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The country now has 4.7 million jobless. In Andalusia, the region most affected, the unemployment rate exceeds 30%. Spanish unemployed line up at an employment office in Madrid.

This is a sad record that just defeated the Spanish economy. The number of unemployed in Spain has reached the end of March to 4.75 million people. This is the highest figure since the first release of these monthly statistics in 1996.

This figure of 4,750,867 job seekers also marks the eighth consecutive month of increase in the number of unemployed. And for good reason: without its economic engine, build, Spain is no longer able to create enough jobs. The short-term economic prospects are particularly bleak for this country that has returned to recession in the first quarter of 2012. After a low growth of 0.7% in 2011, the government anticipates a decline of 1.7% of GDP over the whole of 2012.  

Today, the Spanish unemployment rate is one of the highest in the OECD. According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), the rate was 22.85% of the workforce in late 2011. According to figures from the EU statistics office, Eurostat, which uses a different methodology, Spain posted an unemployment rate of 23.6% in février.En Andalusia, the region most affected country, the rate Unemployment exceeds 30% even.

The Spanish Government, these figures justify the ongoing reform of the labor market, even if it is painful. "It is necessary to recall the importance to have a framework of trust and flexibility for businesses, as one established by the labor reform," the Ministry of Employment in a statement.

But the public does not hear it that way. A sea of ​​people marched through the streets of Spain on March 29, after a general strike against the labor reform, in force since February. According to the unions, the reform will only exacerbate the scourge of unemployment, while the government itself provides for the destruction of 630,000 jobs in 2012 and unemployment at 24.3% at year end.

Labor reform is also involved along with the austerity plan intended to reduce the public deficit, which makes it even more unpopular. The government must reduce to 5.3% of GDP in the year-end deficit, after a slip up 8.51% in 2011, at great cost benefits. To do this, the government must present to Parliament a budget Tuesday of unprecedented stringency, providing 27.3 billion euros in savings.

The price per m2 of existing homes totaled at the end of January 8340 euros on average, 30 euros less than in October 2011. Prices in the Ile-de-France, for the same period were down 0.6%. This trend is not sustainable. Paris real estate. St. Pierre Semard, in the ninth.

Prices of existing homes fell slightly in Paris, in 8340 euros/m2 average for the period between November 2011 and January 2012 instead of 8370 euros/m2 previously announced Thursday night the Chamber of Notaries of Paris-Ile de France. There had been increasing since the second quarter 2009 (6020 euros/m2). The downward trend in prices began in late last year, is confirmed, indicate notaries in a statement.  

Moreover, the promise of sale entered recently, which presage the final price trends, highlight the value of apartments in the capital between 8100 and 8200 averaged euros/m2 end of May, confirming a trend slightly downward (-2 to -3.2%), after a sharp surge in prices which had led to an annual increase of 21.3% in late August 2011.

For the entire Ile-de-France, house prices in Ile-de-France, for the same period were down 0.6%. The largest decrease is observed in Seine-Saint-Denis (1.4%), while a decline of 0.3% in Paris proper.

The decrease in the number of transactions recorded for several months, was temporarily halted because of the reform leading to higher taxation of capital gains on property that, with effect from 1 February 2012, caused an influx of sales. Thus, from November 2011 to January 2012, 43,000 existing homes were sold, an increase of 6% over the same period 12 months earlier, and even 32% in central Paris.

After the records set last year, the Paris notaries had anticipated the end of February the prospect of a market downturn of the former in 2012 on the entire region, suggesting a decrease of 5 to 10% less a "new rebound of the financial crisis". But this break "will be sustainable only if new construction is accelerating sustainable in Ile-de-France for several years," had they warned. In the provinces, prices are expected to experience the same slope, according to forecasts by the INSEE.

Airbus officials, airlines and engine manufacturers in Europe have written to European political leaders urging them to resolve the dispute arose from the recent introduction of a carbon tax in the EU.

The signatories declared that reprisals from China and other countries opposed to the European level of taxation of carbon emissions (ETS) have serious consequences for the sector, has Airbus said in a statement.

According to Airbus, China has already suspended $ 12 billion of orders, which could lead to destruction according to the manufacturer of over 1,000 jobs internally and at least 1,000 extra in the chain not supply. 

The nine general managers who sign this letter to the Prime Ministers English, French, Spanish and German Chancellor expect that the list of cancellations of orders continues to grow .

The petitioners request the holding urgent talks at the European Council and with the states as the situation becomes intolerable for the aviation sector, we read in the news for Airbus.

"The aim must be to find a compromise solution and to stop these punitive measures before it is too late," say company executives quoted in the press release.

"We have always believed that only a global solution would be adequate to solve the problem of aviation emissions."

