Spain and Catalonia Economy: Fisheries, Industry & Tourism

Fisheries and Aquaculture in Spain

This process has led to a drastic reduction of the working population, as well as reducing the number of exploitations. Regarding fisheries, even Spain remains one of the major world powers. This fishing activity faces important difficulties: on the one hand, the crisis of coastal fishing of an artisanal character, and a decrease in the number of licenses granted by the EU, leading to the development of aquaculture (to allow common fishing in Europe). The European Union is divided into states, but also gives great importance to regions, from which Community policies can be designed and implemented.

Regional Role: Catalunya and Euroregions

Catalunya, located in the Mediterranean arc, was quickly accepted by the Union because of its geographical situation, the productive structure, trade and its historical European vocation. Catalonia participates in the association Four Motors for Europe, which includes the four most dynamic regions of the Union. Catalonia is also part of the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, an association whose large cross-border region aims to create competitive capacity with the more developed regions of Europe. Catalonia was one of the creators of the Assembly of European Regions.

Industrial Activities and Challenges

Industrial activities: Despite the changes in Spain, Spanish industry is not able to reach the European average in competitiveness. The main factors explaining this situation are:

• 1. The high proportion of small companies with little capital;
• 2. The few major industrial groups of large size;
• 3. Insufficient technological renovation.

Spanish industry is at the tail of EU countries and the world in terms of investment in research and development. All this makes Spanish industries unable to compete abroad.

Major Industries and Industrial Centers

Major industries: food, beverages and tobacco; transport equipment; metallurgy and manufacturing of metal products; and chemicals.

Major centers of industrial production: Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao and Valencia.

Services, Tourism and Regional Imbalances

The services sector is the economic engine of Spain and the most important sector. This sector includes trade and tourism. Tourism is the activity that provides the highest profit margin. Most visited autonomous communities: Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and parts of Andalusia. Still, imbalances persist between different regions of the state despite improvements in recent decades.

European Union Objectives and Policies

Main objectives of the European Union: establishing a single market, promoting economic and social progress throughout the Union and reducing inequalities between regions.

Policies to achieve these objectives: Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): ensuring supply, increasing productivity, streamlining operations and stabilizing markets.