideal. — What differences do you find be-tween present-day Spain, and the Spain that presided over the EU for the first time in 1989?— Present-day Spain, in addition to its proven ability to manage the European agenda, has shaken off some neuroses and has covered some important gaps. While in 1989 the need for convergence and policies in favor of such convergence was pressing, contemporary Euro-based Spain must learn to think as a net con-tributor, and stop seeing the EU as a source of funding. Spain now has a global vision and many very valuable attributes to offer to an EU in need of a new political drive. Spain has the ability to go beyond the issues of its traditional agenda, which were consolidated in the first presidency, and of taking on a greater role in aiding the development of other EU political strategies. — The 2009 Yearbook dedicates sig-nificant coverage to the United States. What are the main challenges the Obama administration faces? — The main challenge that the Obama administration must deal with is exiting the crisis, which goes beyond just re-starting the economy; it is about making a productive change in their model, one that includes a social compact. For that reason, issues such as health care reform and a radical shift in energy consumption and the use of natural resources have a central role in his agenda. However, the United States cannot dedicate itself ex-clusively to its own internal matters and

ignore its international responsibilities. The Climate Summit in Copenhagen and reform efforts made by international in-stitutions, starting with economic insti-tutions, will test the United States' ability to transform its new multilateralist drive into lasting accomplishments. It won't be easy to do, especially while tackling the challenge of regaining the confidence not only of the Arab-Muslim world, where the bloody wounds of Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan make any radical shift in the climate of hostility very difficult, but also in channeling the new-found assertive-ness of non-Western powers like North Korea, Russia, Iran, South Africa, India and Brazil. — How do you see relations between the United States and Spain?— There is enormous potential now with the change to the Obama administra-tion. The big four European states have much more developed relations with the United States than Spain does, but none of them have managed to develop a bilat-eral relationship fully coherent with the European world view, preventing them from seeking a dynamic relationship and promoting a transatlantic dialogue that centers on the European Union-United States axis, rather than on NATO or separate bilateral relations between each European state and Washington. The EU presidency would be a golden opportu-nity to show this new desire to talk with the United States not as a lesser partner with certain common interests (renew-able energies, banking regulation, invest-ment in Latin America, the fight against terrorism), but as an advocate for a more equal and much more intensive dialogue between the United States and the Euro-pean Union.

28 A foreign action in brief

Intense diplomatic activity: Prior to speaking at the UN General Assembly, the Spanish Prime Minister attended a new G-20 summit, the third in which Spain has participated.

Spain consolidates its presence at the next G-20 summitsJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero closed an intense week of diplomatic ac-tivity in the United States, where he attended the opening of the UN General Assembly session period, a high-level meeting on climate change and the G-20 summit held in Pittsburgh.

The basic goal of the Pittsburgh meeting was to commit the economies of the major developed and emerging nations to a coordinated approach to the problems and the search for solutions. In the opinion of Prime Minister Rodríguez Zapatero, this meeting represents the birth of a new G-20 as a major forum for building “governance at the level of the global

economy,” a task which will take time but which he said is “necessary, es-sential and very positive.” The Prime Minister underlined the strategic im-portance of being part of this major forum made up of the economies that represent 85% of the world's GDP, and assured that “we have fought hard.” “We have done so at the three major summits in Washington, Lon-don and now Pittsburgh, and we will continue to do so," he added.

Meanwhile, in his speech before the UN General Assembly, the Spanish prime minister advocated the need to move forward in the construction of "global governance" to successfully overcome global challenges together.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. PHOTO EFE

In addition to the economic and fi-nancial crisis, he identified peace and global security, the fight against hun-ger and against climate change and the pursuit of terrorists as challenges that require collective determination. He also spoke of multilateralism and recalled the work undertaken by the Alliance of Civilizations. The Prime Minister took the opportunity during this speech to call for the structural presence of the Alliance in the main UN bodies.

Prime Minister Zapatero had ini-tiated his North American tour by at-tending the High Level Meeting on Climate Change held behind closed doors in New York, called by Ban Ki Moon to reconcile positions on the issue with a view to the Copenhagen Summit in December. At the meeting, the Prime Minister proposed allo-cating 0.7% of GDP to technological development and research projects aimed at fighting climate change and defended the need to integrate en-vironmental protection into all eco-nomic models.

29A foreign action in brief

5th Meeting of Directors of the Cervantes Institute in Cantabria With the presence of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Culture, a meeting was held at the end of July in Comillas (Cantabria) bringing together all of the directors of the Cervantes Institutes. The meeting included an evaluation of the results achieved by the institution, which is a point of reference for Spanish culture around the world, and the identification of new priority zones for expansion, which will be aimed at Sub-Saharan Africa (Senegal and Ivory Coast) and the United States (San Francisco or Los Angeles).

Spanish support for Kazakh presidency of the OSCE With the dual objective of offering our country's support for the upcoming Kazakh presidency of the OSCE in 2010 and coordinating their leadership with the Spanish presidency of the EU during the same period, the Minister of For-eign Affairs and Cooperation has visited Kazakhstan as part of a Central Asian tour. During the visit, a strategic association agreement was established, as well as a cultural program to cover the next few years and an agreement to prevent double taxation and tax evasion.

3rd Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, has attended the 3rd Ministerial Meeting of the Forum for Dialogue on Gibraltar, in which his British counterpart, David Miliband, and Gibraltar's Chief Minister, Peter Caruana, also participated. The objective of the Forum is to improve coop-eration in areas such as tax policy, police, judicial and customs cooperation, communications and maritime security.

The EU Presidency held discussions at the Menéndez Pelayo International University The city of Santander has become the setting for the seminar “Europe in the Face of the Crisis: Perspectives on the Spanish Presidency of the Euro-pean Union”, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Secretary of State for the European Union, Diego López Garrido. At the seminar, the Minister outlined the priorities for our term and asserted that “Spain is assuming the political direction of the EU at a key moment not only for Spain and Europe, but for the international community as a whole.”

The Minister visits Canada Miguel Ángel Moratinos has made an official visit to Canada, where he met with the Minister for International Cooperation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other Canadian authorities. He also gave a lecture at the University of Ottawa on “Spain in the European Union and its Relations with Canada”.

‘Global Progress’ Conference in Madrid More than a hundred politicians, legislators, academics, experts and political strategists from several countries participated in a conference on October 1 and 2 in Madrid, the main objective of which was to forge a strategic alliance based on a shared progressive agenda that would be suf-ficiently solid to respond to the shared challenges faced by the planet. The conference was organized by Spain's Fundación Ideas and the U.S. Center for American Progress.

Guinea-Bissau

spanish-portuguese initiative

Ángel Lossada attends the inauguration of the new President

Iberian commitment to science

On September 8, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ángel Los-sada, was in the capital of Guinea Bissau for the inauguration of the country's new president, Malam Ba-cai Sanha, elected in a second round of elections held in July. Lossada held talks with the new President, and reiterated to him Spain's sup-port for the strengthening of the democratic institutions of Guinea Bissau, a country considered a pri-ority in West Africa, and also a mem-ber of ECOWAS.

Spain and Portugal form an alliance for nanotechnology research. The Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) is the product of Spanish-Por-tuguese cooperation. It will be op-erated by 400 employees, of which 200 will be scientists whose main mission will be to direct projects in four areas of research: nanomedi-cine, environment and food control, nanoelectronics and nanodevices and machinery. The forecast invest-ment for the start-up of the INL is approximately 106 million euros.

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, during his meeting with the new President of Guinea-Bissau. PHOTO: MAEC


‘Sefarad Photo’ shows the history of the Jews in Spain in pictures Until November 15 at Casa Sefarad, visitors can enjoy an exhibition that brings together more than 70 photo-graphs of the Jewish community in Spain from the late 19th century up to the present day. The pictures, most of which were taken by the EFE Agency, present images ranging from the Jewish quarters of Spanish Morocco to state visits, presentations of Jewish musical culture in Madrid, and even the recent presence of filmmaker Woody Allen on the streets of Oviedo.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs travels to Cyprus The President of Cyprus, Dimi-tris Christofias, and Foreign Affairs Minister Marcos Kyprianou recently welcomed Spanish Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos to Nicosia. At their meetings, they discussed the state of bilateral relations and the European and international agenda, as well as the progress of negotiations for reunification of the island, initiated in September under the auspices of the UN.

Spain to be one of the countries to establish the European cyber-security strategy Spain will form part of the group of permanent nations in the European Network and Information Security Agency for the establishment of the European strategy for Internet security. This news was announced by the Secretary of State for Telecom-munications and the Information Society during the inauguration of the exhibition ‘Movimiento Avanza”.

Delivery of postings to new Diplomatic School graduates. On September 15, postings were delivered to the 63rd graduating class of the Diplomatic School, awarded by their Majesties the King and Queen. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry.

Ministry visit to Malabo and Bata. During the visit, issues of shared concern were discussed, and the possibilities of investment by Spanish companies in the construction, energy, tourism and service sectors were examinedi

Spain strengthens ties with Equatorial GuineaThe Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, made a three-day visit to Equatorial Guinea, together with a delegation of members of parliament and business leaders, with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations with the African na-tion and addressing issues of shared concern. In Malabo, Moratinos visited the site where the new Spanish Embas-sy is to be built. In Bata, the economic capital of the country, Moratinos met with President Obiang and with Primer Minister Ignacio Milam, with whom he discussed bilateral and EU relations. Equatorial Guinea is one of the prior-ity nations in the Central African region under the Africa Plan 2009-2012. In keeping with its desire to participate in

the country's development, Spain has established the 11th Mixed Commission for International Cooperation, which determines the projects that will receive Spanish support until 2012. The com-mittee is focused on the processes of transformation and modernization of the country through specialized tech-nical assistance, and by supporting the Equatorial Guinean government in the processes of creation and consolidation of public policy, especially in health and education, as well as in the development of a professional public administration. There are also investment opportunities for Spain, especially in the infrastructure and housing construction, energy and electrical installation sectors, as well as the tourism and service industries.

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Spanish-Italian Summit in Sardinia The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, together with the Prime Minister, participated in the Spanish-Italian Summit, which took place on the island of La Maddalena (Sar-dinia). The meeting forms part of the high-level bilateral summits held by the two countries every two years.

New Secretary General of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has elected Thor-bjorn Jagland as the Council's new secretary general. The Government of Spain expressed its satisfaction with the decision and announced that it would provide its full cooperation with his work at the helm of the old-est inter-governmental organization in Europe.

Endesa lights up the Spanish Embassy in Lisbon usingLED technology The Palacio de Palhavã, home of the Spanish Embassy in Lisbon, has been completely transformed thanks to a project carried out by the Endesa Foundation. The project uses a new lighting technology called LED, which, in addition to being superior from an artistic perspective, is environmen-tally friendly. The lighting design was entrusted to Porfirio Enríquez, a pro-fessional with extensive experience in cinematography.

Pedro Solbes, new President of the Spain-China Forum The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation held a reception in honor of Pedro Solbes, who was recently appointed the new President of the Spain-China Forum, an instrument for the promotion of relations be-tween the Kingdom of Spain and the People's Republic of China. Present at the event was Juan Lladó, President of the Spain-China Council Foundation.

Prime Minister to visit the region in October. The exchange of visits between the Minister and the authorities of the Middle Eastern nations has set the stage for José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's trip

Minister Moratinos's tourof the Middle East

In September, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, carried out a working tour of the Middle East, with the objective of discussing the situation in the region with different regional leaders. In Is-rael, he held talks with both Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minis-ter Benjamin Netanyahu. Subsequently, he was received by President Shimon Peres. In Ramallah (West Bank) he spoke with Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmud Abbas, with whom he discussed the status of the peace process in the Middle East. Miguel Ángel Moratinos and Mahmud Abbas had met a few days earlier in Ma-drid on the occasion of the Palestinian president's visit to Spain.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, also held a meeting and working din-ner with his Syrian counterpart, Wal-

lid Al Moallem, at the Ministry head-quarters in Viana Palace, during the work visit the latter made to Spain at the end of July.


The city of Berlin wins the Prince of Asturias Award for ConcordThe reunification of Germany, the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the totalitarian Communist regimes of Eastern Europe were given symbolic expression on November 9, 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, which di-vided the city for 28 years, and which was the symbol of the so-called "iron curtain". Two decades later, the city of Berlin has received the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord as a sym-

bol of reconciliation. According to the jury, Berlin has become a “hub of con-cord in the heart of Germany and of Europe, contributing to understand-ing, coexistence, justice, peace and freedom in the world.”

The Award for Concord has recog-nized the work of Yad Vashem, Adolfo Suárez, Caritas, Ingrid Betancourt, King Hussein of Jordan and Stephen Hawking, among others.

Miguel Ángel Moratinos, together with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the National Palestinian Au-thority during his tour of the Middle East. PHOTO:

A. ZORITA


Spain takes charge of airport security in Kabul Spain has taken over from Po-land as the nation responsible for Kabul's civil and military airport for a six-month period. The Min-ister of Defense, Carme Chacón, presided over the changing of the guard upon her arrival in Kabul and has guaranteed that “the contingent will make every effort to ensure that this facility is never again an open door to terror.”

EU supports Latin American integration On September 30, the European Commission presented its agenda for Latin America, which will serve as a basis for relations over the next few years. In the document, the Commission commits to con-tributing more to the integration of Latin America through an invest-ment mechanism that will support the deployment of infrastructures.

Egypt studies the transformation of Spain At the end of September, a delegation from the Egyptian government think tank IDSC visited various institutions, among them FIIAPP and AECID, to better understand the economic, political and democratic transformation of our country and also to investigate the possibility of collaborating with Spanish cooperation programs.

‘India Today’ Seminar at the Diplomatic School The Diplomatic School was host to a seminar organized by Casa de la India in collaboration with the Spain-India Council Founda-tion to deepen awareness of this Asian country. In attendance were officials from various administra-tions and representatives from the business world.

Accompanied by an important business delegation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos traveled to Caracas and Brasilia at the end of July, where he pro-moted important agreements between Spanish companies and interests in the two countries.

Promotion of political and commercial relations with Venezuela and BrazilWith the aim of strengthening bilat-eral relations with the two countries both politically and commercially, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Coop-eration, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, vis-ited Venezuela and Brazil in July. In Caracas, the Minister was received by President Hugo Chavez and the most important members of the Venezuelan government. The trip was an opportu-nity both to discuss the close relations between Spain and Venezuela and to promote economic relations. With this in mind, the Minister traveled to Venezuela accompanied by a signifi-cant contingent of leaders of Spanish companies already operating in the country or with an interest in the pos-sibilities of participation in the next tenders to be offered by the Venezu-elan government. The celebration of a business forum attended by several Venezuelan cabinet ministers made the importance of commercial rela-tions between Spain and Venezuela very clear.