Business leaders call for opening negotiations with the states concerned in the Aviation Organisation Organization (ICAO)

. In addition to Airbus, the letter implies managers of British Airways and Iberia, the two components of International Airlines Group, ¨ Air Berlin, Air France, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Safran and MTU Aero

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Greece has avoided uncontrolled bankruptcy by obtaining the agreement of a substantial majority of its private creditors to restructure its massive debt, paving the way for a second loan installment of its donors. The agreement was welcomed Friday by all European leaders. Their reactions to images. Seventh

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The Tokyo Stock Exchange closed up 1.65% on Friday, supported by the success of the announced debt exchange in Greece and by encouraging statistics from China.

The Nikkei gained 160.78 points to 9,929.74 and the Topix broader, took 12.55 points (1.5%) to 848.71.

The Nikkei hit a session high at 10,007.62. This is the first time in seven months that exceeds the psychological threshold of 10,000.

Values, exporters have taken their game, Honda took 2.8%, Toyota +2.7% and 4.25% Sony.

The financial center of New York is on a diet. After reducing the 25% bonus in 2011, it should delete 4300 jobs this year. The New York Stock Exchange

Employees' bonuses on Wall Street fell by around 25% in 2011 compared to the previous year, according to an estimate released Monday by an independent agency in New York.

"We believe that the benefits of Wall Street totaled $ 10.5 billion in 2011, a level well below that of recent years, and that bonuses for the year fell 25%," says a news agency audit of the City of New York.

If compensation practices had changed since the 2008 crisis, with all or most bonus blocked for several years and their payment spread over time, generous bonuses had continued to be paid up to date on New York. Bank executives' bonuses on Wall Street in 2010 had even begun to rise.

The CEO of the investment bank Goldman Sachs Lloyd Blankfein saw his pay triple for example in 2010 to two million. The other four main executives of the bank had also received the same salary increase while the performance of Goldman Sachs had been poor in 2010 (including net income had declined 37% and the turnover was eroded).

Moreover, Wall Street is expected to lose many jobs in 2012, according to the agency. "We believe that Wall Street will eliminate 4,300 jobs this year and wages, including bonuses, decrease by 7.5%," added the independent organization funded by public funds. The paper explains these predictions by "the changing environment in the financial sector", the economic slowdown caused by "problems in the euro area" and "rising oil prices caused by tensions in the Middle East."

For these reasons, the Agency Audit of New York lowered its forecasts for job creation in all sectors: it table more than 22,000 jobs created in New York in 2012, against 38,800 estimated in December and 44,400 in 2013 (against 50,000).

To halve the number of addicted to cigarettes, a UMP deputy wants to get out the big guns. In his report he says that all packets must be the same, the price increase, the prohibited to smoke multiply … Do you think these measures are excessive or justified?

Price rises, tax revenues, reform of the status of tobacconists, banning smoking on beaches … UMP deputy Yves Bur presented Thursday at the Health Minister Xavier Bertrand is a report that smoking and the tobacco industry in all directions. "We start with an observation rather terrible" and "only a comprehensive approach can address," explains Yves Bur. Its proposals aim to halve the number of smokers, for less than 15% of the population smoked in 2025 against 30% today. "At that time, a motion will be hired and may be considered an output of tobacco," said the member, invested long in the fight against smoking.

The first report recommends the establishment of "an inter-ministerial structure specific to the fight against tobacco," "a single contact", appointed by the Prime Minister, along the lines of what has been done for road safety . The High Council of Public Health has made the same proposal last week. Having seen that "the tobacco industry is the only one not to pay for the damage it generates," Yves Bur proposes to introduce a tax on sales by manufacturers. The tobacco tax revenues are about 11 billion euros a year, he said, while the cost of tobacco-related diseases reached 18 billion, a co-pay 7 billion euros, " the equivalent of social security deficit for 2012 ".  

Regarding tobacconists, MP recommends reviewing their status to "not to tie their compensation to the volume of tobacco sales."

Tobacconists angry

The report explores Bur all fields can influence tobacco consumption downward. He recommends "fiscal policy review of tobacco products" and "set targets for increases effective price", a lever often cited by organizations that fight against tobacco. It calls for manufacturers to impose a "neutral standard package", unattractive, and introduce the "sale under the counter", that is to say not to display cigarette packets in newsagents. MP wants to strengthen the means to enforce existing prohibitions, including banning sales to minors, with operations "testing" and penalties "dissuasive" up to and including license revocation. "Banning smoking in front of children has become a rule," said MP: drive to the beach … To help smokers quit, the report recommends a free pick for people in ALD (long-term illness), pregnant women and CMU beneficiaries. Yves Bur also called for "banning links of interest" between the tobacco industry and state officials.

