BILBAO, Spain – Spain has the most ambitious national plan for renewables of any country in the EU surpassing the European Commission’s expectations, WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson told New Europe on 2 April in Bilbao. Spain has moved closer towards meeting its 2020 target. “In the first instance Spain installed last year 400 MW of new wind farm capacity. Crucially this year Spain is adding another 4 GW of new wind capacity to that – building the new wind farms that won the auctions that took place back in 2017,” Dickson said in an interview on the sidelines of the WindEurope conference and exhibition in Bilbao. “But let’s get beyond 2020 and look at 2030. Spain is now finalizing its National Energy and Climate Plan for 2030. And Spain has the most ambitious national plan of any country in Europe in terms of the volume of new renewables that it plans to build,” Dickson said, noting that Spain is setting a 2030 target that renewables should … [Read more...] about Spain surpasses EU renewable targets for 2030
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France, Spain and Belgium ‘ready for no-deal Brexit next week’
France has won the support of Spain and Belgium after signalling its readiness for a no-deal Brexit on 12 April if there are no significant new British proposals, according to a note of an EU27 meeting seen by the Guardian. The diplomatic cable reveals that the French ambassador secured the support of Spanish and Belgian colleagues in arguing that there should only be, at most, a short article 50 extension to avoid an instant financial crisis, saying: “We could probably extend for a couple of weeks to prepare ourselves in the markets.” The chances of Theresa May’s proposal of an extension to 30 June succeeding appeared slim as France’s position in the private diplomatic meeting was echoed by an official statement reiterating its opposition to any further Brexit delay without a clear British plan. May wrote to the president of the European council, Donald Tusk, on Friday to ask for the delay until 30 June while she battles to win cross-party agreement on a way … [Read more...] about France, Spain and Belgium ‘ready for no-deal Brexit next week’
Holidaymakers passengers face ‘indefinite’ Easter strike chaos at airports in Spain
AIR PASSENGERS in Spain are facing the threat of massive Easter holiday flight disruption if a strike called by unions in Spain goes ahead.All 46 Aena airports and heliports would be affected by the union action – including those that serve to key holiday destinations of the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Balearic and Canary Islands.The USE and UGT unions, that represent around 60,000 ground handling staff, have called for a walkout by workers from April 20 – for an indefinite period – if their pay and rights of workers demands are not met. A strike by this group of workers would likely cause long queues and delays to flights which could lead to a large number of cancellations.The peak Easter week is expected to see around five million passengers travelling and 32,500 flights scheduled to operate across the Aena-managed airports.It is the third time in less than a year that unions a strike and the first one, at the end of July 2018, was averted by negotiations.The full … [Read more...] about Holidaymakers passengers face ‘indefinite’ Easter strike chaos at airports in Spain
‘LIES’: Spain’s Prime Minister Sanchez compares pro-Brexit and Catalan independence campaigners
SPANISH prime minister Pedro Sanchez has likened the arguments used by pro-Brexit campaigners to those used by people in favour of Catalan independence, saying both were based on ‘lies’.Sanchez told British, French, Germany and Italian media in a joint-interview that the two causes used similar techniques to persuade others.“They say ‘Europe’s stealing from us!’ or ‘Spain is stealing from us!’ or ‘If we had more economic resources’. “At the end of the day I think that engaging in campaigns or political projects based on lies eventually leads societies down a blind alley and that’s really hard to manage,” Sanchez said.The prime minister said Europe needed reform and that perhaps British voters should have been asked if they wanted to remain in a better EU in 2016.He added the Withdrawal Agreement drawn up by London and Brussels was the only viable deal and called on parliament to back it.“The British … [Read more...] about ‘LIES’: Spain’s Prime Minister Sanchez compares pro-Brexit and Catalan independence campaigners
Euthanasia debate reignites in Spain after man arrested for helping his wife die
The debate over the right to euthanasia has been reignited in Spain after a man was arrested on Thursday for helping his terminally ill wife bring an end to her life. On Wednesday, Ángel Hernández, aged 70, confessed to giving his partner, María José Carrasco, 61, a lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital, and spent a night in a prison cell at a police station in Madrid. He gave his statement to a court the following day and has since been released. Just before her death, the couple filmed a video to prove that it was Carrasco who had decided to end her life. The 61-year-old had spent the last three decades fighting multiple sclerosis and had reached the terminal stage of the illness. In the video, Hernández asks his wife: “Do you still want to kill yourself?” She nods and replies: “Yes,” adding: “The sooner the better.” Hernández then passes Carrasco, who had lost the movement in her hands, a cup of water and a straw to see … [Read more...] about Euthanasia debate reignites in Spain after man arrested for helping his wife die