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INDEPENDENCE

Hardline separatist Torra appointed leader of Catalonia

Quim Torra, a newcomer to politics who has campaigned fiercely for Catalonia's independence, was appointed regional president Monday vowing to keep fighting for a break from Spain.

Published: 14 May 2018 16:49 CEST
Hardline separatist Torra appointed leader of Catalonia
The new elected Catalan regional president Quim Torra (C) is congratulated by members of his Junts per Catalonia. Photo: AFP

Torra's election by the regional parliament paves the way for a new government in Catalonia after months of political limbo.   

Analysts warn the road ahead will be rocky as he faces rifts within the separatist camp and Catalans remain deeply split over leaving Spain.   

Torra, handpicked as presidential candidate by deposed, exiled leader Carles Puigdemont, scraped through the parliamentary vote — 66 separatist lawmakers voted for him, 65 non-independence MPs against and four abstained.   

“We will build a Catalan republic,” he said after the vote, as lawmakers sang Catalonia's anthem “Els Segadors” (“The Reapers” in English).   

The 55-year-old father of three pledged to respect the result of an independence referendum, which was held on October 1 despite a court ban and marred by police violence.

Catalan separatist authorities said 90 percent of the 2.2 million people who cast their ballot in the referendum — out of 5.5 million eligible voters — opted to break from Spain.

Puigdemont's pick

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called for “understanding and harmony” but warned that he would not tolerate any breaking of the law and Spain's constitution.

The formation of a new government will automatically lift direct rule imposed by Madrid on October 27 after separatist lawmakers made a short-lived unilateral declaration of independence.

In a bid to end the biggest political crisis to hit Spain in decades, Rajoy called snap regional elections for December which separatist parties won as the secessionist movement in Catalonia showed no sign of dying down.   

But since then, the presidential candidates put forward by the separatist camp had all fallen flat as they were either in jail in Spain over their role in the secession bid or in self-exile.

Torra, who was elected to the Catalan parliament in December on Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia list, finally made it through as he has no legal woes.

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Yellow ribbons in support of jailed Catalan separatist leaders are displayed on seats at the Catalan parliament. Photo: AFP

Puigdemont, who was deposed by Madrid last October, was shown on Catalan television watching Torra's speech on a laptop from Germany where he awaits a court decision on whether to extradite him to Spain.

He faces jail on rebellion charges for last year's secession bid if he returns.

In an interview published Saturday by Italian daily La Stampa, Puigdemont said Torra, as his designated successor, “takes power in provisional conditions and he is aware of that. From October 27th, he will be able to call new elections”.

 

Ines Arrimadas, leader in Catalonia of the centrist, anti-independence Ciudadanos party, has branded Torra a mere “puppet” for Puigdemont.

Crisis not over

Torra tried — and failed — to be appointed on Saturday at an initial parliamentary vote that required an absolute majority.

During Monday's session, in which he only needed a simple majority, he outlined his new government's plans for education, health and employment.   


Mossos D'Esquadra officers (Catalan regional police) present arms as the new elected Catalan regional president Quim Torra (L) leaves the Catalan parliament after his election. Photo: AFP

On Saturday, he had focused entirely on independence.   

During that speech, he lambasted European institutions for their “unacceptable silence” over the Catalan crisis. 

He also said a “Republican council” would be created abroad in parallel, presided by Puigdemont, as well as an assembly composed of local officials.   

Torra has received strong criticism for some of his past articles and tweets.

He once described Spain as “a country that exports misery” or slammed those who do not defend the Catalan language and culture as “scavengers, vipers and hyenas.”

A tweet he posted in 2012 said: “Spaniards only know how to plunder.”   

He has since apologised.

Problems ahead

Torra faces divisions within the separatist camp, composed of the small, radical CUP party, the leftwing ERC party and the Together for Catalonia grouping, according to Antonio Barroso, deputy research director at Teneo Intelligence.

