SPAIN: Aviation Changes & more – 23rd Jan 2025

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 23rd of January twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

Let’s begin this week with some aviation outrage. On Monday the 20th, budget airline Ryanair announced it would drop twelve flight routes to Spain, in protest against excessive airport charges by operator Aena. This might result in 800,000 fewer foreign visitors

The airline will also completely close its operations at Jerez and Valladolid airports and reduce its planned flights to Vigo, Zaragoza, Asturias, and Santander.

Ryanair accused Aena of having a monopoly on all airports in Spain and providing ineffective regional incentives for the airline to fly. Aena countered, calling the airline’s allegations false, noting Spain’s airport fees are some of Europe’s lowest and that Ryanair is doing this for commercial reasons, not airport fees.

Next up, artificial Intelligence commitments. Also on Monday, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez announced a 155 million euro subsidy program to promote AI, similar to other EU nations.

Spain hopes this initiative will support companies integrating AI into their businesses to drive digital transformation, improve efficiency, and boost innovation across industries such as health care, manufacturing, and finance.

The subsidies aim to maintain Spain’s global competitiveness and advance its AI capabilities. Sánchez emphasized that this investment is key to ensuring the country’s leadership in the digital space, especially as the European Union has earmarked significant funding for AI research and development.

This funding is part of Spain’s larger strategy to promote technological innovation and economic growth, and hopefully position the country as a leader in digital transformation.

While Sanchez's announcement bodes well for many businesses, there's a lot more talk about how many resources AI needs to run at full capacity, including water for cooling systems, a resource that Spain is rapidly running out of. In fact, according to the European Drought Conservatory, just last year, parts of the country, especially the southeast, were under persistent alert drought conditions.

And even though this year has only just started, BBC Earth reported on Friday the 17th that at the beginning of this month, most of Barcelona and the surrounding area were under a drought alert despite some heavy rain earlier in December. So, while AI talk might be positive on the one hand, there are questions about the water resources data centers use, especially as Spain doesn't have much of it in reserve.

Now for an update on Spain’s working week. A plan to reduce Spain’s workweek from forty to 37.5 hours has ignited serious tension within the government.

On Thursday the 16th, Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s Labor Minister, accused Carlos Cuerpo, the Economy Minister, of obstructing the proposal by excluding it from an economic council meeting.

President Pedro Sánchez pledged the reform in twenty twenty-three as part of a coalition deal with Díaz’s Sumar party. Talks with unions and employers began last year, but business groups walked out, warning of more than 20 billion dollars in annual costs.

Despite public support, regional allies like Junts and Basque Nationalist Party or PNV remain skeptical. For now, proposal discussions are set for the 27th.

Now to a huge announcement in Murcia, in south-eastern Spain. On Monday the 20th, the Superior Court of Justice of Murcia issued a groundbreaking ruling granting a single mother up to thirty-two weeks of maternity leave, the same as a two-parent household, doubling the standard sixteen weeks that is currently in place.

The decision follows a Constitutional Court ruling back in November twenty twenty-four, which deemed it discriminatory to deny equal parental leave to single-parent families as two-parent families. The court emphasized that all children, regardless of family structure, require equal care.

From Murcia to Málaga. On Saturday the 25th, several towns in the Málaga province, in Southern Spain, will join the 3rd Marcha de las Huías, a twelve-kilometer or seven-mile walk commemorating families who fled advancing troops during the Spanish Civil War in September nineteen thirty-six.

The march, supported by local memory associations and municipalities, will see participants retrace the paths taken by those escaping violence.

If you’re not familiar with Spanish Civil War history, George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia is a fantastic biography, outlining the author's outsider experiences during the Civil War. You can also check The Forging of a Rebel or La Forja de un Rebelde trilogy by Spanish author Arturo Bearea —which has been translated into English. The book features his upbringing in Madrid, and subsequent exile to France and the UK because of the Civil War.

A global study published on Monday the 20th has revealed that Spain leads Europe and ranks seventh worldwide in public trust in science.

The survey, conducted by TIPS, a Harvard-led consortium, involved over 70,000 participants across sixty-eight countries.

The findings show high confidence in scientists, with global scores averaging three out of five. In Spain, trust surpasses nations like the US, which ranked 12th, and the UK with 15th. Globally, trust is higher among women, older individuals, and those with higher education.

On to sports. On Friday, the 17th, the American National Football League or NFL announced that the Miami Dolphins will host their first-ever game in Spain, set to take place at Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium but the date hasn’t been confirmed yet.

Not only will the fixture be the Miami Dolphins' first game in Spain, but also the first NFL game ever in the country.

Brett Gosper, the NFL’s European president, highlighted this milestone as part of the league’s commitment to global growth. Tom Garfinkel, the Miami Dolphins CEO, praised the opportunity to expand American football in Spain, emphasizing strong ties between Miami and Madrid.

Ever wondered what names will be popular in the future? Well, In late twenty twenty-four, an AI system was developed to forecast baby naming trends in Spain for two thousand one hundred, so what were the results?

According to the AI, the most popular names will be short, international, and easy to spell, such as Leo, Kai, Mia, and Zoe.

The AI also predicted that technology and space will inspire names, giving rise to the likes of Neo, Orion, Nova, and Lyra. Unisex names, including Ari and Sam, will gain traction too. What do you think the most popular names will be where you’re from?

Let’s talk about a local hidden foodie gem. On Friday, the 17th, media publication El Confidencial put a spotlight on restaurant Carlos Mary in the Medinaceli town, Soria province, in central-eastern Spain, celebrating its reputation as the country’s top trucker stop.

This family-run restaurant, which was founded in nineteen sixty-six, continually draws praise for its fresh, locally sourced dishes at unbeatable prices.

Known for specialties like Soria’s torreznos, that is, fried pork belly, fried cochinillo, (suckling pig), and asadas judías (roasted green beans), Carlos Mary is open every day and unlike many other food spots, doesn’t close between lunch and dinner. So, if you’re ever around the area, you can head to the roadside restaurant and enjoy some local fare.

The article is in Spanish and you can check it out with the link in the show notes!

For a bit of culture, twenty twenty-five has kicked off quite well for the art world, with many art exhibitions, including several must-see shows across the country.

Until the 9th of February, the Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona, is showcasing its exhibition: Miró Matisse. Beyond the images, exploring connections between the two artists

Meanwhile, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, northern Spain, presents a retrospective of Hilma af Klint's groundbreaking abstract works, until the 2nd of February.

In Madrid, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum offers a display of German expressionist Gabriele Münter, running through until the 9th of February.

In case you didn’t know, there is some sort of festival in Spain at least once a month and this month is no different. The annual Almond Blossom Festival in Tejeda, Gran Canaria, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, will soon be celebrating the arrival of spring with a spectacular display of blooming white blossoms, drawing thousands to witness the island’s natural beauty and local traditions.

Vsitors are invited to explore the town, shop for crafts, and enjoy the blossoms. On the 2nd of February, known as Festival Sunday, Tejeda will be filled with local artisan and food stalls offering specialties like a boiled potatoes dish called papas arrugadas, fried sardines, and a Canarian desert dish called frangollo, which is made with millet flour, almonds, lemon zest and raisins.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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¡Hasta la próxima!