Before returning to Spain, the Min-ister made a stop in Brazil, a country with which Spain shares a strong po-litical connection, where Miguel Ángel Moratinos held a work meeting with his counterpart, Celso Amorim. The visit also provided an opportunity to promote the activities of the numerous Spanish companies with a presence in the emerging Brazilian economy.

Miguel Ángel Moratinos during his meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. PHOTO: JAVIER

HERNÁNDEZ

Casa Árabe opens its Media LibraryCasa Árabe has just opened its Media Library, an interactive space specializ-ing in contemporary Arabic audiovisual representations available to the public at their Madrid headquarters. To com-memorate the opening, the institution held the seminar “Arts and Education through New Technologies: The Im-portance of Media Libraries”, whose objective was to reflect on the useful-

ness of media libraries as new spaces for creation and discussion. The seminar featured the participation of prominent experts on the Arab world. This initia-tive of Casa Árabe arose from the real-ization that the image and the Internet can break down barriers in this new era, establishing new forms of intercultural-ism and diversifying the opportunities for creation.


Meeting of Ibero-American Women Leaders From October 4 to 8, the 5th Meeting of Ibero-American Women Leaders took place, organized by the Carolina Foundation and the Ministry of Equality. Twenty-one women participated - one for each Latin American country and three guests from previous meetings whose work for women's rights has been particularly outstanding. The attendees pooled their ideas to contribute to the promotion of equality between men and women in the region, and addressed a diverse range of issues which this year focus on the global economic crisis.

Spain to provide Mauritania with two maritime surveillance aircraft Spain is soon to provide Mauritania with two maritime surveillance aircraft, according to an announcement by the Secretary General for Consular Affairs and Migration, Javier Elorza.

The Government guarantees consular work in Honduras The Spanish Government has emphasized that diplomatic relations with Spanish consular services in Honduras will continue to fulfill their functions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has also emphasized that Honduras's de facto government has the obligation to respect and protect the rights, privileges and immunities of Spanish consular and diplomatic officials.

Miguel Ángel Moratinos to visit Cuba in October The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation will visit Cuba with the aim of strengthening political dialogue with Cuban authorities and informing them of Spain's objectives in its upcoming EU presidency. It will be the second time that Moratinos has visited the island, following the trip he made in April 2007, when he established the bases of a new relationship between the two countries that would include dialogue on human rights and renewed coopera-tion on development.

Moroccan Said Ida Hassan, re-elected as President of the Associa-tion of Foreign Correspondents in Spain Foreign correspondent in Madrid for the African Press Agency (APA) and former chief correspondent for the official Moroccan agency MAP, journalist Said Ida Hassan, was re-elected as President of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in Spain (ACPE) for the fourth consecutive term. This Association and the International Press Club are the main associative bodies for foreign journalists working in Spain

Canonization of beatified Spaniards On October 11, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, attended the canonization ceremony of two beatified Spaniards, Francisco Coll y Guitart (1812-1875) and Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938). The ceremony took place in Rome, and was officiated by Pope Benedict XVI. Francisco Coll y Guitart was a priest of the Order of Preachers, a mission-ary and the founder of the Congregation of the Dominicans of the Annuncia-tion of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fray Rafael Arnáiz Barón was a member of the Cistercians who was born in Burgos and died very young in the monastery of La Trapa de San Isidro de Dueñas, in Palencia.

After the natural disasters

Humanitarian aid for the Philippines and Indonesia

Spain cancels Bolivian debt

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, through the Spanish Agency of International Coopera-tion for Development, has sent hu-manitarian aid to the Philippines and Indonesia following the tragic passage of Typhoon Ketsana and the earthquake that shook the island of Sumatra. The humanitarian mission has been in constant contact with the UN Humanitarian Coordination Office, and represents yet another example of the commitment of Spanish Cooperation to solidarity.

During the official visit to Spain by Bolivian President Evo Morales, Rodríguez Zapatero announced the signing of an "important agreement" that brings an end to Bolivia's bilater-al debt with Spain. Under this agree-ment, debts of 77 million U.S. dollars and 5.5 million euros are written off. 60% will be canceled while 40% will be deposited in a fund for projects mainly aimed at education. In this way, Spain is contributing to Bolivia's efforts to overcome social and struc-tural difficulties, and challenges in the fields of education and healthcare. Spain is Bolivia's biggest donor.

Evo Morales, with His Majesty King Juan Carlos, during their meeting at the Palace of Zarzuela.

After the natural disasters

34 ccooperation

September 7th marked the beginning of an intense Cooperation Week, the high point of which was Aid Worker's Day celebrated on September 8th. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation brought the week to a close with the award ceremony of the first Vicente Ferrer Prize, an initiative aimed at involving citizens with the objec-tives established by development cooperation.

Press conferences, concerts, round ta-bles, screenings of films focusing on the Millennium Development Goals, recep-tions for aid workers, exhibitions, street activities for the little ones...

For the fourth year running, Spanish Cooperation has celebrated Aid Work-ers' Day both in Spain and throughout the world with its Technical Offices for Cooperation. With the aim of go-ing further and imbuing society with a commitment to development coopera-tion, a week of events for all segments of the public was organized to promote the institution's values and its work in more than 50 countries fighting against pov-erty and exclusion, defending peace and sustainable development and improving access to human rights.

Cooperation Week was launched with the presentation of this campaign at the Casa Encendida, where the Sec-retary of State for International Coop-eration, Soraya Rodríguez, spoke of the importance of the fight against hunger.

The same subject was discussed at

the AECID talks addressed by Elena Madrazo, Director of AECID, and Salil Shetty, Director of the UN Millennium Campaign, whose presence lent support to the Spanish efforts to meet the MDGs while raising awareness about them.

On Tuesday night, the concert cel-ebrating Aid Worker's Day turned into a party for Cooperation. Thousands of people watched Aterciopelados, Casser le Mur and Roxana Río play live in a plaza flooded with slogans against pov-erty and in favor of the 0.7 movement. Concerts were also held in Guadala-jara, Getafe and Córdoba, in collabora-tion with their respective town coun-cils, spreading the spirit of cooperation

throughout Spain.There was even something for the lit-

tle ones in Madrid's Plaza Mayor, where development NGOs unfurled a giant parachute and an oriental Kamishibai with which to tell stories about coopera-tion.

The AECID's technical offices for cooperation ensured the message of co-operation was heard beyond our borders with film screenings, round tables, street parties and a reception for the aid work-ers on the different missions.

Thanks to the Internet, it was much easier to spread the message. Initiatives were launched online through the site www.semanadelacooperacion.org, in

Our Cooperation is yours, now more than ever

35ccooperation

Images from the various activities organized for Cooperation Week. Exhibitions and concerts were organized in many Spanish cities, along with children's workshops such as that held in Madrid's Plaza Mayor. PhOtOs miguel lizana / aeCid

Cultural First Aid in ArgentinaThe AECID's cultural centers in Córdoba and Rosario (Argentina) have created and distributed a kit for cultural first aid for some 4,000 families. The aim has been to guarantee access to art, culture and leisure time during the swine flu prevention campaign which made it impossible for people to participate in public or private cultural activities. The kit contains a film, a book, a comic, a musical CD, a DVD featuring short films by filmmakers from Córdoba, a family board game and a Spanish-designed videogame. The NGO Médicos del Mundo advised on the contents of the kit, contribut-ing a health advice pamphlet.

Opening of the José Artigas Educational Center in Uruguay The “General José Artigas” Center for Training and Qualification for Aux-iliary Staff of the National Police School of Uruguay was recently opened in Montevideo. It was built using Spanish funds invested, for the most part, toward equipping the Center. This event was part of a program organized by Spanish Cooperation in Uruguay to encourage citizen participation, democratic governance and institutional development.

Strong commitment to the restoration of La Habana Vieja In keeping with the agreements laid out in the Charter of the Hispano-Cu-ban Commission for International Cooperation in Development, the AECID and the Cuban Ministry for Foreign Trade and Investment have pledged their support to the work of the Havana Historian's Office. Various coop-erative projects are being carried out in the Habana Vieja quarter to provide basic habitability, drinking water, community development, environmental improvement and the conservation and management of the area's cultural heritage as part of its development.

The ‘Council for Gender Equality’ founded in El Salvador The Council for Equality and Equity (CIE), a place for reflection, analysis, dialog and from which to track the advance of gender equal-ity, has just been opened in El Salvador and is sponsored by the AECID, UNDP, the UN Population Fund and the Andalusian Agency for Interna-tional Development Cooperation. Though El Salvador has made notable advances in gender equality over recent years, inequality still persists. The CIE has identified four priority areas in which to concentrate their efforts: political participation, violence against women, poverty and health.

which people from all over the world were able to open a window onto the world of cooperation. They included ex-clusive online videos and surveys, and countless daily updates such as the post-ing of invitations, cards and music used to encourage people to attend the events.

Following the award ceremony for the 1st Vicente Ferrer National Prize for Development Education. the Coopera-tion Week events were brought to a close by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, accompanied by the Minis-ter of Education, Ángel Gabilondo, with the traditional reception for the various members of Spanish Cooperation. The reception was attended by representa-tives from Parliament, General State Administration, the Autonomous Com-munities and Local Bodies, NGOs, uni-versities, businesses and trade unions. At the closing ceremony, the ministers spoke of their firm commitment to make cooperation a central pillar of the im-pending European presidency. ◆ Virginia Castrejana / laura losada

36 ccooperation

Projects. In just two years, Senegal has become a symbol of the work carried out in Africa by Spanish Coopera-tion: professional training, support for local production, clean-up operations, infrastructure, recovery of its heritage and a protection strategy for children and young people that is committed to providing tools to African citizens so the continent's future professionals can stay.

saint louis, senegal, growing cooperationThe Senegal River runs through the island of Saint Louis. It is crystal-clear and immense. The island, a former French colony, can be crossed on foot in less than half an hour and is a festi-val of colors and smells. It is also a mi-rage, as this island is drenched not only in sunlight, but also in poverty. In front of Saint Louis there is a long piece of land that stretches from Mauritania. It is several kilometers long, but just 300 meters wide. On it is situated Guet N’Dar, the area with highest popula-tion density in the world. Its immense demographic pressure is even higher than that of the Gaza Strip.

Some of Spanish Cooperation's most important projects are based in Saint Louis and on that stretch of land in Guet N’Dar. Transforming it from a dung heap, which has become a hot-bed for cholera in recent times, is the

goal of one of the key integrated clean-up projects supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.

This highly complex program takes a very simple form: it consists of giving a waste bin to every family in the area and using the inhabitants to create a network of daily trash collection us-ing carts pulled by mules. What once seemed impossible has miraculously become a reality - now nobody in Guet N’Dar lets "their" waste bin out of their sight. The main objective of in-ternalizing the concept of hygiene has been met.

Fishing is Guet N’Dar's only indus-try and it is the women who buy, dry, salt and sell the fish to the wholesalers. The conditions in which the women work are still highly unsanitary. Some months ago, a system of micro-credit

Image of the integrated clean-up project carried out in Guet N’Dar, an area where people, ve-hicles and animals share land without a sewage system or electricity . PhOtOs miguel ángel

nietO / aeCid

was launched that allowed the women to form groups and tackle the improve-ments needed in their workplaces, regarding both personal hygiene and achieving greater levels of productivity. It is expected that the current fumer-ies, as these enclaves of fish processing are known, will be moved in an orderly fashion to the harbor area, leaving the beaches free and allowing a clean-up to take place that, in turn, could encour-age tourism in the region.

The cooperation work is completed with various workshop schools. One of the programs created with the support of the AECID allows 300 young people from Saint Louis to train in areas such as agriculture, heritage restoration, gardening and tourism. The young people receive a small salary for their work and training. Those who go on to take part in self-employment projects will also receive an economic support grant with which to set up their busi-ness. They are currently rebuilding the island's most iconic building, the colo-nial barracks of El Rognat. ◆ miguel ángel nieto

37ccooperation

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

Opening of a Research Center in the Angolan capital The School of Law at Luanda's Agostinho Neto University hosted the in-augural ceremony for the Center for Research into the field of governability. The project, to which Spanish Cooperation contributed one million euros, has been led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The Center aims to support the documentation and dissemination of information on local governance, particularly on the process of decentralization that is cur-rently taking place in Angola.

Seminar on cultural policies in Cameroon The AECID's ACERCA program organized a training seminar in Yaundé on cultural policies and the develop-ment of creative industries in Central Africa. Twenty-three representatives from Central Africa took part. Its aim is to aid the improvement of national capacities for formulating, monitoring, managing and evaluating cultural and economic policies, programs and projects.

European Development Days to be celebrated in Stockholm From the October 22 through 24, the European Development Days will be celebrated in Stockholm. The days, a joint initiative of the European Commis-sion and the EU Presidency, are open to all of European society and demon-strate the EU's commitment to development cooperation. The themes of this fourth edition revolve around the following issues: “Citizenship and Devel-opment”, “the Global Economic Situation” and “Climate Change”. The aim of the event is to lend support to the most efficient forms of development, building a global coalition against poverty in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals and favoring the creation of spaces for debate.

Cooperation Agreement for the Sustainable Development of Tourism The Secretary of State for International Cooperation and the Executive President of the Amadeus IT Group (a multinational dedicated to the devel-opment of applied technology for the distribution of tourism services) signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement for the Sustainable Development of Tourism in Madrid on September 29th. The joint activities to be carried out are defined in an Annual Operating Agreement which focuses on actions that will improve the conditions of the least-favored countries in terms of the training of staff, investment in technology, the promotion and development of local tourism in developing countries, the strengthening and improve-ment of management systems in micro-, small- and medium-sized tourism enterprises, and the strengthening of businesses dealing with the distribution of tourism products, to name but a few.

An annual contribution will be made

spain creates a humanitarian fund to provide further aid to the Red CrossThe creation of the Spanish Humani-tarian Fund for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which will guarantee more rapid and efficient humanitarian assistance to those living under the shelter of this international organization, is the most prominent aspect of the memoran-dum signed by the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, and the president of the ICRC, Jacob Kellenberger. The agreement stipulates that activities carried out in the fields of protection and assistance to the victims of armed conflicts and other violent situations, conflict prevention, and cooperation with national Red Cross and Red Cres-cent societies, will all be eligible for finance from Spain.

