/06.03.15/.- FAES Foundation has published today the analysis ‘Fiscal Balances and Regional Funding’, in which the tenured lecturer of Public Finance, University of Oviedo, Santiago Álvarez García, addresses the need to separate clearly both issues and concludes that fiscal balances should not contaminate the reform process of the regional funding model.  

Fiscal balances measure the difference between taxes paid by taxpayers living in a given territory and the improvements arising from public spending on that same territory. Its calculation raises important methodological problems, since different criteria may be used when allocating tax revenues and government expenditure to each territory and, depending on the chosen approach, results may vary significantly.

/13.02.15/.- The FAES Foundation has celebrated the second edition of its ‘Economy Table’, on the subject of Greece and the future of the Euro, attended by the director of the Chair in International Finance System at the IE Business School, Fernando Fernández, and the Chief Economist of CEMEX, Manuel Balmaseda. Moderated by the director of Economy and Public Policy of FAES Foundation, Miguel Marín, they have exchanged views about the potential evolution of the negotiations between Greece and the Eurozone; the consequences for Spain and the monetary union of an eventual Greek euro exit, and the lessons that should be learned from the Greek crisis.

Who killed Joseba Pagazaurtundúa? Why? What for? We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, shall never forget. But there are many people in Spain with a short memory and a weak spirit. Joseba was murdered by the dark cohorts of those who now govern in Andoain, in San Sebastian and in so many other towns of the Basque Country. They killed him because of his untainted defence of Spain as a nation of free and equal citizens. They wanted to spread suffering across society in order to defeat democracy; in order to defeat a political order that Spaniards had thought necessary and together had made possible. This is the story. And this is how we will continue to tell it, against forgetfulness and against that form of political tacticism which is neither ethically justifiable nor electorally...

On Saturday January 29, Sergio Mattarella, judge of the Constitutional Court, was elected new President of the Italian Republic. Mattarella's election took place on the fourth ballot, with 665 votes in his favour, 160 more than the 505 he needed. Sergio Mattarella comes from a family with a long political tradition, always in the ranks of the Christian-Democrats (DC). His father, Bernardo, was MP and minister in the first government of Aldo Moro. His brother, Piersanti, President of the Region of Sicily, was killed by the Mafia in 1980. 

Esta edición de Papeles FAES recoge las ideas y conclusiones del curso “Nación, Estado y Constitución” del Campus 2005 de la fundación, celebrado entre el 8 y el 10 de julio. En este curso intervinieron Carmen Iglesias, catedrática de Historia de las Ideas Políticas; Alain Lancelot, ex miembro del Consejo Constitucional de Francia; Edurne Uriarte, catedrática de Ciencias Políticas; Ferran Gallego, profesor de Historia Contemporánea de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona; Manuel Jiménez de Parga, ex presidente del Tribunal Constitucional; Arcadi Espada, periodista; Jon Juaristi, escritor; Roberto Blanco, catedrático de Derecho Constitucional; César Alonso de los Ríos, periodista; Javier Corcuera, catedrático de Derecho Constitucional; Josep Piqué, ex ministro de Asuntos Exteriores; Emilio Lamo de Espinosa, catedrático de sociología y Alejandro Muñoz-Alonso, catedrático de opinión pública y portavoz del Grupo Popular en la Comisión de Defensa del Senado. El curso fue dirigido por Javier Zarzalejos. La edición de esta publicación ha corrido a cargo de Santos Villanueva.

El rechazo de los ciudadanos franceses y holandeses a los referendos de ratificación del Tratado de la Constitución Europea celebrados, respectivamente, el día 29 de mayo en Francia y el día 1 de junio en Holanda, está dirigido en primer término contra los Gobiernos de Chirac y de Balkenende, pero manifiestan también la profunda ansiedad de amplios sectores de la población de ambos países respecto a tres problemas de alcance general: la ampliación al Este, los efectos de la globalización en economías ?que como la francesa, mantienen niveles decrecientes de competitividad y productividad? y el fenómeno de la inmigración. Se ha desencadenado una crisis en la Unión Europea, que podría tener consecuencias no sólo respecto al Tratado Constitucional, sino también en relación a la unión monetaria y al peso de Europa en el escenario internacional.

Europe is in the throes of two simultaneous crises: on the one hand, it is suffering from a political crisis, a crisis of leadership, one that has led to constitutional failure; on the other, it is suffering from a loss of identity, a phenomenon that results in cultural relativism. Marcello Pera, Speaker of the Italian Senate and Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Pisa, delivered a conference entitled “Strength of Identity” during the course of the FAES Campus 2005, a paper which the FAES Foundation is now publishing. Also known as the co-author of the book Senza Radici (“Without Roots”) alongside Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Professor Pera urges European culture to proudly recall and reaffirm its origins and its universal democratic principles: freedom, equality and tolerance. In this respect, Europe must recognise the intrinsic value of a civilisation, Western civilisation, that has given the world so many universal ideas. “Europe must be aware of the moral superiority of a series of values that have prevailed over centuries and that have produced beneficial results wherever they have become established”.

Desde su inicio, la Unión Europea ha adoptado sus decisiones por consenso y respetando el equilibrio de los intereses de todos. Este afán se plasma en un sistema político-institucional sui generis en el que los Tratados atribuyen el poder legislativo, judicial y ejecutivo entre las diversas instituciones comunitarias. Dentro del entramado institucional comunitario, el Consejo desempeña un papel fundamental, puesto que es co-legislador y autoridad presupuestaria junto con el Parlamento Europeo. Además, el Consejo está llamado a ejercer un papel cada vez mayor en la definición de la política exterior de la Unión Europea y realiza una labor fundamental en la preparación de las reuniones del Consejo Europeo, verdadero vértice político de la Unión Europea. La forma en que el Consejo adopta sus decisiones está también diseñada para conseguir el consenso y mantener el equilibrio de poderes. Hasta ahora, el Consejo ha adoptado sus decisiones mediante el denominado sistema de voto ponderado.