March

Barcelona once again hosts the Mobile World Conress, Catalonia takes in Ukrainian refugees, rent and inflation soar and Barça women triumph

1. March saw the welcome return of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) to Barcelona. The world’s largest mobile technology fair aspired a return to normality after its cancellation in 2020 and a much diluted edition held in 2021 due to the health restrictions imposed because of the pandemic.

2. As Russia intensified its attack on Ukraine and laid siege to the capital Kiev, thousands of people began fleeing the country, which again declared its desire to join the European Union. In the first few weeks, more than 11,000 refugees arrived in Catalonia and applied for asylum.

3. The announcement that rents had gone up by some 23% in Catalonia over the past five years was soon followed by more bad news that inflation had risen to its highest since 1985. Many experts also warned problems with the supply of basic products and energy could raise inflation to double digits.

4. FC Barcelona’s womens team smashed all records by winning the league title with 24 victories from 24 games, including a 5-0 thrashing of Real Madrid to clinch the title. They also beat the world record attendance for a women’s game, with 91,553 spectators attending the Camp Nou staium.

March

Local environment issues

Local environment issues.

In addition to our initial coverage of the human tragedy beginning to unfold in Ukraine, our main feature this month focused on climate issues closer to home and the dangers of microplastics and how they are affecting our environment.