Soraya Rodríguez highlighted, on behalf of the Spanish Government, the importance of this memorandum as a step forward in the way Spanish Cooperation works with international organizations.

Furthermore, Spanish contribu-tions to the Spanish Humanitarian Fund-ICRC will be approved annually and will be based upon the Red Cross's emergency appeal, as presented to the distinguished permanent missions in Geneva. The agreement allows for the creation of a body that will assign a single lump sum to the ICRC at the be-ginning of each year, while speeding up procedures used to deal with humanitar-ian emergencies the world over. Spain, which is the tenth largest donor to the Red Cross, places great importance on this impartial, neutral institution, which has earned enormous prestige since its foundation in 1863 and has demonstrat-ed an astounding capacity to help the victims of war and catastrophes.

38 C culture and society

Olive Oil: A Hallmark of Genuine Spanish Identity

Olive oil represents an important pillar in the economic development of many regions in Spain, as is demonstrated by the fact that our country is the number one producer and exporter of the product worldwide. Throughout our history, Spanish olive groves have been a hallmark of our economic, social, environmental, and public health identity. by Javier Hernández

The province of Jaén accounts for 40% of domestic olive oil production, with more than 60 million olive trees within the province. Promotion of our olive oil in all corners of the world is a constant effort aimed at promoting its consumption

Long praised for its significant con-tributions to gastronomy and its nu-merous health benefits, olive oil has become an indispensable item in ev-ery kitchen. Spain is the number one producer of olive oil in the world and is constantly working to educate the world on the undeniable qualities of this so called “green gold.”

Archeological ruins dating back from the Paleolithic Age show that olive oil has always been a part of hu-man history. Its many different uses, not only as a part of our diet, but also in medicine, house-hold items and even cosmet-ics, have made it indispens-able throughout history. Mediterranean civilizations contributed to the growth in its use, and it is believed that it arrived in Spain with the Phoenicians. However, it was the Romans and Arabs who promoted and began olive cultivation in our coun-try, especially in Andalusia. Because of our climate, the quality of the soil, the differ-ent growing and harvesting techniques, and the variety of olives produced, Spain has

become the ideal place for operating olive groves and making the most of their production. Centuries later, it still is the worldwide leader in olive oil production, followed by Italy and Greece. In Spain, there are more than 300 million olive trees planted, 60 mil-lion of which are in Jaen, the province that is responsible for 40% of domestic production and the true driving force for the economy in that region.

As an essential ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, olive oil has

likewise always been con-sidered a fundamental ele-ment in the food pyramid. In addition, over time it has become an important ele-ment in haute cuisine, not only in the Mediterranean, but worldwide; olive oil has a constant and almost obligatory presence in the majority of dishes made by the most prestigious chefs. However, these are not the best of times for Spanish ol-ive growers. The worldwide economic crisis and its re-sulting problems (which in the case of olive oil is its final selling price to the public),

together with subsidy cuts from the European Union in 2013, are making it necessary to look for alternatives for this crop's survival. The first measure to be taken will be the introduction of the Olive Grove Law in the regional parliament in 2010. There are several facets to this law, including the de-fense of traditional unirrigated olive groves, the addition of olive oil mills for an increase in supply, investment in R&D&I (research, development and innovation), and a boost in promotion and marketing of olive oil.

Furthermore, the central govern-ment is working on a strategy that it will present to the European Union for the purpose of renegotiating aid to the sector, which beginning now will go towards the defense of the tradi-tional olive grove, a sector that, with-out European aid, would lose 31% of its current cultivated area, bringing with it serious environmental, social, and economic consequences (in Jaen, 20% of the GDP comes from olive oil).

Towards International Conquest. Spain is the great olive oil ambassador to the world, and its promotion out-side of our borders and away from the Mediterranean shores is an important

39C culture and society

PerIOd 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008Production 989.8 826.9 1111.4 1236.1

exports 545.5 453.6 612.1 665.1

Imports 79.8 85.5 80.5 59.7

domestic Market 615.8 477.7 567.1 529.8

Stocks 223.6 210.9 223.6 324.5

TOTAL 2454.5 2054.6 2594.7 2815.2

Andalusia 174,788,000

Extremadura 29,602,000

Castilla-La Mancha 36,263,000

Catalonia 14,307,000

Valencian Community 10,963,000

Aragon 5,889,000

Other 10,884,000

TOTAL 282,696,000

THe olIve oIl markeT In sPaInFigures in thousands of tons. Source: Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs

numberof olIves by auTonomous regIon


part of the measures being taken to boost production. Our country is the leading exporter of olive oil, but the consumption of this product through-out the world is still relatively low (less than 4% of all vegetable fats con-sumed are olive oil). That's why olive oil is constantly being promoted in all corners of the world. Last May, the First Forum on Spanish Olive Oil took place in the United States with the goal of strengthening the image and export of oils to the Unites States, one of the largest markets in this sector, along with Brazil, Japan, and France.

In Poland this September, the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and the Andalusian Agency for Foreign Promotion (Extenda), along with others, organized and executed an ambitious information campaign. Restaurants, bars and buses have been introduced to Spanish olive oil, in a market controlled by Italy and one in which olive oil consumption is only 3%.

Another recent event in which ol-ive oil played a prominent role was the Festival of Culture and Flavors of Europe, which is celebrated in July in the French city of Strasbourg. Here, all the different European cuisines come together in an attempt to create inter-cultural dialogue through gastronomy.

The reward for all these efforts, ranging from cultivation to interna-tional promotion, come in the form of different prizes that endorse the qual-ity of the Spanish product. At the end of 2008, the Guide to the Best Certi-fied Quality Olive Oils in the World gave awards to four Spanish oils: The “Almazara de la Subbética” (Cordo-ba) won the prize for the best olive-making mill in the world for 2009 and “Aroden” (also from Cordoba) won the prize for extra virgin olive oil in the single variety category. “Oro del Desierto,” from Almeria, received the prize for the best extra virgin olive oil in the medium fruit intensity catego-ry and “El Labrador,” a company from Malaga, was awarded the prize for

best extra virgin olive oil in the high fruit intensity category.

a ingredient with health benefits. Ol-ive oil pleases almost all five senses and it is now an undeniable part of international high cuisine. In addi-tion to this, it is replete with benefits for our health. Being a natural juice, its composition does not change dur-ing the extraction process. Therefore, it remains a source of essential fatty acids and hundreds of micronutri-ents, most importantly antioxidants like phenolic compounds, vitamin E and carotenes. Scientific research has confirmed the major positive ef-fects that its consumption can have on our bodies. Some of these include anti-inflammatory properties; help in losing weight; reduction in risks of blindness; beneficial effects on our cardiovascular system; and protec-tion against cognitive deterioration associated with aging and Alzheim-er's disease. It also has a natural anti-tumor effect on certain types of can-cers, such as breast cancer. As if that weren't enough, the Andalusian Board has demonstrated how olive groves are beneficial to the environment as well, since they can act as drains for greenhouse gases and generators of renewable energy.

Each year since 2004, the Inter-national Congress for Olive Oil and Health (CIAS) has been held in An-dalusia, which has become a global fo-rum for debate and research, promot-ing the outstanding features of 'green gold' and its health benefits. The con-clusions of these studies, described in the Jaen Declaration, have had a very significant scientific impact.

Olive oil enriches our eating hab-its, our health and the national econ-omy, more than enough reason to support its consumption, cultivation and lasting presence in our traditions and our economy. And as such, Spain is coming out strong to promote its consumption within our borders and abroad.

baSic TypOlOgy Of Olive Oil.extra Virgin Olive Oil. Has a free acidity (oleic acid content) of no more than 0.8 g per 100 g.Virgin Olive Oil. Has a free acidity of no more than 2 g per 100 g.Olive Pomace Oil. This olive oil is ob-tained from a blending of refined olive pomace oil and virgin olive oil, and has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid content, that may not exceed 1 g per 100 g.

main Olive varieTalS in Spain.Arbequina. Origin: Arbeca (Lleida).Cultivation: Provinces of Lleida and Tarragona. Blanqueta. Origin: Muro de Alcoy (Alicante). Cultivation: Provinces of Valencia and Alicante. Cornicabra. Origin: Mora de Toledo. Cultivation: Provinces of Toledo and Ciudad real.empeltre. Origin: Pedrola (Zaragoza).Cultivation: extends from La rioja, near the ebro river Valley, to Tarragona. Farga. Origin: Valencia. Cultivation: Provinces of Castellon, Valencia, Tar-ragona and Teruel. Gordal. Origin: Seville. Cultivation: Province of Seville. Hojiblanca. Origin: Lucena (Cordoba). Cultivation: Provinces of Córdoba and Málaga. Lechín. Origin: Córdoba and Seville. Cultivation: Provinces of Seville and Granada. Manzanilla. Origin: dos Hermanas (Seville). Cultivation: Province of Seville, primarily in the capital and the surrounding region (dos Hermanas, Carmona, Moron). Picual. Origin: Jaén. Cultivation: Prov-ince of Jaén and surrounding areas in Granada, Córdoba, Ciudad real.

The International Olive Council was set up in Madrid in 1959, under the auspices of the United Nations, with the aim of “guaran-teeing fair competition between the producers and exporters of olive oil in different countries” and “reducing the problems caused by market fluctuations.”

Since its creation, its mission has been adapted in parallel with how the industry has evolved. Today, as one of its administra-tive duties, the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives of 2005 contributes decisively to the responsible and sustainable development of olive groves, and constitutes a world-wide forum for discussing which policies to adopt and for tackling the challenges that the sector is faced with. Some of its principal objectives include the promotion of international technical coop-eration within the framework of research and development projects concerning training and the technology transfer. Another is fostering the expansion of the international market for olive oil and table olives, as well as the establishment and update of business regulations applicable to olive grove products and improvements to the quality of these products. Our institution is also in charge

of helping to minimize the envi-ronmental impact on the olive groves and the olive industry; promoting the consumption of olive oil and table olives by developing action plans and innovative publicity campaigns; the dissemination of infor-mation, as well as clear and accurate statistics, concerning the international olive oil and table olive market; and organiz-ing periodic meetings between institutional representatives and experts to deal with problems that arise in the industry and determine the priority actions of the organization.

Within this framework, this Fall, at the 97th Members Board Meeting, the International Olive Council celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, which coincides with the fifth international year of the olive, under the presidency of His Majesty King Juan Carlos I.

The seventeen members of the International Olive Council (Albania, Algeria, Argentina, The European Community, Croatia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jor-dan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Montenegro, Serbia, Syria and Tunisia) represent, together with the countries in the process of joining, more than 98% of global production of olive oil and table olives.

Thanks to the efforts of the In-ternational Olive Council in the area of technology transfer, new techniques for cultivation have been established over the years. Technicians have learned how to use the most efficient methods to improve production with the help of different courses, practi-cal demonstrations, technical visits, seminars, postgraduate programs such as the Masters in Olive Cultivation and Olive Oil Technology, as well as the books and manuals published by the IOC. This improvement has brought about a spectacular in-crease in production, which has tripled over the last 50 years.

Due to this increase in supply, the IOC has carried out numer-ous publicity campaigns for the consumption of olive oil and table olives. Its first promotional activities took place in the United States, Canada and Japan, all of which have become very important consumers in the last few years (the USA is currently the number one importer of olive oil). Today, the IOC is targeting developing countries that could potentially be major consumers of olive products. Our organization has also established a presence India in the last few years and is currently performing market research in China and Russia in anticipation of future campaigns.

The 97th board meeting of the International olive Council will celebrate its 50th anniversary in madrid, under the presidency of His majesty king Juan Carlos I.


Spain, Home of the International Olive Council

Mohammed Ouhmad SbitriEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLIVE COUNCIL


Never has Spain seen such a large and varied population. The profile of the Spanish population near the beginning of the 21st century shows significant changes and raises major uncertainties as we enter the new century. In 2009, the Spanish population, which numbers close to 46 million individuals and has equal numbers of men and women, is heading toward a historical high and progressively aging as well. by David DoncelProfessor of the DePartment of sociology anD coorDinator of the east asia stuDies masters Program for the university of salamanca

Sociological Profile of 21stCentury Spain

Spain's current population is charac-terized by three factors: increased life expectancy, low birth rate, and mi-gratory movement. Medical advance-ments, the Mediterranean diet, and a decreased infant mortality rate have raised life expectancy to 80.2 years, which, together with the nation's low birth rates, has increased the percent-age of adults compared to the popu-lation as a whole. However, contrary to the image depicted by the media,

Castilla-León, with 22.6%, is the community with the largest population of indi-viduals over 65, compared to

the Canary Islands with 12.3%

The overall fertility rate

(births per 1,000 women was 43%

in 2006

The foreign population made up 9.27% of the total based on

2006 data

28.4% of children are born to unmarried

mothers


which tends to focus on the rapid aging of the Spanish population, this demo-graphic may not be entirely true, due to a significant influx of immigrants.

Let us then explain this half-truth, beginning with the first statement: Why is this statement not entirely true? In reality, Spain's resident pop-ulation has grown younger over the past decade because of immigration--the immigrant population grew from 637,085 to 5,268,762 in just ten years. Relatively speaking (that is, compared to countries similar in size to Spain), this sort of growth is unprecedented anywhere in the world. The principal driving force behind this immigra-tion influx was the powerful draw of an enormous job creation rate. During this period, approximately 50% of the European Union jobs were created; that is, the so-called "call effect" was in fact real--ours was the developed

country in which people spent the least time finding a space in the job market. How-ever, at the height of today's crisis, the potential redirec-tion of the labor-intensive economic model that had taken root in Spain toward a more competitive capital-based model will most likely give rise to drastic changes in the flow of immigration. Thus the immigration-based reju-venation process will begin to wane--slowed by strictly de-mographic needs and by the economic crisis, which will certainly reduce immigrant influx.

