8 EWN 27 April - 3 May 2023
Warning of high temperatures SPAIN’S Health Ministry issued an advisory, after forecasts made by the State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, predicted exceptionally high temper‐ atures across the country, for this time of the year. In view of this warning, the Ministry of Health is‐ sued a series of recommen‐ dations for dealing with the heat. According to AEMET, temperatures during this week were predicted to reach up to 40ºC in some parts of the country. Some of the tips are: 1. Drinking water fre‐ quently.
2. Avoid drinks with caf‐ feine, alcohol, or sugar. 3. Pay special attention to the elderly, babies, and children. 4. Prioritise being in cool places. 5. Avoid practising sports between midday and 5pm. AEMET forecasts for the week state that “a very warm and dry air mass will enter over the Peninsula and the Balearic archipela‐ go”, as per a news source. As a result, Spain will ex‐ perience a rise in tempera‐ tures to record “values typi‐ cal of summer and exceptionally high for this time of year.”
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Sánchez to visit the White House SPANISH President Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to visit the US to meet President Joe Biden, according to an official statement by offi‐ cials on Wednesday, April 19. The announcement was made by White House press secretary Karine Jean‐Pierre, who said that Sánchez will be meeting Biden for talks on May 12. Jean‐Pierre said, “The
leaders will coordinate on is‐ sues including climate change and expanded coop‐ eration with Latin America and the Caribbean, as Spain prepares to take on the ro‐ tating presidency of the Council of the European Union,” as cited by a news agency. In a statement, she stated that “The two leaders will review our efforts as NATO allies and close partners to
Sanchez to visit Joe Biden at the White House.
strengthen our bilateral de‐ fence relationship, transat‐ lantic security, and econom‐ ic prosperity”. She also added, “They will
Charging ahead SPAIN has taken a major step towards reducing electronic waste and promoting sustainability in the technology industry by adapt‐ ing the EU’s universal charger law to fit its own regulations. On Friday, April 21, the country announced its adoption of the EU’s universal charger law, but with some unique regulations of its own. This move is set to revolutionise the way we charge our de‐ vices and could save consumers and retailers millions of euros. Customers will now have the option to choose whether they want a new charger to come with their electronic devices. This means that people who already have chargers compatible with their new devices can opt‐out of purchasing a new one, reducing unnecessary electronic waste. The law will also ensure that manu‐ facturers provide clear information on device charging capabilities. Spain’s adaptation of the EU regulations will help to promote the reuse of cables and chargers, reducing electronic waste and saving consumers approximately €26 million per year. Retailers and distributors are also set to benefit from an estimated increase of €48 million saved annually.
Royal reception Anna Ellis HIS Majesty, King Felipe VI received an audience of the Presidents and Directors of the European Chambers of Commerce in Spain at the Zarzuela Palace on Friday, April 21. The objective of the re‐ ception was to strengthen the ties between Spain and the European Chambers of Commerce in Spain, as well as to promote economic and business development in Spain.
The association that inte‐ grates the European Cham‐ bers of Commerce in Spain brings together 19 Cham‐ bers representing some 7,000 companies and aims to promote bilateral busi‐ ness relations between the countries represented, as well as economic growth. The European Chambers of Commerce in Spain play a fundamental role in promot‐ ing business growth and the expansion of trade relations in the European market.
During the reception, the representative of the Cham‐ bers, Carmen Sanz, stressed the importance of collabora‐ tion between different countries to promote eco‐ nomic and business devel‐ opment and highlighted how, in times of complex cir‐ cumstances such as the cur‐ rent ones, a collaboration between Spanish and Euro‐ pean companies is particu‐ larly relevant and that is pre‐ cisely what the European Chambers favour.
Prime business success Betty Henderson GLOBAL giant, Amazon registered record profits in Spain once again in 2022. The multinational retail corporation reported a whopping €6.4 billion in sales for 2022 in figures released on Friday, April 21. The figures represent an income increase of almost 7 per cent compared with last year. Amazon’s earnings include revenues from its physical marketplaces operating in Spain, as well other branches of the busi‐ ness including Amazon Web Services. The company credits its Spanish success to investments totalling €3.7 billion in the country, which includes the opening of two new logistics centres in Zaragoza and
discuss our unwavering sup‐ port for Ukraine and our ef‐ forts to impose costs on the Kremlin as Russia continues its brutal war of aggression.”
Girona. With 22,000 employees and over 40 facilities throughout Spain, Amazon is among the top 10 employers in the coun‐ try. However, the company isn’t without its critics, particularly as it announced some 9,000 layoffs globally, earlier this year which caused concern. Amazon later clarified that the layoffs are not exclusive to Spain, saying that it actually plans to expand its work‐ force to 25,000 employees in the country by 2025. Despite its immense success, Amazon said that its profit margins remain low due to the competitive market and increasing operating costs.
Spanish farmers AS well as low rainfall, Span‐ ish farmers are also strug‐ gling to protect crops from a ‘plague’ of rabbits starved of fresh grass. As well as deal‐ ing with the exceptionally dry winter, farmers in Cat‐ alonia are facing a second problem, a plague of rab‐ bits, who, starved of water, are beginning to destroy crops, especially wheat and barley, and eat the bark on vines and fruit trees. Local Alex Foix said: “A lot of factors have con‐ tributed to the rabbit popu‐ lation explosion: there was the pandemic when no one could hunt for two years; they’ve become immune to myxomatosis; and the female can produce seven or eight offspring every two months.” The local government has estimated that more than 250,000 rabbits need to be killed by September to con‐ tain the population. To aid in the effort to re‐ duce the numbers, the gov‐ ernment has permitted the use of aluminium phos‐ phate, which releases toxic phosphine gas when intro‐ duced into burrows.
