“We are prepared for the worst-case scenario. Repsol is prepared to supply the Spanish economy with the products we produce. When I speak of the worst-case scenario, I refer to a worsening of the situation in Hormuz. I am not saying that will happen. It would be very positive to see a solution in the short term.” This is the warning issued this Thursday by Josu Jon Imaz during the conference with analysts to present the first-half results, in which the company’s profit soared due to rising oil prices and the increased volume of its reserves.

The Consell de Garanties Estatutàries de Catalunya has endorsed the proposed Chambers law, including the scheme of the silver seats, those seats reserved for the companies that contribute the most money to the entities. These had been the focus of controversy due to their reservation, which led in July to the Comuns and the CUP requesting an opinion from the Consell regarding this chapter and two others, focused on their representation and their role in vocational training (FP). The advisory body sees the entirety as compliant with the framework of the Statute and the Spanish Constitution. The law is being processed in the Parliament, which is inactive until the end of September.

The business sectors that pay their workers less than 27,500 euros per year, such as tourism, the meat industries, or home delivery services, “have impoverished” the whole Catalan society. This provocative idea is one of those that arise from the Fènix Report prepared by a group of seven Catalan economists who try to elucidate the reasons and consequences of low productivity.