Returning to the demographic focus of this article, it is in fact true that certain behavioral trends in the Spanish population are leading to a

progressive aging of the population. The powerful causes driving this trend still persist. Furthermore, if left unchecked, they will manifest themselves even more strongly in the future. Since the 1970s until the present time, the popula-tion has exhibited very low fertility rates. According to data published by the Na-tional Statistics Institute (INE), women today will have an average of 1.4 chil-dren; and while this rate is the highest in recent years, it is still insufficient to pre-vent population aging. In

other words, in order to maintain the population, each woman must give birth to another, which is only guar-anteed with a birth rate of 2.1 chil-

In 2008, the Spanish popu-lation reached 46,157,822 inhabitants The population structure has become inverted, such that the population of individuals over 65 years of age has increased to 16% of the total

The aver-age number of

children per woman is 1.38

76.7% of the population is Catholic, compared to 1.26% of

other faiths

Life expectancy in Spain is 80.2

years

Spain ranks 10th in the world of countries with the largest

foreign population


dren per woman. This low fertility rate means that in three generations--some ninety years from now--about 35% of the population will be lost, not accounting for immigration effects. It is for this reason that, in spite of the economic crisis, it is safe to say that immigration will continue, although not at the levels of previous years. Among the most prominent explana-tions for these low fertility rates is the lack of adequate conditions in the la-bor market to allow women, who have entered the workforce en masse, to reconcile their professional careers with motherhood. For example, the large number of temporary contracts, which has been a constant throughout the democratic period, has made the decision to have children more diffi-cult, which explains the delay in ma-ternity. In 2007, Spanish women gave birth to their first child at 29.4 years, on average, making them the women who waited the longest of all Europe-an women to have their first child.

Increased fertility rates do offer solutions to population aging, as dem-onstrated by France and other Nordic countries, where rates are close to 2.1 children per woman. Certain changes could be made in order to reverse this aging trend, which would signify la-bor market reforms with regard to the hiring of women. The effects of these sorts of measures, however, would only be long term, because increased fertility rates require some 15 years to produce results in the demographic struc-ture. In the meantime, im-migration is the only solu-tion. Lack of a corrective remedy for this trend could lead, in the future, to an even longer, deeper crisis than that we face today. Japan is a case in point. It has tradi-tionally been a country with a low birth rate, and has also been closed to immigration for political and ideological

SpanISh populaTIon change by naTIonalITySource: National Statistics Institute

SourceS of ImmIgraTIon In SpaInSource: National Statistics Institute

populaTIon changeSource: National Statistics Institute

reasons. This combination of factors served to exacerbate the economic crisis that occurred following the bursting of the real estate bubble in the 1990s.

It can thus be concluded that the Spanish population at the beginning of the 21st century is characterized by persistently low birth rates, a high life expectancy, and a continual influx of immigrants. This combination of

factors has resulted in high population growth, driven in large measure by immi-gration. However, given the current economic situation, if current trends remain, the demographic problems Spain will have to face in the future will be the result of inversion of the age group ratios, given that the population of indi-viduals under age 16 has been reduced by 15.8%, which will lead to an inevitable popula-tion loss.

Women are putting off motherhood until their thir-ties

Immigrants will continue to come to Spain, but in smaller numbers than in previous years

39,215,566 Spaniards 637,085 Other Nationalities

40,889,060 Spaniards 5,268,762 Other Nationalities

1998

2008ibero-america 36.21%

Western europe 21.06%

eastern europe 17.75%

maghreb 14.76%

Year Population 1769 9,159,999

1797 10,541,221

1833 12,286,941

1846 12,162,872

1857 15,464,340

1877 16,622,175

1887 17,549,608

1900 18,616,630

1910 19,990,669

1920 21,388,551

Year Population 1930 23,677,095

1940 26,014,278

1950 28,117,873

1960 30,582,936

1970 33,956,047

1981 37,742,561

1991 39,433,942

2001 40,499,791

2006 44,708,964

2007 46,157,822

The availability of up-to-date statistical data on current demo-graphics is essential to decision making in both the public and private sectors. This places the INE in a key position, as its sta-tistical tools and methods allow it to follow population demo-graphics very closely. This is why it publishes Current Population Estimates on a quarterly basis. It also creates short and long-term population projections, which are updated every year and every three years, respectively. The Municipal Registry is a key basis of these demographic tracking efforts; the Registry is updated continually and provides official population data for all Spanish municipalities.

Based on this battery of indi-cators, it can be stated with assurance that during the past 10 years, Spain's population has grown at a pace unmatched in recent history. This vigorous demographic evolution has been driven by an intense, continu-ous flow of immigrants, which has given rise to extraordinary demographic and social change within our country. The popula-tion of approximately 600,000 foreigners registered in Spain in January 1998 has exploded into a population exceeding 5.6 million today, giving rise to a combined population growth of over 6 million individuals in a single

decade. Current Population Estimates place Spain's resident population as of July 1, 2009 at close to 46 million individuals.

The immigration phenomenon has not been consistent and is the result of various waves of im-migrants arriving from different countries throughout the world. Thus, the years 2000 to 2003 saw a strong influx of Ecuador-ians, while from 2006 to the present the largest immigrant population (registered in Spain) has come from Romania. How-ever, the decade has also been marked by a continuous influx of Moroccan immigrants as well as smaller numbers of individuals from other European countries.

The forces driving immigra-tion also vary by region, as was discovered by the National Immigrant Survey carried out by the INE in 2007. It was found that most individuals coming to Spain from Latin America, North Africa, and Eastern Europe (principally Romania) came in search of bet-ter work opportunities. On the other hand, many immigrants from other European countries, especially those from Germany and England, have decided to make Spain their home upon retirement.

The arrival of young immigrants to Spain has also helped increase

birth rates. Since 1996, when Spain reached a low of 362,626, the number of births has in-creased year by year, reaching a maximum of 518,967 births in 2008--a figure not seen since the early 1980's.

This population growth has be-gun to diminish in recent months. While the population growth rate has averaged 58,000 individuals per month from 2002 to 2009, this rate has begun to gradu-ally decrease since the middle of 2008--population growth for the first half of 2009 was only 16,880 individuals per month.

Because demographic phenom-ena are highly volatile, making predictions about the future is a risky, albeit necessary task undertaken by all developed countries. To this end, the INE prepares Short- and Long-Term Population Projections, which are based on a set of hypotheses regarding migration balance and birth-death ratios. According to the latest Projections published by the INE, which extend to 2018, assuming lower immigration rates than those observed until now, a much lower population growth than that experienced in recent years is to be expected. Specifically, the average annual growth rate predicted for the 2008-2018 period has been placed at 0.8%.

During the past 10 years, Spain's population has grown at a pace unmatched in recent history The arrival of young immigrants to Spain has also helped increase birth rates to over 500,000 births in 2008


Recent Trends in the Spanish Population

Jaume GarcíaPresiDent of the national statistics institute

46 C Spanish business abroad

Sacyr Vallehermoso, on the cutting edge of engineering

One of the twenty-first century's greatest feats of engineering will carry the Spanish seal. The consortium led by Sacyr Vallehermoso will build the third set of locks as part of the project for the expansion of the Panama Canal. This project should facilitate a 40% increase in trade transit between the Atlantic and the Pacific. It will also consolidate the position of the Spanish group, which is involved in the Messina Bridge project (see image) that will join the island of Sicily to the Italian peninsula.by beatriz beeckmans

On August 12 the consortium, led by Sacyr Vallehermoso signed the con-tract to build the third set of locks for the Panama Canal, after having pre-sented the best bid for carrying out one of the greatest civil engineering works of all time. The project is part of a broader program to increase the Canal's capacity, a challenge that re-quires the construction of two sets of locks -one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific- which will allow for an increase in commercial traffic cross-ing the Canal in response to develop-ments in the maritime transport mar-ket, which have been characterized

by a tendency to utilize larger, heavier vessels (known as Post-Panamax) than the ones that can currently fit through the existing locks. This project is set to become the best possible calling card for one of Spain's most internationally renowned groups.

Sacyr's story dates back to 1986, when a group of highway engineers with ex-perience in the construction industry founded the com-pany Sociedad Anónima de Caminos y Regadíos (Sacyr). The engineers were Luis del Rivero –the group's cur-

rent president-, José Manuel Loureda and Félix Riezu, who in April of 2002 bought 24.5 % of Vallehermoso. This merger paved the way for the creation of Sacyr Vallehermoso in 2003, with the objective of creating a business group dedicated to construction, real

estate, assets and infrastruc-ture, and services conces-sions. In 2004, Portugal's largest construction com-pany, Somague, became part of the SyV Group. Today, Sa-cyr Vallehermoso is one of the most powerful Spanish groups. In 2008 it recorded

Sacyr has managed contracts for high-speed railway lines worth over 2.5 billion euros

47C Spanish business abroad

a sales volume of more than 5.3 billion euros and is quoted on the Ibex 35 and the Euronext Lisbon, Lisbon's stock exchange.

The Murcia and Barajas airports, the rebuilding of Madrid's M-30, the Seville and Barcelona metro systems, freeways and highways, bridges, ir-rigation systems, the construction of offices and shopping centers...Sacyr Vallehermoso is present in all of Spain's largest civil engineering projects. In-ternationally, the company works in countries offering legal security and a stable environment in which they can operate. Key projects in Portugal

include the IP-4 freeway, the Europa Bridge, the pediatric hospital at Coim-bra and the Oporto Metro system. The group also boasts highway building projects and water concessions, while managing waste plants and real estate interests. It is currently carrying out construction, rehabilitation and water provision projects in Angola.

The Sacyr engineers are also set to take part in one of the most emblem-atic works of the modern engineering world: the Messina Bridge.

To the Antipodes for water. Its con-tribution to the water desalina-

tion industry has earned Sadyt - the group's company dedicated to water treatment engineering - a nomina-tion for the “Desalination Company of the Year” prize, awarded by the prestigious organization, Global Wa-ter Intelligence. The company re-ceived special praise for the techni-cal achievements of its desalination plant in Abrera, Barcelona - the larg-est in the world to use reversible elec-trodialysis technology. Thanks to this process, which allows for the daily elimination of more than 150 tons of salt from the water, two million of Barcelona's citizens have water

48 C Spanish business abroad

that tastes better and takes less time to boil. Furthermore, it has reduced negative impacts such as the build-up of lime scale and the calcification of pipe work. Given the notable interest in the project, together with its ef-fects on the quality of the wa-ter supply and technology uti-lized, the group managed to secure 85% of its budget from European Union funds. On the other side of the Mediter-ranean is one more example of Sacyr's experience in the field of managing the water cycle in its entirety: the desalina-tion plant at Skikda, Algeria, which will soon have a pro-duction capacity of 100,000 m3 a day. At the end of 2008, the Australian public com-

pany Water Corporation awarded the design, construction, operation and maintenance over twenty five years of a Perth-based desalination plant using inverse osmosis, to a joint ven-ture made up of Valoriza Agua from

the SyV group and Técni-cas Reunidas.

The urbanization proj-ects in El Beida, Libya, the construction and subse-quent concession of Portu-gal's Marâo tunnel and the construction and conces-sion of the Vallenar-Cal-dera highway in Chile are further examples of the key contracts won by the Span-ish group over the last year.

High Velocity. Since 1994

A dIVerSIfIed grOuP.Construction: through the activities of the companies Sacyr and Somague, it maintains a presence in Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Panama, Chile, Costa Rica, Libya, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Brazil. Real Estate: Vallehermoso in Spain and Somague Inmobiliaria in Portugal. Real estate assets: Testa has real estate assets of 1.5 million m2 in offices, hotels, shopping centers, industrial ships and housing in Spain and abroad. Concessions: Sacyr Concessions encompasses the group's activity in transport infrastructure concessions with 28 active in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Chile, Ireland and Costa Rica. Services: Valoriza heads this activity, which focuses on strengthening business in sectors such as water (purification, desalination and the entire cycle in Spain, Algeria, Tunisia and Australia), alternative energy (systems for generating clean energy); multi-services: highway service areas, integrated maintenance of real estate, cleaning of buildings and premises, and the environment.

A ship passes through the Panama Canal, where the consortium led by Sacyr Vallehermoso will carry out the Canal's main expansion project.

Sacyr has been in charge of the main-tenance of high-speed rail lines, man-aging contracts worth more than 2.5 billion euros and currently responsible for some fifteen different projects all over Spain. One of these is particularly challenging. The Spanish company is responsible for building the section that will link the Barcelona Sants rail-way station with La Sagrera, a delicate operation given its proximity to the La Sagrada Familia cathedral. They are currently excavating a tunnel that crosses the city's Ensanche, passing under some of the most iconic streets of the Ciudad Condal, such as Avenida Diagonal. In order to protect Gaudí's masterpiece, Sacyr has erected an enormous screen of piles which shield the structure of La Sagrada Familia from the tunneling machines.

The group is taking part in the project that will link the re-gion of Calabria with the island of Sicily. Sacyr is leading the consortium responsible for the expansion of the Panama Canal.

The company's successful bid for building the third set of locks for the Panama Canal is proof of its high technical, technological, professional and organizational capacity, and that of Spanish engineering as a whole. Sacyr's success brings international recognition to Spain and all of its construction groups working in infrastruc-ture, without a doubt the best in the world.

The Canal's governing consor-tium, Grupos Unidos, led by Sacyr, is composed of top-flight experts in construction and design. There is our company, Sacyr Vallehermoso, together with the Italian company Impre-gilo, the Belgian Jan de Nul and the Panamanian firm Cusa. The group's technical capacity and the excellent reputation of its members, who have extensive international experience, are a guarantee that this project will be carried out according to the highest quality standards, within the stipulated time and the agreed budget.

We are proud to have won the two necessary rounds on July 8 to win the bid. We won both the

economic bid, which came clos-est to the Canal's requirements at a sum of 3.118 billion dollars, as well as the technical bid, which was the most important component for the eventual decision made by the Canal's Technical Evaluation Panel. This two-fold success was aided by the absence of objections from the other consortia who pre-sented bids, with both having had several days to analyze our proposal.

I would like to use this opportu-nity to thank the authorities of the Panama Canal and its gen-eral manager, Alberto Alemán Zubieta, for the exemplary way in which the entire bidding process for the third set of locks was carried out with absolute transparency.

These works, which have al-ready commenced, are part of a broader project to increase the Canal's capacity, allowing for a 40% rise in the trade capacity of the current waterways that link the Atlantic with the Pacif-ic. The Canal currently has two lanes of locks. The expansion will add a third lane through the construction of two sets of

locks at either end of the Canal. Each new set will be made up 3 consecutive chambers or steps to move the ships between sea level and that of Lake Gatún. The new floodgates, which will measure 427 meters long by 55 meters wide and 18.3 meters deep, will allow larger ships, known as "post-Panamax", to pass through.

