IRAN has cut all crude oil exports to Spain as a pre-emptive measure against EU embargos – which Spain is not supporting. “Spain is badly hit because we used to import a lot of Iranian oil,” said a foreign ministry spokesman. The European ban, set to come into place on July 1, is an attempt [...]

THOUSANDS of British tourists could face far longer journeys to the sun under an EU proposal to replace short-haul flights with fast-track rail journeys. The EU plan would see European-wide flights phased out to cut carbon dioxide emissions from transport by 60 per cent over the next 40 years. The plans could have a dramatic [...]

PRINCE Charles has met Spanish business leaders to discuss the need to change to a low carbon economy. The meeting focussed on developing opportunities for green growth in Spain and the EU and involved representatives of some 20 Spanish and European companies. Charles listened to views on the challenges ahead as well as the potential [...]

THE EU is set to investigate Gibraltar’s plans to expand into the sea. In a further rift between the two neighbouring countries, the investigation follows a complaint from the town hall in Spanish border town La Linea. Last October, the town’s Mayor, Alejandro Sánchez, and Andalucía PP president Javier Arenas presented their complaint in Brussels. [...]

SPAIN is to be taken to court over its refusal to give expat pensioners free medicine. The European Commission is bringing the case to the European Court of Justice insisting that the country is discriminating against pensioners from northern Europe. Under EU law, pensioners residing here should be allowed to use their European Health Insurance [...]

THE EU is wading in to ban the barbaric practice of shark finning. By Amie Keeley The European Parliament is supporting a declaration to stop the process, that sees millions of sharks killed every year just for their fins. It comes after 50 per cent of MEPs signed a declaration for a ‘fins-attached’ policy, which [...]

RECENTLY on the verge of extinction, now red tuna could actually be making a comeback. Scientists have confirmed that a plan, put in place in 2006 to recuperate numbers, is starting to reap success. But they warn that strict limits must be maintained until at least 2013. This follows years of campaigning to save the [...]

THE EU has stepped in to investigate a controversial plan that would see one of Andalucía’s last virgin beaches destroyed by urban speculation. By Wendy Williams The European Commission is investigating whether to oppose the scheme to build a twin hotel complex at El Palmar, near Vejer de la Frontera. Over 50,000 signatures have so [...]

SPAIN is the world leader for the number of organ donations made each year according to a new report. By Wendy Williams The study, which will be released in early September, reveals that Spain has a rate of 34.4 donors per million inhabitants. This equated to more than 4000 transplants performed in 2009 with record [...]

ANDALUCIA’S wettest winter coupled with EU regulations have been blamed for this year’s poor strawberry harvest. Some 220,500 tonnes were collected in Huelva compared to 2009’s haul of 224,000 tonnes. Experts estimate that 10m kilos of strawberries – almost 30m euros worth – were destroyed during the torrential winter downpours. The EU was blamed for [...]

SPANISH environmental chiefs have confirmed that the country will break its EU-enforced traffic pollution limits.

SPAIN has received a massive slap on the wrist by the EU for causing decades of damage to the environment. The European Parliament is demanding a freeze of millions of euros of grants for its failure to get to grips with the destruction of its coasts and other protected spaces. MEPs have passed the report, [...]