Barroso said the ERC wants a moderate approach to avoid a clampdown by Madrid and to play a longer independence game.   

“In contrast, Puigdemont's strategy is to continue using every opportunity… to continue challenging the Spanish authorities and keep the secessionist momentum alive.”

For Oriol Bartomeus, politics professor at Barcelona Autonomous University, the region risks having “a divided government — there could be fallout”.

   By Daniel Bosque / AFP

BEACHES

Why are Barcelona’s beaches disappearing?

Barcelona's much-loved beaches are losing between six and 10 metres of sand per year, but why is this happening?

Published: 16 June 2021 15:30 CEST
Why are Barcelona's beaches disappearing?
Barceloneta Beach. Photo: Pau BARRENA / AFP

Barcelona may be famed for its beaches and they may be one of its biggest tourist draws, but it hasn’t always been this way.

In fact, Barcelona didn’t used to have any beaches at all, just ports and seaside neighbourhoods. It wasn’t until 1992 when the city held the Olympic Games that these neighbourhoods were demolished and the beaches were created. 

What’s the problem?

Since 2017, the city’s beaches have been losing between six and 10 metres of width per year, according to a recent study by the Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB).

This beach erosion means that every year there is less and less sand for residents and tourists to lie on and enjoy. 

This is not a new problem however and has been going on much longer than four and half years. In 2016, the Barcelona City Council revealed that since 2010 Barceloneta Beach had lost over 15 metres in width, which is equivalent to 28 percent of its surface area.  

In another 2016 report, the regional authorities of Barcelona also showed that its beaches as a whole had lost 17 percent of their total amount of sand during the same time period, the same as five football pitches.

Why is it happening?

The study attributes this to the fact that there have been more storms than normal since 2017, which has prevented the natural recovery of the beaches.

Storm Gloria in January 2020 in particular caused significant damage to the beaches in the area and caused even more sand to be washed away.

In short, most of this is to do with climate change. 

The beaches that have been most affected and have lost the most amount of sand are those in the lower Maresme region and the towns of Masnou and Badalona.

Barcelona beaches being destroyed during a storm. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

What’s being done about it?

The Barcelona City Council has been continually adding a little sand to its beaches each year and moving it around from areas that have more to areas that have less.

Aitor Rumín, head of the beach management service of the Barcelona Consistory told El Pais last month that “the last major contribution of sand was made by the ministry in 2010. Since then we have only lost sand”.

“It’s survival, but we can’t do much more. The beaches lose 30 cubic meters of sand per year, especially in the southern parts of each of the beaches. The coastline is receding and we have beaches like Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant, where we can’t do anything to regain the sand,” he said.

Badalona Beach. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

While moving the sand around and adding a little each year may help to cover up the problem in the short term, it’s not really helping solve the problem and a long-term solution needs to be found.

The Área Metropolitana de Barcelona have been trying to stop the beach erosion with their Resilience Plan, which will ask for greater contributions of sand to try and balance out the current losses and divide the beaches up with breakwaters.

In the case of Badalona, it has been proposed that 13,200 cubic metres of sand be added to the beach each year, as well as to rethink the layout of the equipment located on the seafront. The construction of a breakwater on La Mora beach has also been proposed.

In Sant Adrià, the plan is to build another breakwater, as well as to remove the jetty in front of the old industrial areas. The council also hope to add a further 95,000 cubic metres of sand.

It is thought that similar plans may be carried out on Barcelona’s other beaches.

Is this a problem anywhere else in Spain?

Yes, beach erosion is a problem throughout Spain, as well as throughout the world, due to climate change.

Theocharis Plomaritis from the University of Cádiz who was one of the co-authors of the Nature Climate Change study published in March 2020, told El Periodico that by the end of the century the retreat of the beaches in Spain and Southern Europe could be 86 metres, if no measures are taken to contain climate change. 

According to the study, in the best case scenario – with measures to mitigate the effects of climate – the loss of sandy beaches in Spain would be 60 metres and 27 of these metres by 2050.

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