In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to explain that along with its activity in Panama, Sacyr is also currently involved with such emblematic infrastructure projects such as the construction of the Messina Bridge, which will connect Sic-ily to the Italian peninsula, and the creation of a high technol-ogy desalination plant in Perth (Australia), to name but a few. Our involvement in these works makes us a group of interna-tional standing and is proof of our desire to be involved with those infrastructure projects that pres-ent the greatest technical and operational challenges.

At Sacyr we have always maintained that we like to take on the impossible. And so, we allow our work to speak for us.

The construction of the third set of locks in the Panama Canal is proof of the high technological, professional and organizational capacity of the Spanish engineering sector.

49C Spanish business abroad

The Panama Canal, a success story for Sacyr and all Spanish firms

Luis del RiveroPreSident, SACyr VAllehermoSo

50 c culture and society

Madrid 2016 just misses the Olympic dream. In a closely contested final Madrid's bid, which been successful in earlier voting rounds against Chicago and Tokyo, was beaten at the last moment by Rio de Janeiro. Its strong insti-tutional backing, including the support of His Majesty King Juan Carlos, the Spanish Prime Minister, the President of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, the Mayor of Madrid and a large contingent of sportsmen and women, was not enough to convince the IOC members.

Goodbye to Madrid's Olympic dream for 2016

From left to right. His Majesty King Juan Carlos is applauded after his speech to the International Olympic Committee. The Minister of Foreign Af-fairs and Cooperation congratulates soccer legend Pelé on the choice of Río de Janeiro. The Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, congratulates the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. phOtOs efe.

Spain's candidacy got through the first two rounds of voting and reached the final, but lost to Río de Janeiro, which thus becomes the first South American city to host the Olympic Games. Ma-drid's candidacy is at an end, but its sus-tained efforts won it the congratulations of all. The project was a continuation of the previous candidacy for 2012, which was characterized by outstanding in-frastructures, institutional and popular support, transport and security... In al-most all these areas Spain was ahead of Río de Janeiro, which has much work to do over the next seven years. However, perhaps the IOC members thought it preferable to alternate between conti-nents and not retain the European set-ting after the next Olympic Games in London in 2012.

Spain should congratulate itself on having beaten the excellent bids from

Chicago and Tokyo and should be proud of its proposal, and remain confident that it is sufficiently robust to have a chance of success in the future.

However the dream may have to wait until 2020. Rome and Paris have already expressed interest in this date, and both these European rivals are well established and will be major Eu-ropean competitors. The effort put into the 2012 and 2016 bids has reinforced the country's dedication to sporting and Olympic values. The enormous potential of Spanish sport, which has won fame in nearly all sporting disci-plines, ensures that there is enough hope and capacity to carry on work-ing for Madrid's next opportunity. The tennis player Rafael Nadal expressed confidence that “sooner or later we will win”, while the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruíz-Gallardón left the dream

a possibility, asserting that “Madrid must pursue all goals which will make it a better city”. H.M. Queen Sofía said that “We should congratulate Río, and also congratulate the Spanish people for all their work, which was excep-tional”.

All that remains is for us to congratu-late Río de Janeiro.

51c culture and society

Cibeles Fashion Week pays tribute to Elio Berhanyer The Spanish fashion designer Elio Berhanyer was the undisputed star of the latest Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week 2009 which took place in September in Spain's capital city. The designer was applauded by all the greats of the fashion world, eager to pay tribute to his distinguished career which spans more than five decades.

La Caixa becomes the first Spanish banking institution to open a branch in Morocco As part of its plans for international expansion, La Caixa has opened its first functioning office in Casablanca (Morocco), after gaining permission from Bank Al Maghrib, the Moroccan central bank, to operate within the country. “This branch will enable us to improve the service we provide to Spanish busi-ness people in Morocco, encouraging them to develop their businesses, and will move forward our international expansion”, explained the director general, Juan María Nin, at the inauguration.

NH and Hesperia form the largest hotel group in Spain The merger of the NH Group and Hesperia group hotel management arms will create the largest Spanish hotel group in terms of number of hotels and revenue. NH will also take over management of the 51 hotels in Spain, Andorra, the UK and Venezuela belonging to Hesperia, its largest shareholder with 25.08% of shares, bringing its total number of hotels to 400.

USA grants 170 million euros to Iberdrola Renovables Iberdrola Renovables (Renewables) has been granted 251 million dollars (170 million euros) in the second round of competition for stimulus funds awarded by the United States Government Treasury Department to encour-age the development of renewable energy. This latest grant to Iberdrola, to build three windfarms in Texas, Iowa and Missouri, brings the total value of contracts awarded to the group to more than 500 million dollars.

Spain targets melanoma The Melanoma Group of the National Cancer Research Center has achieved its first results after only eighteen months of existence. Its research into the destruction of melanoma cells, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, particularly in its metastatic form, has been recognized by the prestigious Cancer Cell journal. The journal has published the latest discovery: a mecha-nism which induces the cell to commit suicide (apoptosis) and to eat itself (autophagy), causing the cell to self-destruct extremely rapidly.

Banco Santander to sponsor Ferrari in Formula 1 Spain's largest bank is to sponsor the Ferrari Formula 1 team for a five year period beginning in 2010. The agreement was announced by the Banco de Santander president, Emilio Botín, and the Ferrari team director, Luca di Montezemolo. This new sponsorship deal will mean an outlay of 40 million euros a year for Santander, which already sponsors three major Formula 1 prizes.

At MACBA in Barcelona

UNESCO declaration

‘Modernologies’, a reflection on modernity

the tower of hercules, a World heritage site

Through January 17, 2010, The Bar-celona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) is host to an exhibi-tion bringing together 130 works by more than 30 artists who explore the legacy of modernity and of modern-ism as a social and political movement in search of a universal language. This exhibition is both exploratory and crit-ical, and reveals a range of narratives and contradictions left unresolved by modernism, seen as an ideological and reformist movement which sought human rights, democracy and the development of a language, yet with a hidden side linked to processes of domination and colonialism.

The dream is now a reality. The Tower of Hercules took its rightful place on the list of world heritage sites on a day never to be forgotten by the citizens of Coruña. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, drawn from 21 countries and meeting in Seville, in taking this de-cision confirmed the status of the mon-ument as a “unique” and “outstanding” example of the lighthouses of classical antiquity and its importance as a legacy of the “architectural constructions” which made up the Romans' network of lighthouses along the coasts. The first of the two candidates Spain put forward was successful. The other was the Mercury and Silver Route on the Intercontinental Royal Road, the Span-ish segment of which passes through Almadén. The Tower of Hercules is a lighthouse with Roman origins built on a rocky promontory surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.

The Spanish designer is greeted by model Judit Mascó on the Cibeles catwalk. phOtO efe

Inaugurated by Their Majesties on July 24. The Great Canaries Tele-scope, situated on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, is now the largest optical infrared telescope in the world and the biggest scientific construction ever built in Spain. It is Spain's contribution to the Interna-tional Year of Astronomy.

Inauguration of the world's biggest telescope on the island of La palmaThe Great Canaries Telescope, situ-ated on the Roque de Los Muchachos on the island of La Palma, opened at the end of July, has now become the largest scientific infrastructure for astronomical research. During the in-auguration ceremony presided over by Their Majesties and the Minister for Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia, the importance of this in-frastructure for the technological ma-turity of our firms in leading projects within the scientific industries was underlined.

It was set up by the Canaries As-trophysics Institute and the public company Grantecan was in charge of the design, construction and fitting out. More than a hundred businesses were involved in the process. The United States and Mexico contribut-ed to the construction and will have access to the scientific date produced

by the telescope, whose 10.4 meter lens has the visual power equivalent to four million human eyes.

Spain, because of its geographi-cal location and climate, provides the perfect setting for astronomical obser-vation, which has led to major infra-structures being located here. Those in the Canaries are the most impor-tant of them all. The Spanish-German Observatory at Calar Alto (Almería) is another major research center, oper-ated by the Andalusian Astrophysics Institute.

This growing scientific industry in the field of astronomy has led to the formation of highly specialized business networks which are able to also provide services to three of the main European satellite tracking centers, those of NASA and ESA in Madrid, and the INTA center in the Canaries .

The telescope at El Roque de los Muchachos, at the opening ceremony. phOtO efe

First university course on Facebook This October the Open Uni-versity of Catalonia (UOC) is starting up a pilot course taught via Facebook, which will be open to all on the social networking site and will last for two months. This course, a pioneer in the field, will test the possibility of using social networks as teaching spaces. If the experiment is a success the university will look at the possibility of providing complete course offerings using this platform.

The Government honors the founder of the NGO ‘Bombay Smiles’ The Spanish aid worker Jaume Sanllorente, founder of the NGO ‘Bombay Smiles’, has been awarded the Cross of Officer of the Order of Civil Merit. “The best way to for me to show my appreciation for this award is to carry on working hard to eradicate poverty”, asserted the founder of the organization which provides education for more than 5,000 young people in the poorest areas of Bombay. Among the projects he has set up are an orphanage, two schools and programs for leprosy suffer-ers and their children.

Bulgarian Irina Bokova is the new Director General of UNESCO The Bulgarian diplomat Irina Bokova has been elected as the new Director General of UNESCO. Bokova pursued her university studies in Moscow, Russia, where she graduated in International Relations. After the fall of the So-viet regime she undertook further study at Harvard. She is 57, and is one of the most popular members of Bulgaria's Socialist Party.


ABC opens its digital news-paper library to the public The ABC newspaper has finalized its digital library of the newspaper and the supplements and magazines launched by Torcuato Luca de Tena between 1891 and 1903, which covers three centuries of history and includes five million documents. The document store contains five million pages which include the more than 60,000 issues of the newspaper, which was published in both Madrid and Seville editions. There are over a hundred years of history as seen through the eyes of ABC, now made available to everybody free of charge.

75th anniversary of the Economic Culture Fund September 3, 2009 is the 75th anniversary of the Economic Culture Fund (FCE) publishing house, which has built up one of the richest and most varied Span-ish catalogs in Spain and Latin America. Its catalogs are devoted mainly to the social and human sciences but also include other genres such as the novel, literary criticism, poetry and children's and young people's literature.

The language of freedom in Latin America The State Society for Cultural Commemorations, the Ministry of Culture, the Caroline Foundation and the Center for Political and Constitutional Studies orga-nized the Second International Conference on the theme of “The Language of Freedom in Latin America: Political Concepts in the Age of Independence” to mark the Bicentennial of Independence of the Latin American nations. The symposium brought together more than fifty historians and specialists in political, legal and social science.


An exhibition to mark the 70th anniversary of the estudio CollegeThe Madrid Student Residence houses an exhibition devoted to: ‘The “Estu-dio” school: an Educational Venture in Postwar Spain’ aimed at commem-orating, seventy years after it was set up, the work of the institution founded by Jimena Menéndez Pidal, Ángeles Gasset and Carmen García against the backdrop of Franco's Spain, and which represented one of the few genuine al-

ternatives to the authoritarian teach-ing model. The exhibition analyzes the importance of this school, which was able to transmit the educational val-ues promoted by the Free Education Institute despite the constraints of civil war and dictatorship. It tells the story through some hundred exhibits of great historical and documentary value.

Mantles for eternity: textiles from ancient peruThrough the end of February 2010, Ma-drid's Museo de América is hosting the exhibition ̀ Mantles for Eternity: Paracas Textiles from ancient Perú, a splendid collection of 82 pieces which formed part of the funeral offerings in the Pa-racas culture which endured for thou-sands of years on the southern coast of Peru. This is the first time that Spain has been privileged to see an exhibition of the spectacular paracas textiles, which constitute one of Peru's greatest Pre-Co-lumbian treasures because of their beau-ty, their size and their excellent state of preservation thanks to the region's dry climate. The Museo de América exhi-bition is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Peruvian Embassy in Spain.

The richness and complexity of these textiles is noteworthy since they speak to us of a society in which the social di-vision of labor allowed a section of the population to devote themselves to the complex process of producing textiles, from spinning the wool to weaving the

cloth to dyeing it and embroidering the borders, a very advanced and specialized craft activity which would have required workshops where, almost certainly, a large number of weavers would have worked. The iconography of the mantles includes human figures, sometimes with animal features, shown with a number of utensils and staffs, symbols of power, as well as short-haired warriors wielding knives, sometimes surrounded by two-headed snakes and other more or less naturalistic representations of plants and animals and also geometric figures.

Museo de América. Funeral wrappings from Pre-Columbian mummies from the age-old Paracas culture from the southern shores of Peru arrive in Madrid.

Detail of one of the funeral mantles.


Essay Prizes Casa África 2009 Casa África is calling for entries for its essay competition on African themes, which aim to recognize, encourage and promote original un-published essays which contribute to better understanding of the relations between Spain and sub-Saharan Africa in two areas or topics: eco-nomic relations between Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa and democratic consolidation in Sub-Saharan Africa. The essays should be delivered or sent by e-mail to the Casa África office by October 31, 2009.

‘La Iberia’ by Isaac Albéniz,is touring Europe The Ministry of Culture is orga-nizing a series of concerts which is bringing the master work of Albéniz, the maestro of Camprodón, to a number of European cities. It will be played by the pianist Gustavo Díaz Jerez. The Czech Republic hosted the first two concerts in the series, which took place on August 15 and 21. In September the pianist, who is from Tenerife, performed at concerts in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The series ends in Vienna on October 17.

First National Prize for Cultural Journalism The journalist Jacinto Antón has been awarded the National Prize for Cultural Journalism, the first of its kind, by the Ministry of Culture. Antón, who has a degree in Jour-nalism and Drama, has worked for over 20 years in the Culture section of the El País newspaper. His book Pilots, Caymans and other Extraor-dinary Adventures, a collection of his articles, was published in 2009. This prize aims to acknowledge the work of professional journalists who contribute to the enrichment of Spain's cultural vitality. This Prize, like other national prizes, is worth 20,000 euros.