As we approach the presidential election, the member pointed out that the program he proposes "is part of the two five-year period". "It would really be in the spotlight of the presidential candidates to make clear that it will make the fight against tobacco presidential site in terms of health," he said.

"Very angry," the president of the National Confederation of tobacconists, Pascal Montredon, blasted "proposals cloth", seeing the opposite of "work more to earn more". For their part, cigarette makers have described the proposals Bur of "extreme measures", but not really new. They "are an excessive and unrealistic approach," ruled Imperial Tobacco.

And you?

Do you think the measures recommended by Yves Bur are justified? Are they sufficient or excessive?

How far should we go to roll back the number of smokers?

French consumer confidence is still very low, but gains a point in February, according to figures from INSEE. The morale of French households increased very slightly.

French consumer confidence has improved slightly in February. The indicator that measures it wins a point from January to climb to 82, a continued low level, INSEE announced Friday.

This is the second consecutive month of rise of this index, which had declined in December to its lowest level since December 2008, 80 points (against a long-term average of 100).

The French are less pessimistic because of a slight improvement in their moral outlook on their personal finances (2 points) and the overall standard of living in France (4 points).  

Households are also slightly less pessimistic about the evolution of unemployment (down one point in the index, 64) even though they "are almost as many as in January to anticipate an increase", said INSEE in a statement.

High labor costs does not rhyme with high unemployment and does not necessarily mean poor economic performance, according to a study by INSEE Wednesday in the time left and right clash violently on the "social VAT".

The Department of Labor will release the unemployment figures Friday of January. End of 2011, the number of unemployed people on French territory, all regions and categories, exceeded 4.5 million, its highest since 1999.

Across the Rhine, the unemployment rate last month was at its lowest level since reunification in 1990.

Labor costs in Germany was also one of the highest in Europe in some industries four years ago, an economic fact that has not prevented e to view the best export performance of the euro area and an unemployment rate among the lowest in the Old Continent. 

At two months of the first round of presidential elections, the government, which regularly cites Berlin as an example, has made the reduction of labor costs one of its priorities é ; ECONOMIC by deciding to reduce employer contributions in exchange for a higher rate of VAT, a measure criticized by unions and the opposition who fear a degradation of power purchase.

In a study entitled "Employment and Wages", especially on the evolution of the price of labor in Europe, INSEE found that the cost of labor in some sectors Manufacturers across the Rhine was the highest in the Old Continent. 

"This is particularly true in the automotive industry, where (in 2008, ie) it is 29% higher than that observed in France: 43.14 EUR (per hour) against 33 , 38 euros. "

Across the industry, labor costs were substantially similar in both countries, around 33 euros per hour on average, although it was higher Germany (33.37 euros) and France (33.16 euros).

REPORT OF FORCE?

However, the trend reversed in services where France four years ago recorded an hourly labor costs of 32.08 euros against 26.81 euros in Germany. 

Especially, unit labor costs as a whole rose a much stronger in France than in Germany between 2002 and 2012 (1.9% per year against 0.1%) and lower gains productivity (+0.8% against +1.2%), as calculated by the Credit Agricole, a cause for concern for Paris.

The budget minister Valérie Pécresse has reiterated Tuesday that lower labor costs in the name of "price competitiveness" French would create between 75,000 and 120,000 jobs, provided that businesses play the game and favor the recovery of productive investment to increase their margins.

Sweden, Denmark and Belgium are the three countries of the European Union where, in 2008, the labor cost was highest in the industry as in services. Portugal, Greece and Spain are where it was lowest.

Therefore, improving the "competitiveness" could have effects far less positive than expected if it would only cover costs without concern more widely in productivity, quality ;, innovation and training.

Secretary of State for Foreign Trade Pierre Lellouche logically touted the creation of social VAT in early February and found that France could balance its trade with by 2017, after showing a record trade deficit in 2011. 

In the hope of improving the productivity of French companies, the government gives one month to the social partners to agree a framework for agreements "majority" in companies on issues relating to working time, organization or overtime.

Nicolas Sarkozy stressed that such agreements would be binding on the law, which bury the de facto 35 hours. Without compromise, a bill would be tabled in Parliament at risk to engage the executive in a tense power struggle on the eve of presidential and parliamentary elections.

It is Sweden who wins, this year, the prize for most innovative countries in the European Union, according to the dashboard of innovation lately published by the European Commission. As for France, among others overtaken by the Nordic countries, Germany and the UK, she had to settle for 11th place. Even if all Member States have made progress in the race for innovation, they fail to bridge the gap between them that are world champions the United States, Japan and South Korea. Involved, the lack of R & D in the private sector. To compare the performance of the 27 EU countries, as many as 24 indicators have been explored, from the resources devoted to research, business involvement, through the introduction of new technology or economic effects innovation. In pictures, the ranking of EU countries involved in the innovation race. 1/14

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