Post Brexit Travel
A European Parliament committee today is expected to propose Britons enjoy visa-free travel to Europe after Brexit, regardless of whether the bloc’s divorce with Britain goes smoothly or becomes a damaging, abrupt split.
The committee’s decision must then be endorsed by the full parliament next month, which is also likely
EU visa exemptions cover short trips of up to three months and currently some 60 countries in the world benefit from the system.
It is mostly designed for business and tourism and does not cover the right to work in the EU.
Parallel talks among EU states on letting Britons visit without visas following a no-deal Brexit were delayed last week after Spain raised objections over Gibraltar.
Airline Agreement
Ireland-based Ryanair said this morning that its cabin crew in Spain had voted in favour of a recognition agreement with unions.
Ryanair suffered a number of strikes last year by pilots and cabin crew, forcing it to cancel hundreds of flights across Europe, after the airline recognised unions for the first time in 2017.
The airline and the unions are working on a collective labour agreement which they both hope to conclude on or before April 30.
Unions representing the cabin crew in Spain had called off plans to strike Jan. 10 and Jan. 13 after reaching a preliminary agreement on contracts earlier this month.
Speed Limits
Spain officially lower the speed limit on secondary roads from 100kph to 90kph today
The Council of Ministers approved the measure earlier this month which is designed to cut the death toll from road accidents, .
Currently 66 per cent of road fatalities occur on secondary roads, about half of which are due due to excessive speed.
Spain joins other European countries that have or are in the process of lowering the speed limit on their secondary roads.
The lowering of the speed limit is part of the battery of measures of the DGT. Fines for not wearing seat belts will also be tightened, and the use of other vehicles such as bicycles and scooters will be regulated.
The Trafico roads department is planning to make the new limit effective by the end of this month. It is in the process of adapting existing signs using stickers, as was done when speed was temporarily reduced on motorways in 2011.
Unemployment
Spain’s unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in 10 years in the fourth quarter of last year as more jobs in agriculture and construction offset the tourist industry’s off-season so official figures released this morning show.
The unemployment rate slipped to 14.45 percent from 14.55 in the previous quarter as the total number of people out of work dropped by 21,700.
Spanish unemployment has fallen steadily from a high of nearly 27 percent in early 2013.
The workforce, or the total number of people in work or looking for work, rose by 103,800 in the fourth quarter.