Mario Vargas Llosa wins the Caballero Bonald essay prize“The journey to fiction. The world of Juan Carlos Onetti”, by the writer Ma-rio Vargas Llosa, has won the Cabal-lero Bonald International Essay Prize for 2009. The book analyzes the Uruguayan author's career, “recreating the complex and disturbing world of Onetti in a work of highly focused criticism”. In this book Vargas Llosa, the author of such memo-rable essays as García Márquez: Story

of a Deicide and The Perpetual Orgy, provides an in-depth study of one of the 20th century's most important writers in Spanish. The Caballero Bonald Prize is presented by the Fundación Caballero Bonald and the Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes and is awarded to a work of criticism: the prize is worth 30,000 euros. This year over 80 works from Spain and Latin America were in competition.

fernando trueba tries again for an OscarFernando Trueba, with “El baile de la Victoria”, (The Dance of Victory) hopes to represent Spain in the cate-gory of Best Foreign Language Film at the forthcoming Oscars. Trueba's film, the first he has made for five years,

was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from a short list which also included “Mapa de los Sonidos de Tokio” (Map of the Sounds of Tokyo) by Isabel Coixet, and “Gor-

dos” (Fat People) by Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo. Fernando Trueba, who is 54, won an Oscar in 1993 with “Belle Epoque”.

“I'm very pleased, especially as it hasn't been released yet and it's com-

pletely new. The fact that it was chosen means that the members of the Academy and people in the industry liked it, so it's an honor and a pleasure”, said Trueba when he heard the news. The film was to have been released on December 4th but its re-lease date has been changed to November 27th. “El baile de la Victoria”, with Ricar-do Darín playing the lead, is based on the book of the same name by the Chilean

writer Antonio Skármeta, winner of the Planeta Prize, and is a story about love, friendship and revenge set at the time of Chile's return to democracy af-ter the Pinochet dictatorship.

Contender for Best Foreign Language Film. The Madrid-born director's latest film, ‘El Baile de la victoria’, has been chosen as Spain's entry

Trueba and the Argentinean actor Ricardo Darín during shooting in the Andes in the depths of the Southern Hemisphere winter.


With thanks to... Eduardo Arroyo

Portrait of an effervescent artistBeing born in the Madrid of 1937 was hardly a guarantee that one would feel in touch with the rest of the world. This is what befell Eduardo Arroyo, a man who always modeled himself after Robinson Crusoe, who was fatally attracted to boxing and to romantic cemeter-ies and who revered only those authors who were (at least initially) as deeply misunderstood as they were profound masters of their own language.

With his father dead, the option of becoming the head of a family comprising his mother and brother in the Talibanesque atmo-sphere of post-Civil War Spain must have seemed an impossible one, and so, in a fit of typically Spanish con-trariness, as Bolaño would have put it, he decided to go into exile. He was 21, had studied journalism, had a robust constitution and was, by his own account, an incorrigible optimist. Endowed with this capital he settled in Paris, know-ing the reason why he did so but not the purpose. He may have had the same

experience as his idol James Joyce, who found in exile from his native Ireland a keener appreciation of it (Borges had the idea, expressed in more literary form).

Only his careless youth and the ambition to become a citizen of the world could compensate him for the hardships of exile. In the case of Paris in the 1950s and 60s one had to be really a stoic to put up with the hunger, the cold and the cockroaches that had infest-ed thechambres de bonne at-tic rooms since long before the first Spaniards arrived in what was then the capital of the world. Arroyo sur-vived all this, and not only survived, but continued his search for what he wanted to be in life: a painter, and a great painter.

The hurricane of May '68 blew away the dead leaves of existentialism and bohe-mia which gave the streets of Paris such charm, and which was unfortunately never to return. Beneath the cobblestones torn up to build barricades there

was no beach, and nobody knew what to do with this temporary freedom which seemed to have fallen from the skies, but many people discovered the excite-ment of denouncing the established order. From that moment, painting for Arroyo had a practical aim and a clear direction: to show the cruel, the vile and the ignorant (those whom today we might describe as damned bastards) that there was always someone who was watching and taking note of their machinations. Perhaps for this reason his painting, unlike that of oth-ers, did not move forward in great leaps and seemed always return to the same obsessions.

Once Spain's long, excep-tional Francoist period was at an end, many people imagined that there was much they needed to do, only to come to realize that it was other people who were going to do it. When Arroyo took the opportuni-ty to return without having the door slammed in his face (professionally speak-ing) he had been dreaming

of his return for so long that it did not occur to him that once again the game was played according to particu-lar rules in Spain.

The back-talking artist, still in possession of all his youthful energy (and his love of protest), denounced those rules again and again in his paintings with caustic irony (“Without humor or derision life would be lacking”, Arroyo asserted). Occasionally he real-ized that he was tilting at windmills, but his ebullient and pressurized nature left him no alternative. Even if it were only for the way he flew the flag of lucid-ity in the face of a general conformity, we would still be in his debt. A collector of scalps, a sniper who shoots down the conventional wisdom, a destroyer of the illusions blithely spread by fallen prophets, he not only defends us against the temptations of the two main tenets of universal group-think, but helps us to see our own wrinkles, grimaces and contradictions when we look at ourselves in the mirror.

He left Spain at the age of 21 due to his clear incompatibility with the state of affairs. He returned a quarter of a century later, this time as a famous painter. Another quarter of a century later, his opinions on the current state of affairs in Spain are far from flattering. By Jacobo García. JOURNALIST

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● Goodbye My Beloved Spain. Rafael Torres. La Esfera de los Libros. In the 1950s and 1960s, over three million Spaniards were forced to emigrate. Their exile, however, has been ignored and silenced. How could we have forgotten that we too, like the Ecuadorians, Romanians and Moroccans who travel to our country today, were forced to search for a future outside our own borders? Through twenty unique testi-monials, twenty anonymous stories, Rafael Torres paints a moving picture of this un-known reality that is some-

times happy and sometimes tragic. Within the pages of this book we find the mo-tives that drove those men and women to look for a life outside their country which had been ravaged by war. We also discover that over half of Spanish emigration into other European coun-tries was illegal, clandestine, and carried out without the necessary documents. There were accidental emigrants, people who were emigrants for just a brief time and others who remained so. Some returned, others did not, many regretted return-ing and some regretted not doing so, but none of them were just workers or just a statistic recorded in a historical footnote relegated to oblivion.

● Transparency Guide 2009. Fundación Lealtad. The 2009 Guide to Trans-parency and Good Practice for NGOs analyzes adher-ence to the nine Principles of Transparency and Good Practice defined by the Leal-

tad Foundation. Taking part in the study were 131 non-governmental organizations, 85 of which are involved in social work, 41 in coopera-tion and development and 5 in environmental issues. The results are the best obtained over the seven editions of the Guide published to date, with an average level of adherence to the Principles surpassing 90% for the first time. The Guide is a ground-breaking tool in Spain, providing free, independent, objective and homogenous information for donors. It contains the results of over 400 investigations carried out by a team of analysts from the Foundation, fol-

lowing a methodology that includes interviews with and visits to the NGOs, as well as an evaluation report which guarantees the consistency, homogeneity and rigor of the evaluation.

● Women in the City. Vio-lence and Rights. Ana Falú. AECID. Edited by Ana Falú, Director of the Regional UNIFEM Of-fice for Brazil and the South-ern Cone, with the support of the AECID, this book re-flects various works regard-ing notions and perceptions of public/private space, citi-

Human Development Report 2009 "Overcoming Barriers: Human mobility and development”. UNDP. We live in an extremely mobile world, where migration is not just inevitable but a very important dimension of human development. Almost one billion people (one in seven) are immigrants. The UNDP Report "Overcoming Barriers: human mobility and develop-ment" shows how migration can improve the human development of those who move, as well as that of the destination communities and those who stay in the places of origin. Its conclusions cast doubt on certain generalized, and erroneous, ideas surrounding migration, proposing a series of policies that allow for an increase in the freedom of people and an improvement in the lives of millions of people the world over. Since 1990, the UNDP Human Development Reports have provided important innovations, analytical contributions and public policy recommendations. Similarly, each year it includes various indicators including the Human Development Index (HDI), a synoptic indicator of human well-being that measures life expectancy, literacy, school attendance and per capita GDP. Norway, Australia and Iceland occupy the HDI's top three positions; Spain is in 15th place, while Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Niger occupy the last places of the 182 countries and territories registered.

✱... a must read

that of the destination communities and those who stay in the places of origin. Its conclusions cast

policies that allow for an increase in the freedom of people and an improvement in the lives of millions of people the world

Informe sobre Desarrollo

Humano 2009

Superando barreras:

Movilidad y desarrollo humanos

IDH

2009 S

uperan

do b

arreras: M

ovilidad

y desarro

llo hum

anos

Afganistán 181

Albania 70

Alemania 22

Andorra 28 1

Angola 143

Antigua y Barbuda 47 1

Arabia Saudita 59 1

Argelia 104

Argentina 49 2

Armenia 84 1

Australia 2

Austria 14 2

Azerbaiyán 86 2

Bahamas 52

Bahrein 39

Bangladesh 146 2

Barbados 37 2

Belarús 68 1

Bélgica 17

Belice 93 3

Benin 161 1

Bhután 132 1

Bolivia 113

Bosnia y Herzegovina 76

Botswana 125 1

Brasil 75

Brunei Darussalam 30

Bulgaria 61 2

Burkina Faso 177 1

Burundi 174 1

Cabo Verde 121

Camboya 137

Camerún 153 1

Canadá 4

Colombia 77 5

Comoras 139

Congo 136

Congo (Rep. Democrática del) 176 1

Corea (República de) 26

Costa Rica 54 1

Côte d’Ivoire 163

Croacia 45

Cuba 51

Chad 175 2

Chile 44 1

China 92 7

Chipre 32

Dinamarca 16 2

Djibouti 155

Dominica 73 2

Ecuador 80 3

Egipto 123 1

El Salvador 106

Emiratos Árabes Unidos 35 2

Eritrea 165

Eslovaquia 42 2

Eslovenia 29

España 15

Estados Unidos 13 -1

Estonia 40

Etiopía 171

Federación de Rusia 71 2

Fiji 108

Filipinas 105

Finlandia 12

Francia 8

Gabón 103

Gambia 168

Georgia 89 2

Ghana 152 2

Granada 74

Grecia 25

Guatemala 122 1

Guinea 170

Guinea Ecuatorial 118

Guinea-Bissau 173 1

Guyana 114

Haití 149

Honduras 112

Hong Kong, China (RAE) 24 1

Hungría 43 2

India 134

Indonesia 111

Irán (Rep. Islámica de) 88 1

Irlanda 5

Islandia 3

Islas Salomón 135

Israel 27 1

Italia 18 1

Jamahiriya Árabe Libia 55 1

Jamaica 100 8

Japón 10

Jordania 96 1

Kazajstán 82 1

Kenya 147

Kirguistán 120

Kuwait 31

Lao (Rep. Democrática Popular) 133 1

Lesotho 156

Letonia 48 2

Líbano 83 3

Liberia 169

Liechtenstein 19 1

Lituania 46

Luxemburgo 11 3

Macedonia (ERY) 72

Madagascar 145

Malasia 66

Malawi 160 1

Maldivas 95 2

Malí 178 1

Malta 38 3

Marruecos 130

Mauricio 81 2

Mauritania 154 1

México 53 1

Moldova 117

Mongolia 115 1

Montenegro 65

Mozambique 172

Myanmar 138

Namibia 128 1

Nepal 144

Nicaragua 124

Níger 182

Nigeria 158 1

Noruega 1

Nueva Zelandia 20

Omán 56 1

Países Bajos 6 1

Pakistán 141 1

Panamá 60 1

Papua Nueva Guinea 148 2

Paraguay 101

Perú 78 5

Polonia 41 1

Portugal 34 1

Qatar 33 1

Reino Unido 21

República Árabe Siria 107 2

República Centroafricana 179

República Checa 36

República Dominicana 90

Rumania 63 1

Rwanda 167

Saint Kitts y Nevis 62 2

Samoa 94 2

San Vicente y las Granadinas 91 2

Santa Lucía 69 1

Santo Tomé y Príncipe 131

Senegal 166

Serbia 67

Seychelles 57

Sierra Leona 180

Singapur 23 1

Sri Lanka 102

Sudáfrica 129 1

Sudán 150

Suecia 7 1

Suiza 9

Suriname 97 1

Swazilandia 142 2

Tailandia 87 1

Tanzanía (Rep. Unida de) 151

Tayikistán 127

Territorios Palestinos Ocupados 110

Timor-Leste 162

Togo 159

Tonga 99 5

Trinidad y Tobago 64 1

Túnez 98 2

Turkmenistán 109 1

Turquía 79 1

Ucrania 85 1

Uganda 157 1

Uruguay 50 1

Uzbekistán 119

Vanuatu 126 1

Venezuela (Rep. Bolivariana de) 58 4

Viet Nam 116 1

Yemen 140 1

Zambia 164

Clave de países:

Clasificación según el IDH 2007 y cambio en la clasificación entre 2006 y 2007

Notas: Indica el número de posiciones en que el país ha mejorado su clasificación del índice de desarrollo humano ( IDH) entre 2006 y 2007.

Indica el número de posiciones en que el país ha disminuido su clasificación del IDH entre 2006 y 2007.

En blanco, indica que el país no ha variado su clasificación del IDH entre 2006 y 2007.

Sitio web del Informe: http//hdr.undp.org

Informe sobre Desarrollo Humano 2009

Vivimos en un mundo muy desigual. Para muchos habitantes del mundo, aban-

donar su lugar de origen puede ser la mejor salida, y en ocasiones la única, de

mejorar su vida. La migración puede ser muy e�ciente para aumentar el ingreso,

la educación y la participación de individuos y familias y mejorar las perspec-

tivas futuras de sus hijos. Pero tiene un valor incluso mayor: la capacidad de

decidir dónde vivir es un elemento clave de la libertad humana.

No existe un per�l único de los migrantes del mundo: temporeros de la fruta, en-

fermeras, refugiados políticos, trabajadores de la construcción, académicos y pro-

gramadores de computación son todos parte de los casi mil millones de personas

que se desplazan al interior de sus países o allende las fronteras. Cuando la gente

cambia su lugar de residencia, se embarca en un viaje de esperanza e incertidum-

bre, ya sea en su país o en el extranjero. La mayoría de ellos se traslada en busca de

mejores oportunidades, con la esperanza de combinar sus propios talentos con

los recursos del país de destino en bene�cio propio y de sus familiares cercanos,

quienes a menudo los acompañan o los siguen después. En conjunto, las comuni-

dades locales y las sociedades también se han bene�ciado, tanto en el lugar de ori-

gen como en el de destino. La diversidad de estas personas y las reglas que rigen sus

movimientos hacen de la movilidad humana uno de los temas más complejos que

enfrenta el mundo hoy, especialmente en medio de la actual recesión mundial.

