In the News decision. It was quite possible that she might have been remanded in custody on March 23rd as a result of continuing investigations. The Spanish government have been incensed that Carles Puigdemont has been freely travelling to EU countries for propaganda reasons, and a new European arrest warrant for all the persons who have fled Spain was issued on March 23rd when he was in Helsinki. On Sunday, March 25th, the Spanish Secret Service and German police arrested him as he drove into Germany from Denmark on the way back. The German laws “against the state” have similarities to the Spanish ones, more so than Belgium. He was remanded in custody the next day whilst extradition procedures are under way.
New Albox Residents’ Association Residents of Albox now have a dedicated foreign residents association which is to be known as AVEA or Asociación de vecinos extranjeros de Albox. The association aims to promote good relations with other members of the community, to encourage integration into Spanish society and to provide suppor t, advice and most im por tantly representation for its members to the town hall on issues relating to living in Albox. According to its President, Claire Barrett, “The only requirement for joining is that you are registered on the Padrón (the official list of residents) in Albox. Membership is free and is as simple as filling out an application form which can be found on our blog: (https://alboxforeignresidentsassociation.blogsp ot.com.es/) or by emailing us on info.AVEA.Ass @gmail.com. Alternatively, a copy of the application form can be picked up from Girasol Health Food Shop, C/Malaga, Albox.” Claire Bennet states, “The more members we have the better! So please spread the word. Remember this is completely free and is for your benefit. We will keep members informed and up to date on all changes and achievements. We want your input and ideas so that we can make the best use of our time and work on projects that concern you no matter how big or small. This will decide our priorities and help to focus our attention on behalf of our members”. Local Councillor, Maura Hillen, welcomed the new association saying
“Residents Associations are an ideal way of establishing an effective means of communication between the town hall and the community. I wish them every success and they have my full support”.
More Germans The International Tourism Fair in Berlin that finished on March 11th is the largest of its kind apart from the London World Travel Market. This year there were exhibitors from 180 countries and 200,000 visitors came to the fair. Representatives from Andalucía had a 500m2 stand, including the road show ‘Costa de Almería’. In 2017, a total of 1.3 million German tourists came to Andalucía, which is 9% more than in 2016, and the 4.5 million overnight stays was also 9% more. German tourists stayed for an average of 11 nights, three times longer than other nationalities, and they spent an average of 70 Euros per day. From contacts made at the Berlin fair it is anticipated that as many as 1.5 million tourists will come to Andalucía in 2018. One German tour operator is organizing flights from Dusseldorf and Munich that will bring in a minimum of 7,000 additional tourists into Almería during 2018. The total numbers of German tourists worldwide are in third position behind China and the US. New Grants One of the main problems for persons below the age of 35 is being able to pay rent or a mortgage. The Spanish Government have approved plans from 2018 to 2021 to help this sector of the population with an estimated budget of 1.4 billion Euros. If the total income of a person or all the family members is less than 22,300 Euros per year, the government will make a grant of 50% of a monthly rental amount of up to 600 Euros. In certain circumstances, such as areas where renting is very costly, the grant will apply to a maximum rent of 900 Euros. These grants will be available for a period of three years, providing the claimant(s) lives in the property, and does not own another one. It will also apply to persons over the age of 65. The 22,300 Euros is three times the amount of income that is considered a basic level, known
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