Barcelona District Set to Trial Universal Income Scheme Worth €13 million

Barcelona District Set to Trial Universal Income Scheme Worth €13 million

People remain divided on the issue of a universal basic income. Many people feel that the idea is impractical. Switzerland recently held a referendum on introducing universal basic income – which would see every adult in the country receive money from the government each month – but the plan was rejected.

The idea lives on however, as one of the poorer regions of Barcelona is to begin a trial scheme where people on the brink of the bread line are given government grants.

The pilot scheme will roll out in the Besós district of the city. €13 million has been set aside for the scheme by the EU. The scheme will look into creative and innovative solutions to the problem of urban property. Barcelona is just one region trialling the new approach. Also getting involved are Helsinki in Finland and Utrecht in the Netherlands.

The grants are going to be available for two years, with the money going to some of the poorest people in Besós. The participants will be randomly chosen from 1,000 households with the lowest income for the district. These participants will be given between €400 and €525 per month.

There are four separate groups in all. The program officials are analysing the four groups living in the area to understand how they spend the money and how they can improve on the idea of providing funding to impoverished areas.

The people selected to participate in the program are also expected to participate in schemes looking to find long-term employment and will be expected to join social inclusion projects. The aim of the program is ascertaining what kind of difference can be made to people in low-income housing after their basic cost of living is taken care of for them.

Barcelona City Hall is looking to monitor the kind of impact the scheme will have after guaranteeing the right to housing for these people. The scheme is intended to revolutionise the current fight against urban poverty, taking it to new places.

It aims to see how poverty can be reduced by providing universal economic support alongside access to a range of services including housing, education, community participation, and working.

The ultimate aim is to create an efficient welfare state not just in Spain, but across the whole EU. The people behind the scheme deserve a round of applause for coming up with such an innovative method of reaching out to the poor people of Spain and finding new ways to understand them and their situation.

Spain to Introduce Universal Carrier Bag charge in 2018

Spain to Introduce Universal Carrier Bag charge in 2018

Spain is already used to supermarkets charging for

bags so this new levy is welcomed

For all the progressive values that Spain embodies – such as consistently voting for left-wing Prime Ministers, being among the first countries to legalise gay marriage, and opening its arms wide immigrants and expats the world over – the country has been less than progressive when it comes to environmental issues.

Even though Spain is one of the sunniest countries in Europe, its relationship with solar power has been complicated at best. There has also been a lack of political support and public awareness of recycling compared to much of Western Europe.

The Environment Ministry of Spain is ready to change all this though, and plans to start with the checkout. Environment Minister Isabel Garcia Tejerna announced that shops in Spain will no longer be allowed to hand out free plastic bags from the 1^st of January, 2018.

There will be a levy charged on plastic bags from that date, with some bags costing as much as 30 euro cents. Some Spanish supermarkets areal ready charging between 1 and 5 cents for small carrier bags, but there’s never been a national decree that every shop in the country should do so until now.

This kind of scheme was launched recently in the UK, complete with a little controversy and discomfort. Most people have accepted the change and see it as a success now though, with plastic bag usage falling 85% since October 2015. Brits have already adjusted and reformed their habits.

Other countries – including Germany and Denmark – have been charging for carrier bags for a long time now. Citizens in these countries almost always keep a “bag for life” handy to avoid paying the charge.

Spain might be somewhat late to getting in on the party, but the country is still within the time frame set by a directive from the European Union in 2015 compelling EU countries to reduce their waste and use of plastic. Charging levies isn’t necessarily instructed by the directive. Instead it gives countries until 2020 to bring plastic bag usage down to 90 bags per person. Studies into the matter showed that a carrier bag charge was the easiest and best method to encourage a change in behaviour.

Spain isn’t the worst offender in the EU when it comes to using plastic bags. Data shows some 87% of Spaniards head to the supermarket with their own shopping bags.

Even so, the country used just under 5 tonnes of plastic bags in 2014, which is around 158 million bags each year. This works out at around 133 carrier bags per person per year. Most of these bags weighed up to 29 micrograms, making them a little more stable than the carrier bags you’d find at a gift store or supermarket. These sturdy bags are the ones that will come with a 30 cent cost, with the price decreasing as the weight and sturdiness of the bag decreases.