Superando barreras: movilidad y desarrollo humanos analiza de qué manera el

mejoramiento de las políticas en torno a la movilidad pueden estimular el de-

sarrollo humano. En primer lugar, traza las líneas generales del desplazamiento

humano, es decir, quién se traslada hacia qué lugar, cuándo y por qué, antes

de analizar el amplio abanico de efectos de este cambio en los migrantes y sus

familias y en los lugares de origen y de destino. Ofrece además argumentos para

que los gobiernos reduzcan las restricciones al desplazamiento tanto al interior

de las fronteras como a través de ellas, de manera de ampliar las alternativas y las

libertades humanas. Por otra parte, aboga por medidas prácticas destinadas a

mejorar las perspectivas de los recién llegados, lo que a su vez generará grandes

bene�cios tanto en las comunidades que los reciben como en las que quedan

atrás. Las reformas no sólo están dirigidas a los gobiernos de los países de des-

tino, sino también a los de origen y a otros actores, fundamentalmente al sector

privado, las asociaciones gremiales y las organizaciones no gubernamentales,

así como también a los propios migrantes.

El Informe sobre Desarrollo Humano 2009 pone el desarrollo humano en un

lugar destacado de la agenda para el desarrollo de aquellas autoridades dispues-

tas a buscar los mejores resultados a partir de patrones de movimiento humano

cada vez más complejos en el mundo entero.

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zen security (or lack thereof) and coexistence, and gender and urban violence in Latin American cities, seen from the perspective of the rights of women and citizens. The articles collected here are speeches given during the Second International Semi-nar of the Regional Program "Cities without violence against women, safe cities for everyone” held in Buenos Aires in July of 2008. They have been edited for this volume and are supplement-ed by contributions from specialists in law, security and cities.

● Managing Cooperation for Development. Instru-ments, Techniques and Tools. Manuel Gómez-Ga-lán and Luis Cámara López. Fundación CIDEAL. The international develop-ment cooperation sec-tor, currently in a phase of expansion, attracts a growing number of citizens, organizations, public and private institutions, gov-ernments, businesses and universities, all of whom face the common challenge of joining forces to improve the quality and effective-ness of its undertakings. This book, with contribu-

tions from professionals with broad experience and specialist knowledge in the field, deals with the vari-ous tools used to manage cooperation. It has a clear, practical focus and offers the reader a compendium of knowledge, techniques and tools that are useful for coming to grips with the current aid situation. Its aim is to contribute to achieving greater efficiency in develop-ment cooperation, providing professionals working in the field with support for their work and offering all interested individuals and institutions a complete and up-to-date insight into the key aid tools and forms of internal management used by organizations.

● Sahara. Josto Maffeo and Ángeles Blanco. La esfera de los libros. Two journalists, and friends, Spain's Ángeles Blanco and Italy's Josto Maffeo, shared a long journey across the Sahara desert. This book recalls their experiences, a perfect combination of his knowledge, her surprised gaze and the daily lives of the nomadic men and women who offered them their hospitality. This tale, as much spiritual as physical, demonstrates, according to the authors, how this journey is within the reach of all of those who wish to undertake it, as long as they keep in mind that they do it as travelers, not tourists. During the voyage through the Sahara you can leave everything behind you, taste the adventure and make enriching discoveries. One's

backpack, they say, will be filled along the way with his-tory, traditions, gastronomy and, eventually, the great wisdom of the people of the desert.

● The Struggles for Inde-pendence in Latin America. Manuel Chust and Ivana Frasquet. Los libros de la Catarata. The history of the indepen-dence revolutions in Spanish Latin America have, from the very beginning, given rise to an enormous historiographi-cal catalog. It is a subject that surpasses historical questions, encompassing emotions, ideology, politics and ethnic and racial issues. For decades, independence was seen solely as the fight between patriots and the

Spanish, between the good and the bad, full of heroic deeds. This study tries to explain this complex subject as an historical process im-mersed in a global context. It progressively developed without necessarily having a defined final objective; it involved a broad range of protagonists and it was here that the fight for sovereignty became a struggle for po-litical freedom and equality between cities, communi-ties, races and peoples.Manuel Chust is professor of Contemporary History at the Universidad Jaume I de Castellón. He has authored numerous studies on the independence struggles of the Americas and the impact of Cadiz liberalism on Latin America. Ivana Frasquet is a professor and researcher in Contemporary History at the same university. Her research focuses on Cadiz constitutionalism and its transcendence in Spain and Mexico.

● China in Africa. Beijing's Conquest of the African Continent Serge Michel and Michel Beuret. Alianza Edito-rial. Colección Ensayo.French journalists Serge Michel (Western Africa cor-respondent for ‘Le Monde’) and Michel Beuret offer a revealing insight into what the growing Chinese pres-ence in Africa means for the two continents: the Chinese appetite for raw materials has set in motion a transformation similar to that unleashed by decolo-nization. The book focuses on the fact that between

backpack, they say, will be

between patriots and the

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1980 and 2005, bilateral trade between China and Africa increased fifty-fold and that in 2006, there were 900 Chinese businesses operating in African territory. The Chinese seduce dicta-tors with investments and their reticence to discuss democracy, and convince the people by building highways and housing. But will the West accept being in second place? What are the environmental implications of this new gold fever? How will the Africans react? The authors' arguments draw on their experience of traveling through fifteen countries in search of these new colonies, from the threat-ened forests of the Congo and the karaoke bars of Nigeria, to the oil pipelines of Sunda and the railways of Angola. Their publication is illustrated with photographs by Paolo Woods, a seasoned photojournalist and regular contributor to the world's most prestigious maga-zines and newspapers. In

2004 he was awarded the World Press Photo Award for his photo journalism on Iraq.

● Memory 2008. Casa Asia.This publication brings together the intense work carried out by Casa Asia throughout 2008, a year full of activities whose central driving point was the institu-tion's interest in facilitating greater proximity with the Asian communities in Spain. The most salient activities include the Year of India, the Central Asia Observa-

tory, the organization of the Korea-Spain and Philippines-Spain Tribunals and the or-ganization and coordination of the Pacific Pavilion at the Expo Zaragoza 2008. There was also the organization of the 1st International Con-gress on Asian Tourism, a new edition of the East-West Dialogue and an interna-tional economic meeting, the Global China Business Meet-ing, which brought together 400 business leaders from all over the world.

● What does Hunger Feed On? Various au-thors. Acción contra el hambre e Icaria Editorial.At the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008, global prices for food and

● The History of Spain through Film. AECID. Ediciones PolifemoWritten to encourage interest in the cultural and

historical wealth Spain has to offer, The History of Spain through Film is a reference book which aims to use film to improve the knowledge Spaniards have of themselves and of their own history. Organized according to historical peri-ods, the extensive selection draws on full-length films shot on 35 and 16 mm film or video, regardless of their screening format, but does

not touch on television series. It refers simultane-ously to works produced in other countries in which the history of Spain plays an important role, pro-viding a parallel picture. This publication, aimed at promoting our cinematic heritage, the work of the AECID Film Library, is now broadening its international horizons with this transla-tion into English.

✱... a must read

oil skyrocketed. According to estimates made by the FAO, high food prices have led to a rise in the number of people suffering from hunger, increasing from 850 million in 2005 to the current figure of 963 million. This brings with it the dan-ger that the advances made in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals could be lost. Though global food prices are now dropping, local prices continue to rise or have maintained elevated levels in most vulnerable countries, placing millions of people at risk. The world food crisis provoked by prices is not yet over. Measures need to be taken immediately. Resources and goodwill are urgently needed to translate global policy into effective measures which address the needs of the most affected and vulnerable.

● Bartolomé de las Ca-sas. Between the Sword and the Cross Bernard Lavallé. Editorial Arial A herald of the struggle for human rights and indefatigable defender of

historical wealth Spain has to offer, The History of Spain through Film is a reference book which aims to use film to improve the knowledge Spaniards have of themselves and of their own history. Organized according to historical peri

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the indigenous peoples of Lain America, Bartolomé de las Casas continues to be subject to the most rabid criticism while being praised as the 'universal protector' of the Indians. Up until now, the tenac-ity and devotion which marked his commitment have driven his biographers to sanctify him. Lavallé's work, however, does not do this. Instead, staying faith-ful to the dynamics and mentality of the time, he places Las Casas within his historical context: the era of the New World in which Spain's struggle for power was reflected in an emerg-ing America; a time before the conquest of the great empires, built upon the foundations of the coloniz-ing model of the time and in which all utopian ideas about peaceful coloniza-tion and evangelization ultimately failed.

● The Invisible People of Kolda José Naranjo and Magec Montesdeoca. Editorial PenínsulaThis book relates the research carried out by the authors in the Senegalese region which had been

home to many crewmem-bers of a boat which sank off the Canary Islands in April 2007, leaving no survivors. It is thought that some 160 young people from a particular area of the African country were on board. José Naranjo has professionally followed the phenomenon of African immigration to the Canary Islands, looking at it from the points of view of the island, and of the countries of origin and transit. For this book he was awarded, among others, the 2007 Human Rights Prize of the General Council of the Spanish Legal Profes-sion, with fellow journalist Nicolás Castellano. Magec Montesdeoca, author of the book's images, has traveled to Africa several times to tell the stories of a number of young people held in the centers in the Canaries, and to rescue the names, faces and stories of the 160 young people from Kolda.

● Power and Regimes in the Modern Arab World. Ferran Izquierdo Brichs. Fundación CIDOBArab authoritarian re-gimes and their elites have

developed a great capacity for survival and stability that contradicts the image we are often given of a region in a constant state of upheaval. This book of-fers an analysis that gives context to each situation and allows us to understand these societies which are so close to our own, but that nonetheless give rise to so many pre-conceived ideas and erroneous interpreta-tions in the West. The aim of this book is to study the power relations which define the political regimes of the modern Arab world, offering a universal focus and methodology that overcomes prejudices. In order to understand the social, political, ideological and economic dynamics of these societies, it is neces-sary to analyze (as with any

other) the causes for their stagnation and the forces that are trying to transform them. The book begins with a theoretical and method-ological proposal that offers a general overview of the power and political regimes in the contemporary Arab world. The following chap-ters analyze the realities of

nine Arab countries with diverse political, economic and social systems, provid-ing us with a detailed and comparative view of power relations in the Arab world.

● The Maghreb and its Borders on the Sea: Delimitation Conflicts and Proposed Solutions. Víctor Luis Gutiérrez Castillo. Editorial Huy-gens An exhaustive study into the delimitation of maritime space on the Mediterra-nean and Atlantic coasts of the Maghreb countries, which have often given rise to conflict between the various States, this book offers clarification of the maritime limits of the various State jurisdictions, with the aim of improving cooperation between States and facilitating a reduction in the number of conflicts as well as a coordinated management of issues such as illegal immigration and smuggling. The author is a professor in Interna-tional Public Law at the Universidad de Jaén and a member of the Casa Árabe team at its headquarters in Córdoba.

60 interview

Over 40 years ago, the 'brain drain' took one of our best minds to New York. There, he reached the pinnacle of success, first as head of mental health, then later as President of the city's Public Hospital and Health System.

A firm believer that human beings are capable of getting the best out of life, even in the most difficult of circumstances, Doctor Luis Rojas Marcos spoke with Miradas al Exterior about the power of optimism, President Obama, and the rise of new social networks such as Facebook. by beatriz beeckmans

Luis Rojas Marcos“Positive attitude is what has permitted the development of humanity”

The sun rises over New York City and, from his university office, Dr. Rojas Marcos responds enthusiastically dur-ing an interview that will last for over an hour. "Talking makes you live longer, so I guess I'll be around for a few more months", he jokes as we apologize for abusing his time. “I generally wake up early, about 5:00 in the morning, and I go running in Central Park up to four times a week. My passion is to run the New York Marathon. I've been doing it

for 16 straight years and I hope to be on the starting line next November 1.” With his energy, he will probably make very good time. The optimism that emanates from our most international psychiatrist is undoubtedly one of his most defining characteristics, as well as a recurring theme in his writing. — Doctor, do you always see the glass half full?— In general, human beings have the conscious or unconscious ability to look

for the positive in life, to overcome ad-versity, and to approach life with hope, believing that what we hope for will in fact happen. When we are faced with difficult situations, we also have the great capacity to stand up to and over-come calamities of all sorts and to re-cover when we are hurt. Without this ability, humanity would never have been able to multiply and improve our quality of life as we have. I don't deny that there are very serious problems in the world,

61 interview

62 interview

but humanity strives for a better life, and it is precisely our ability as humans to take the best life has to offer that allows us to do so. — But, how does this mechanism op-erate in the human mind? — Positive attitude has three bases. The first is looking toward the future with hope. I am a firm believer in the evolu-tion of the human being -genetic and bi-ological certainly, but also social evolu-tion- based on the fact that every day we attempt to strengthen the qualities that help us not only to live, but to live bet-ter, and to eliminate other qualities that interfere with our happiness and ability to survive. And this hope is based on the reality of our progress in all aspects of our lives, as we look to the past. It wasn't all that long ago that a woman had to have eight children to ensure that 5 or 6 at most would survive -infant mortality was a fact of life. Education was also a privilege -only people who could afford it went to school. These advancements are a form of hope, based on evolution.

Second, is the hope that arises from your faith in your own potential. This is the hope that lets you say, "OK, I'm going to work toward a goal, and I'm going to reach it, not through some sort of evolution, but through the hard work I am going to put into achiev-ing what I want." This is hope based on the confidence we have in our own talents and in what we call an individ-ual's executive functions. It is a way of looking at the future and the past with understanding, accepting our failures and mistakes in such a way that the negative aspects of our past do not be-come a burden.

Positive attitude also plays a role in the present, in the midst of events that affect us deeply, when we realize that we are in control of overcoming what-ever adversity we face, that we enjoy

reasonable control over our day-to-day lives. It's about seeing the present, when negative circumstances arise, as a transitory state -like an illness- that is not going to last forever, and believ-ing that you are not solely responsible for the negative event, but that cir-cumstance also plays a role.— You tend to say that most people consider themselves happy most of the time. However, do we have differ-ent ways of showing our happiness? What about Spain in particular? — This individual and collective belief is not affected by culture, but the manifes-tation of this belief is. For example, here in the United States it is acceptable and even admirable to say that one is happy, that one is an optimist. If you say that you are pessimistic, even if you modify it with "realistic", during a work interview you will not get the job, because in this culture a positive outlook on life is cel-ebrated and engraved into the national psyche.

