Sunday, 05 September 2010 07:19

By Martin Delfin.  Memo from Madrid

When the taxman comes, he may not give what many would consider enough fair warning. He will just slip into your bank account, take what he says is owed to him and let you figure out your next move. This is what has been taking place over the past few months as the Spanish Treasury clamps down on  those who owe the government money.

Sunday, 05 September 2010 07:19

By Martin Delfin, Memo from Madrid

For a long time, Spain has led the fight against terrorism across the continent. So it is always satisfying to see that the government of Madrid gets high praises from other countries such as the United States for its contribution in the global battle against criminal elements. Earlier this month, the US State Department released its annual Country Reports on Terrorism, which highlighted some of Spain’s major challenges and victories in dealing with such groups. The United States says that it is “seriously” concerned by the amount of terrorist activities and financial support for certain groups across Europe. While the survey surmised that progress has been made in cracking down on illegal and violent groups, it said that  efforts to combat the threat in Europe “were sometimes slowed by legal protections that made it difficult to take firm judicial action against suspected terrorists.” Among the reasons are the asylum laws that afford loopholes, lack of adequate legislation or standards that limit the use of classified information in holding terrorist suspects.

Spain, says the US government, is “an important transit, fundraising, and logistical base for terrorist organizations operating in Western Europe.” Nevertheless, terrorism laws are tough and crackdowns against ETA were more than successful last year when French authorities helped Spanish police deal some strong blows to the Basque terrorist organisation. “Joint operations with France resulted in, among other successes, the detention of ETA’s suspected military leader and its alleged political chief, who also reportedly served as the group’s communications chief. Each of these arrests – as well as numerous others – occurred in France with the participation of Spanish security forces,” the survey said. Last year, as of mid-December, security services had arrested 124 alleged ETA members and their associates, including 31 in France.

But one of the biggest issues for the US government has been the proliferation of Islamic fundamentalist groups in north Africa. Last year, the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group kidnapped three Barcelona aid workers in Mauritania and took them to Mali where two, that had been held since November 29th, were finally released on Monday. In March, AQIM had released the female captive. Until this week, there seemed not to have been any solution in sight. But the quiet negotations between the Spanish government and the captors through the mediation of a high government official from Guinea-Bissau proved successful.

Even though the US government recognises that many European nations are lacking in stronger prosecution laws, it says that Spain has begun to adopt the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism. The Cabinet has approved a series of legislative reforms in the nation’s counter-terrorism laws. “These reforms criminalized such offenses as inciting terrorism as well as recruiting, training, indoctrinating, or financing terrorists,” says the document. The proposal is still waiting parliamentary approval to become a binding law.

While the US government also recognised that Spain’s geographical location and large immigrant population from North Africa and South Asia has made it “ a strategic crossroads” for international terrorist organisations, it highlighted Madrid’s success in signing bilateral agreements with the United States to strengthen the fight against terrorism. One of these efforts came when Interior Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba travelled to Washington last year to signed an accord to exchange fingerprints and other data on known terrorists and criminals while protecting individual privacy. “The Spanish government maintained a robust law enforcement and intelligence posture against terrorist financing,” the report states.

Autumn preview

Summer is almost over and the government will be getting back to work on trying to put the Spanish house in order. Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has two high-profile fronts he will have to face. First, he must drum up support for his 2011 budget, which is due to be discussed in October. The Socialist’s main parliamentary partners, the Catalan nationalist CiU bloc, have threatened to vote against the budget if Zapatero does not take stronger actions to cure the economy. The prime minister could see his support dwindle in parliament if the budget isn’t passed. Another battle ground he will have to face, and one that seems to be more challenging to the prime minister, will be the internal primary set for October in the Madrid regional race. Zapatero is supporting his Health Minister Trinidad Jiménez while the secretary general of the Madrid Socialist Party Tomás Gómez has vowed to beat her. While the Socialists should be neutral in this internal primary, they are not. Two fronts, with the future of the Socialist government at stake, make the political offerings this autumn the most interesting.

Martin Delfin writes for the English language version of El Pais