Sánchez Proposes Six Debates Feijoo Wants Only One & more –8th June 2023

Buenos días from the Gothic Quarter! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 8th of June twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

After last week's election landslide by the People's Popular Party or PP, Pedro Sanchez, leader, and current president, challenged the PP to a series of six face-to-face debates, which, unsurprisingly, they rejected.

As part of his electoral campaign going into July's general elections, Sanchez wants to challenge the local and regional election results and organize one face-to-face debate with the PP per week.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the PP, rejected the idea on Monday the 6th, saying, "Spain doesn't need six debates; Sanchez does." In other countries, these types of debates are a part of the electoral campaign, so voters can determine each candidate's position before deciding; however, in Spain, there isn’t a hard or fast rule regarding whether these debates happen or not.

Presumably, to stop a media storm, Feijóo did, however, on Tuesday the 6th, reassure voters in an interview on the radio network Onda Cero that he would take part in one face-to-face debate, saying he's not afraid of debates; he just doesn't want to be forced.

Speaking of candidacy preparation as we advance to July's General Election, the current governing party, the PSOE, has released its list of prospective delegates.

Teresa Ribera, the third vice president and minister for Ecological Transition, will be Pedro Sanchez's number two on the PSOE list for Congress. Margarita Robles, Defense Minister, will be number four; other positions have yet to be confirmed. For a very short explanation, Spain utilizes a proportional representation system whereby political parties present lists of candidates for each constituency and position, and seats and positions are then allocated proportionally based on the parties' vote share.

Continuing with debates, there's a strawberry boycott going on, and people are weighing in.

For months, there have been talks between the central government and Junta de Andalucía about irrigation plans for the Doñana National Park. But, due to depleted water reserves because of light rainfall, the plans are at a standstill.

To add to this story, an online petition in Germany called for German supermarkets to stop selling Huelva strawberries because they believe they are being produced with "stolen water" from the depleted resources of Doñana National Park.

For context, Huevla produces around 90% of Spain's berry cultivation and exportation, including strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, due to the Andalusian climate, so it's big business, and a boycott against them could be hugely damaging.

To investigate this further, a delegation of nine deputies from the German Lower House arrived in Spain this week to investigate the claims.

In the midst of the boycott and droughts, a housing revolution is taking place, but could it be over before it even starts?

On Friday the 26th, the monumental new housing law came into force after years of hard work, but the fate of this law could hang in the balance should the PP win the snap election organized for the 23rd of July.

The housing law is years in the making, in response to a nineteen fifty-six decision by Franco’s housing minister that Spain should be encouraging people to own homes, not rent.

Recall back to two thousand and seven - two thousand and eight when a global financial crash affected the real estate market, causing evictions and pushing people toward the previously under-regulated rental market. This then pushed rent prices up almost 50% while wages only rose around 3% over the following decade. Leading us to today, where the rental market is unstable and expensive, which the new housing law is trying to shift.

Want to learn more about the housing law and what could happen? Link in show notes.

Speaking of housing, according to the news outlet The Local, a UK-based company Direct Line, which has Linea Directa in Spain, is set to launch Spain's first anti-squatting or "anti-okupa" home insurance, offering protection against squatters occupying empty homes across the peninsula, a situation we have regularly covered at Rorshok. According to the insurer, they got around sixteen thousand complaints of squatters in twenty twenty-two, around forty-five complaints a day, and the new insurance will slow down the process of returning homes to owners.

The Insurance will cover loss of income, accommodation for the owners, and damage and legal expenses, as the legal system of getting people out can be lengthy and hugely expensive. This new anti-occupation insurance will be formally launched on Monday, the 12th.

On the same topic, tenants on social media sites are expressing their frustrations as estate agencies develop inventive ways to bend the new housing laws.

According to the laws, since the 26th of May, it's illegal for agencies to charge the tenant for management expenses. Now it's up to landlords to pay; previously, this was a usual formality for renting through an agency. According to many, estate agents are either ignoring the laws completely or coming up with new names for the fees, like "tenant advisory services" and checks for tenants' economic solvency. Unfortunately, agencies often pressure tenants into paying because if they don't, someone else will.

If you get into this situation, the Madrid Tenants Union has said to accept and pay the fees, leave a record, request a VAT invoice, and take screenshots of the initial advertisement. Once you have all this, you can later claim the fees and report the agency.

Want to find out more? Link to the web page in Spanish in the show notes.

Moving on, the EU proposes charging Member States for refusing to welcome asylum seekers by proposing that they contribute in other ways to what they call "the common solidarity basket.”

The EU wants to establish this so-called "compulsory but flexible solidarity" basket, including logistical, technical, and economic support for migration control for countries inundated with migration, like Italy, Greece, and Spain, to which all member states will contribute too.

Responses are likely to be mixed. Apparently, Poland and Hungary are completely against everything; they don't want to accept asylum seekers, contribute to a financial pot, or provide helicopters, border surveillance, or uniforms.

As EU Member States try to rally together, a separate narrative unfolded this week when Kinahan, a Senior member of the Republic of Ireland organized crime group, found himself at the center of an international extradition saga.

The Kinahan Cartel is one of the world's most powerful and largest organized crime groups, established in the UK, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates

Liam Byrne, from Dublin, was detained while eating dinner with his family in Majorca on Sunday, the 4th, after the UK issued a firearms offense, and will be extradited to the UK.

Arresting a senior member marks an important development in international efforts to dismantle the group's operations.

Next, controversial migration, as the Ministry for Ecological Transitions project to reintroduce eagles to Spain in twenty twenty-one, has caused rifts in Cantabria and Asturias.

Back in twenty twenty-one, twenty-five Eagles were released, twenty-one of which are still flying along the coast and inland between Cantabria and Asturias. However, after tons of criticism from biologists and ecologists, who fervently deny the bird's legacy in the area and believe that it harms native species, the fate of the birds is up in the air two years after its implementation. The project of reintroduction of the species was called into question.

From soaring eagles to football maestros, Footballer Lionel Messi has been in the news after he announced he would be leaving Paris Saint Germain F.C this month.

After a lot of speculation and back-and-forths about his next steps, Messi officially announced on Tuesday the 7th that he would be signing next season's contract with Inter Miami, leaving Barça's supporters' dreams aside. In his statement, he expressed that he would have loved to return to Barcelona F.C., but they couldn't guarantee a place for him because of finances and restrictions. It will be the player's first time signing outside Europe.

Aaaand that's it for this week. You know every week we work hard to pick what the most important stuff is in Spain. What's talked about the most, what's big but flies under the radar. All the main stuff. Are we getting the mix right? Not a specific thing we have missed? what types of information do you want more or less of? Let us know at spain@rorshok.com

¡Hasta la próxima!