In Spain and other European coun-tries, Spaniards as individuals are just as positive. If you ask Spaniards to rate their satisfaction with life in general, with 0 being extremely pessimistic and 10 completely optimistic, they will generally respond with 7, 8, or even 9. The same thing happens in the Unit-ed States. This being the case, then why is it not generally talked about in Spain? People tend to complain, which is also OK, because complaining is a way to reduce the emotional intensity of something that concerns us. I feel that the influence of the 17th and 18th century philosophers, who believed that happiness does not exist and that optimism is for the ignorant, naïve, or simple-minded, continues to have a powerful influence on the collective mindset.

In Europe it seems that it is not ac-

ceptable to state outright that "I'm so happy", "I feel optimistic...". It is the exact opposite of the United States in this regard, but deep inside, individuals are, in general, optimistic and have the ability to get the best out of life, even in the most difficult times. And it is because of that strength, these defense mechanisms as we call them in psy-chiatry, that humanity is able to prog-ress. We still make love, children are still born, people dedicate themselves to the mater of making life better, and not only for themselves, because deep inside we all believe that the common good is the greatest goal, because it is the common good that sustains prog-ress and well-being.— In spite of what you're telling me, and I'm asking this because it ties into diplomatic work, do individuals have an unlimited capacity to adapt?— Statistics indicate that we will each experience at least two tragedies -seri-ous misfortunes- in our lifetimes. The life of a diplomat -and you have brought up a very interesting idea, adaptation- certainly requires adaptation, but some-times it requires one to deal with illness or death of a loved one from a distance. Thus, they have to overcome "normal" tragedies, but because they are far from their families, their countries, or their cultures, they may have a harder time dealing with these situations. Is this ca-pacity unlimited? In principle, no. We all have a limit to the amount of stress or suffering we are able to tolerate, but this limit is actually rather high, because of a mix of strength and flexibility. Here we use the word "resilience" to describe this combination of characteristics. We as human beings have the ability to take a psychological and physical beating without breaking down, and we can, in time, recover and return to our original state. Think of yourself as a rubber ball

63 interview

or a spring: you can stretch and give or stand strong in order to overcome ad-versity or stressful situations. However, while this capacity is very common and all of us have been endowed with it, un-fortunately it is not unlimited. It also de-pends on one's personality, and in part on our genes.

It has also been shown that indi-viduals who maintain close interper-sonal relationships and become part of a group are able to overcome adversity and are better able to adapt than indi-viduals who remain isolated. We know that extroverted individuals, who tend to talk and get things off their chest, are also able to do this better than introverts, who prefer to keep their emotions to themselves. We also know that it is easier for people who have a wide range of sources of satisfaction in life to overcome adversity. A diplomat, like anyone else, who enjoys his or her work, but also enjoys his or her family, and say, a sport or a hobby, will be bet-ter able to overcome a tragedy in any one of these areas much better than one who places all of his or her hopes or focus on a single source of satisfac-tion.

As I said before, the belief that one has some control over what is happen-ing is also a key part of this ability to handle adverse events. I'll give you an example: the economic crisis. I am ob-viously not going to solve it, but if I be-lieve that I can do something to over-come the part of the crisis that affects me personally, that I can organize my life so as to minimize its impact, even if it involves a bit of fantasy, this belief will help me deal with the situation better than if I believe that, whatever I do, there is no solution at all or that the solution depends on luck or fate. — How do you interpret the 'Obama Phenomenon'? What qualities have

enabled him to give hope to millions of people throughout the world?— In difficult times, we all look for a leader. If we are in a building on fire and don't know how to get out, we will look for a person who knows the build-ing and can tell us where the exit is. In any sort of crisis, we need someone with whom we can connect emotionally and in whom we can trust. The idea that we can follow someone's directions helps save lives during natural disasters, and in general, helps keep us safe. This is true even when there is no crisis. We all benefit from leaders, whether they serve as spiritual or professional guides.

In Obama's case, a series of factors, all very positive, came together, in ad-dition to the historical milestone that the election of an African-American president in this country represents; however, that historical milestone would have come sooner or later, just as sooner or later a woman president will be elected. But the other funda-mental aspect is the fact that he was able to instill confidence and connect emotionally with the people. And this is extremely important, both in gen-eral, and especially in times of crisis. He himself, his personality, his char-acter, his manner of expression, and his friendliness have captured the confidence of a very large number of people. — As a health professional, what do you think of his proposal to reform the health system? Do you think it's viable? — In this country there are no revolu-tions -here change is always progres-sive. It is easy to think that ideally we should have universal health cover-age, as in Europe, but for that to hap-pen overnight is an impossibility. In this country, the health-care structure and also the structures supporting it

For the time being, I don't believe switching to universal health coverage in the United States is possible

Diversity is the best source of creativity.

Unlike those who returned from Vietnam, the soldiers who come home from Iraq will find warmth and support from the people

A social group might be gathered in a church or a stadium, but can also be on Facebook

64 interview

PROfiLeLuis Rojas Marcos was born in Seville in 1943. As a child he was restless, curious, mischievous, and easily dis-tracted. Born with a natural talent for music, he learned piano and guitar at a very early age and later took up the drums.

He has had a strong passion for medicine since his youth. In 1968, at the age of 24 and recently graduated with a degree in Medicine from the University of Seville, he emigrated to New York where he has lived ever since, dedicating his efforts to medicine, psychiatry, and public health. He was awarded Doctorate Degrees in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bilbao and in Medical Science by the State University of New York; he specialized in Psy-chiatry at Bellevue Hospital and New York University.

In 1972 he was awarded a three-year grant from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health to investigate the effects of the language barrier on immigrants with mental illnesses who had difficulty expressing themselves in English. His pioneering studies were published in the most pres-tigious scientific journals in the United States. In 1981 he was named Director of Psychiatric Services for the New York public hospital network.

In 1992 he was designated as head of municipal mental health, alcoholism, and drug addiction services. His work in this capacity is distinguished by his efforts

to create and fund the first mental health programs specifically oriented toward the Latin American, Chinese, Russian, and Caribbean im-migrant populations in the city. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani selected him in 1995 to act as Executive President of the New York Public Hospitals and Health System. This po-sition included oversight of the city's 16 municipal hospi-tals and outpatient clinic net-work. The System has a staff of over 40,000 employees and an annual budget of 5 billion dollars. During the six years he served as president -the longest in history- quality of service reached unprecedented levels, and for the first time the system closed its fiscal years with a surplus, thus making state subsidies unnecessary. As head of the New York public hospitals and a member of the city's Emergency Control Council, Rojas Marcos expe-rienced firsthand the events of September 11. He later wrote about his personal ex-periences in his book: “Más allá del 11 de septiembre: La superación del trauma” (Beyond September 11: Overcoming the Trauma).

Currently, Rojas Marcos is a Professor of Psychiatry at New York University and author of many opinion articles and several books, including “La ciudad y sus desafíos” (The City and its Challenges), “La pareja rota” (The Broken Couple), “Las semillas de la violencia” (The Seeds of Violence), and “La fuerza del optimismo” (The Strength of Optimism). He is the father of four children, and is a music and jogging enthusiast.

65 interview

-the value of health care and health it-self- make it impossible to believe that universal coverage can come about, because the changes that would have to be made are monumental. Here, from day one, medicine has never been considered a basic right, but has been placed as a supply and demand-based service; this is why doctors can charge what they do -whatever the patient is willing to pay.

On the one hand there are the physicians, and on the other the re-searchers -80% of all medical research performed in the world is performed here- and the costs add up. Then there is the pharmaceutical industry, which also charges whatever it can -the sky's the limit. And then there are the pri-vate insurance companies.

Here, for the time being, there are two public insurance options: Medic-aid, for the poor, and Medicare, for in-dividuals over 65; in addition, federal law requires hospitals to provide care to any person who comes to an emer-gency room. But the reality is that, in spite of the fact that over 16% of the GDP is spent on health care, most of this money goes to private care. That is why switching to a universal cover-age option is inconceivable. The step that will be taken by President Obama is incremental and progressive. He will probably be able to create a public insurance option that will form part of the spectrum of private insurance op-tions, and people will be able to choose. Just like we have 11 public hospitals in New York City and 50 some-odd essentially private but not-for-profit hospitals who compete among them-selves, I think he will be able to create a public insurance similar to Medicare, which is already available for individu-als over 65, and it is very probable that

he will use the same infrastructure -paid by the Federal Government- to extend it to other age groups and other populations. But I don't believe it will be possible to eliminate competition altogether, or the idea that everyone will have insurance. This will happen in the future, but not right now. — On a different note, how closely do you feel international relations de-pend on the interpersonal relation-ships between the leaders of those nations?— The quality of the personal relation-ships between leaders has a tremendous influence on relations between their countries, as well as on their policies and decisions. The reason is that per-sonal relationships determine the qual-ity of communication and trust between them: two key components to relations of any sort. Furthermore, we tend to be more understanding, tolerant, and generous with people we like. This is in part because we see positive elements of our own personality reflected in that person, and that leads to amiability and good feelings. If there is bad chemistry, discussion loses its effectiveness, as it becomes laced with mistrust and suspi-cion. — You have dedicated a lot of time to immigration matters. In your opin-ion, what is the best formula for pro-moting diversity? — Practicing it. People have a natural apprehension toward things, situations, or people that are unfamiliar or differ-ent from ourselves; it happens with both children and adults. A slightly defensive attitude toward individuals we don't know, don't understand, or who don't act as we do is completely normal; discrimi-nation or racism, on the other hand, is a generalization in which a group of peo-ple is considered inferior and dehuman-

ized. There is a vast difference between the two, but in the beginning, we all ex-perience a certain hesitation or fear of unfamiliar things.

Diversity, at all levels, is a key in-gredient to human survival at the bio-logical level. There are reasons that genetically related individuals are discouraged from having children, because diversity will compensate for any genetic problems. If the genes are very similar and carry the same ill-ness, the possibility that the child will have that illness is much greater. The same thing happens in the psychologi-cal and social realm. Diversity creates richness and without a doubt becomes a source of energy and creativity. What can we do to prevent the rejection of diversity? Based on my experience, we need to practice it. The places with the least fear of human diversity are the places where many different types of people live and interact on a daily ba-sis. In the military, for example, inter-action is even closer, especially during difficult times and situations where survival depends on teamwork and ca-maraderie. — Speaking of the military, what are your thoughts regarding the thou-sands of American soldiers who must return to the United States after fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan? What sorts of disorders or effects could arise from these experiences and how could they potentially affect the soci-ety to which these soldiers return?— There is a vast difference between these soldiers and those who fought in the Vietnam war. Because Vietnam was considered a horrible, illegal war, those soldiers, in addition to the trau-matic baggage they carried simply from living in combat situations, came home to an unwelcoming, unsupport-

66 interview

ive society. It is a situation similar to a woman who has been raped and whose family, rather than trying to under-stand the trauma she feels, thinks she is partly at fault. When the victim of a such a situation does not receive sup-port or understanding from their close social group, or when their trauma is not legitimized, that person will have great difficulties in overcoming that trauma. Today, that element no longer exists. The soldiers that return home from Iraq and Afghanistan will be im-mediately surrounded by the warmth and support of the people, and we cer-tainly hope that will be the case. Now, this will not prevent many of them from returning home traumatized; this is a fact we are aware of and that has been quantified by numerous studies. The combat experience is traumatic for most people, especially if they live through harrowing situations involv-ing death, severe injury, or fear. Per-ceived threats to their physical or emo-tional safety will cause stress, anxiety, and make them irritable and fearful, which will have a profound effect on their intimate relationships and their occupations; some may even fall into depression. In fact, this is the origin of what we know today as post-traumatic stress. The difficulty they experience in overcoming these effects will de-pend on their personalities, their sup-port systems, how vulnerable they are, and the resources made available to them by society and the medical and psychological communities. — How do you feel social networks such as Facebook are changing our relations?— Overall, I feel that all advancements that facilitate communication between people is positive. There will always be some who take advantage of opportu-

nities and advancements for criminal purposes, but that is a minority. Some-times we criticize advancements such as the Internet, based on specific cases such as children glued to the computer, but it is important to separate the ex-ceptional cases from the norm, which is that this medium and its implications are very positive, because anything that allows us to connect with our fel-low human beings and have access to greater information is a good thing. A group of people can be physically lo-cated in a stadium or a church, but can also be connected by telephone or over the Internet, which is absolutely mar-velous. Very few people, for example, criticize the telephone; rather, it has become a necessity! To call it useful is an understatement--we use the phone

all day to connect with the people we need and love. At the times when we feel most vulnerable, we reach for the phone. A few years ago, there was a small airplane crash in Manhattan. I was just getting off work, and I couldn't see anything from there; however on my way home I did see that everyone making their way along the street was talking on a cell phone; I also saw two buses completely filled with people and every one of them was talking on the phone. It was something that really made an impression on me and got me thinking. In a moment of uncertainty, and in light of recent events, we pick up the telephone to speak to the people we love, to hear from them and to make sure that our loved ones are OK. Every message recorded during the events of September 11 were loving goodbyes filled with statements such as "I love you" and "be happy", from people who knew they were about to die. — It is said that September 11 marks a transcendental before and after. What was your experience? — I believe that September 11, based on what happened after, did mark a before and an after: two wars were started, the country was gripped by a palpable fear, a fear due in part to the events of that day, but also in my opinion, a fear pro-moted by certain leaders; because when people are afraid, they tend to give in to pressures and limitations to freedom that they would otherwise reject out-right. Here there is little doubt that sig-nificant changes in day-to-day life have occurred, from having to pass through detectors to being stopped at every turn by authorities like the police. There was a significant change, although over time people are still the same and in the end it all works out, but yes, here there was a definite before and after.

The quality of personal relationships between leaders has a tremendous influence on relations between their countries, as well as their policies and decisions

An individual's capacity to adapt is a combination of strength and flexibility

Obama has been able to connect emotionally with the people and inspire confidence in the middle of an enormous crisis. That is the profile of a leader.

GOBIERNO DE ESPAÑA

MINISTERIO DE ASUNTOS EXTERIORES Y DE COOPERACIÓN

www.maec.es

RecueRda que en el extRanjeRo

tu embajada puede ayudaRtePara 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 187 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.

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