Eurozone in need of TLC

Barcelona's view towards Harbour (Image: Daily Telegraph)

I've recently returned from a five-day stay in Barcelona, Spain. It was my first visit to one of the larger European Union economies since Italy in 2009 (ignoring my annual trips to Denmark in this as their economy is considerably smaller). Barcelona was a delight and I'm sure to return there at some point in the future. However sadly, I'm not going to write purely about my travel tips but about the politics and the current situation in Spain regarding this.

For those not in the loop, Spain's economic situation since the global financial crisis in 2008 has been dire. This has been somewhat overshadowed by Greece at present but it's important to highlight that the Spanish government have had headaches of their own. The past seven years has seen their unemployment rate rocket, young people in particular suffering hardship, harvesting is at breaking point with produce at all-time low. This unrest has equated to the public turning their backs on their once cherished royal family, and with the general election around the corner, whoever is chosen to govern the nation for years to come has a seriously large mountain to climb in order to please the public.

How has it all gone wrong in Spain? Barcelona boasts being among the most popular tourists destinations in Europe, as too is Ibiza, Madrid, Benidorm and at a push, Sevilla and Valencia. Us Brits in particular love the sun, food and for some, the art and culture. The country is rich on all these aspects, but surely there is so much investment tourism can contribute to? What about the money going into things that benefit the people who live in Spain, like education, supporting small businesses, and enhancing the national health service?

Students at University of Barcelona (Image: ub.edu)

In education for example, according to the World University Rankings on Times Higher Education, Pompeu Fabra University is ranked Spain's best place of study in higher education (146th) followed by University of Barcelona, Autonomous University of Barcelona and Autonomous University of Madrid which lie well out of the top 200. And if you want to compete against the likes of Harvard and Princeton in the United States, and Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, you'd want to attract the brightest young talent to excel on your shores in the sciences, humanities, and law. But with steep cuts to funding, course lengths reduced and course choices limited, there is little chance of significant success stories coming out of Spanish schools and Universities. In the long-term, that could cause further, unwanted damages to their economy.

With small businesses, from personal experience, I saw charming local shops and divine cafes silenced by a large number of gift shops that sell the same thing. Block-by-block, street-by-street, there are shops in Barcelona packed with fridge magnets, cheap jewellery, and stationery that features pictures of a flagship tourist attraction of the city. Sure this benefits tourists but most certainly not the locals who probably want to see a bit of variety on their high street.

In my experience in Barcelona, it does seem to be one thing that unites both the tourist and the locals, and that is their main football team, FC Barcelona. During one of the nights I was there, they were playing Bayern Munich at Camp Nou and honestly, the atmosphere was electric. The days previous were dead in comparison. I'm always in support of football's power to bring everyone together but again, we can't expect football teams like Barcelona (or Real Madrid) to run the Spanish economy, regardless of their sheer wealth and influence.

Spanish protesters in Madrid (Image: The Guardian)

I totally respect that the Eurozone crisis has hit the Spanish government badly and the mood has certainly hit the people too. It seems that the Council of Ministers have given up and the tourists are putting the country's head above water. They're in a sorry state and I feel they need to follow certain models like the US's who have boosted their economy like a treat without deep cuts which could please the anti-austerity Spanish public. But problems in the Eurozone is widespread. As mentioned earlier, Greece are in huge trouble and we also receive sporadic reports that Italy and France are on an up-and-down slope. Reports also show that out of the EU powerhouses, Britain and Germany are leading the way and with their focus on austerity, followed by a focus on education and small business, it shows that making cuts can work but if the Spanish public aren't adapting to that, then it's up to the elected government to act and put their people first rather than relying on others to bail them out.

Spain are operating under the same currency and rule (Brussels) as Germany so technically, their government have no excuses, but they need to adapt. The next four years from 20th December (the anticipated date of their general election. Some suggest it maybe as soon as 25th October) is absolutely vital for the country, whether Mariano Rajoy of the centre-right party, People's Party, remains Prime Minister or not. It will be fascinating to see if the mood changes in the country when I next visit there.