In times of national angst, such as that caused by the struggle for independence in Catalonia, the most serious crisis in Spain since the attempted coup in 1981 and which turned violent when people tried to vote in last Sunday’s unconstitutional referendum, it is easy to become despondent and fall prey to the false belief that everything is going wrong in the country.
https://blog.realinstitutoelcano.org/en/not-everything-has-gone-badly-in-spain/

North-Korean diplomat expelled.
Government ramps up pressure against illegal Catalan independence referendum.
UN refugee agency says Spain lacks the capacity to handle migration crisis.
Growth to be upgraded, underpinned by stronger consumption and exports.
Ferrovial enters US airport market.

http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/wcm/connect/6cbd6be2-e008-4bd6-8bf7-34b0ea3e1bda/142_InsideSpain_ElcanoNewsletter.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=6cbd6be2-e008-4bd6-8bf7-34b0ea3e1bda

The economy has recovered from a deep crisis and is growing at more than 3% for the third year running, but the unemployment rate remains stubbornly high at 17.2%, though well down on the peak of 27.1% in 2013.
http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/rielcano_en/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/elcano/elcano_in/zonas_in/ari70-2017-chislett-conundrum-spain-recovering-economy-high-unemployment

Spain’s tourism industry, a cornerstone of the economy, will set yet another record this year, with the number of tourists forecast at 84 million, but it is beginning to become a victim of its own success.

https://blog.realinstitutoelcano.org/en/tensions-in-spain-vital-tourism-industry/

King Felipe in state visit to UK calls for new ‘arrangements’ over Gibraltar.
Catalan push for independence moves towards showdown with central government.
Population rises for first time since 2011 due to migration.
Parliament ratifies EU-Canada free-trade deal after Socialists abstain.
State-controlled lender Bankia takes over BMN.

http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/wcm/connect/2997d5b3-6f1a-4b01-a618-c61c77f7f267/141_InsideSpain_ElcanoNewsletter.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=2997d5b3-6f1a-4b01-a618-c61c77f7f267

Almost 500 years since Juan Sebastián Elcano completed the first circumnavigation of the world and a vast empire subsequently came into being, Spain has re-built a substantial but very different global presence.
http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/wcm/connect/57d01e71-349f-413d-8c6e-cd0f3863d534/WP8-2017-Chislett-Global-Spain-economic-military-soft-power.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&cacheid=1498814484125

Almost 500 years since Juan Sebastián Elcano completed the first circumnavigation of the world and a vast empire was created, Spain has re-built a substantial but very different global presence.
http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/rielcano_en/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/elcano/elcano_in/zonas_in/wp8-2017-chislett-global-spain-economic-military-soft-power

Spain holds firm in Elcano Global Presence Index.
Catalonia sets October date for illegal referendum.
Socialist Pedro Sánchez returns from the wilderness to win back the party’s leadership.
‘Failing’ Banco Popular sold to Santander for €1.
Tubacex wins €550 million oil pipeline contract with Iran.

http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/wcm/connect/c5e708f9-62cd-461a-bb57-55ce536956bd/140_InsideSpain_ElcanoNewsletter.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=c5e708f9-62cd-461a-bb57-55ce536956bd

Only now is Spain recovering its pre-crisis (2008) GDP level. Its Great Recession took a heavy toll, particularly in terms of unemployment, but one area – internationalisation– has hardly been affected. The 2016 Elcano Global Presence Index, which measures the results of internationalisation, ranks Spain 12th out of 100 countries with a score of 204.1. Spain has held this position since 2014 (between 1995 and 2013 it was in 11th place). The United States has the highest global presence followed by China.
http://www.blog.rielcano.org/en/global-spain/

Spain aims to use Brexit to change Gibraltar’s ‘unfair’ economic model.
Popular Party rocked by yet more corruption scandals.
Government finally close to gaining support for 2017 budget.
Population slips for fifth consecutive year.
US Cordish resubmits mega casino and hotel project for Madrid.
http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/wcm/connect/cc33e6f7-1143-44dc-96be-1cb0b46b8de2/139_InsideSpain_ElcanoNewsletter.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=cc33e6f7-1143-44dc-96be-1cb0b46b8de2