SPAIN: Housing Solutions and Human Rights Violations & more – 23rd Apr 2026

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

First up this week, a housing solution. On Wednesday the 22nd, Spain approved a seven billion euro plan to address its worsening housing crisis, a key issue for President Pedro Sánchez ahead of twenty twenty-seven’s general election.

Despite economic growth, housing and rental costs have gone up in recent years, rising nearly 13% in twenty twenty-five compared to twenty twenty-four. Factors such as increased tourism, urban population growth, and immigration have intensified pressure on the already limited housing supply.

The plan aims to triple public housing investment over four years, with 40% of funds dedicated to expanding supply and 30% to renovating homes, including improving energy efficiency and developing housing in depopulated areas. The remaining funds will support subsidies, particularly for young renters and first-time buyers.

Elsewhere in politics. On Sunday, the 19th, Sánchez called on the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel, marking a sharp escalation in the national foreign policy stance.

Speaking at an election rally, Sánchez said the country is still a friend of Israel but opposes its government’s recent actions, particularly following intensified military activity in Lebanon.

Alongside other countries like Ireland and France, Sanchez has said Israel may be violating human rights clauses central to the agreement. However, EU members remain divided, with several nations opposing suspension. The agreement is economically significant, as the EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, with annual trade exceeding forty-five billion euros.

Next, immigration changes begin. On Monday the 20th, migrants across the country began queuing at immigration centers to apply for a new mass legalisation programme that could grant residency to hundreds of thousands of undocumented people.

The scheme offers a one-year, renewable residence and work permit to those who have lived in the country for at least five months and have no criminal record. Applications are open until the end of June at post offices, social security centres and online, but long queues and administrative delays have raised concerns about access.

The government estimates around 500,000 people could benefit, though some analysts suggest the figure may be closer to 800,000.

The initiative reflects Spain’s more open approach compared to other European countries, where migration policies are tightening.

In international news, on Saturday, the 18th, Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, rejected claims of a diplomatic crisis with the country, despite years of tension over Spain’s historical colonial conquest of Mexico.

Speaking at a summit in Barcelona, Sheinbaum stressed that relations were stable and highlighted the importance of recognising Indigenous heritage.

Tensions date back to twenty-nineteen, when former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador requested an apology from Spain for abuses during the 16th-century conquest, a request that went unanswered. Relations worsened when King Felipe VI wasn't invited to Sheinbaum’s twenty twenty-four inauguration.

Next up, on Monday the 20th, the central government said it would support and actively participate in a potential European Union plan to share jet fuel supplies, as Europe faces a growing risk of shortages.

Sara Aagesen, Energy Minister, indicated that joint fuel purchasing could help increase supply and lower prices across member states. The idea stems from disruptions linked to the war in Iran, which has affected shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for fuel imports.

The EU relies on the Gulf region for about 75% of its jet fuel, raising concerns among airlines about potential flight cancellations as early as late May. As it stands, the idea remains fully on the ground.

Over to the east, also on Monday the 20th, the CEU Cardenal Herrera University In Valencia admitted that it used cadavers with infectious diseases in medical training, despite internal protocols prohibiting such cases.

The most serious incident involved a body infected with Hepatitis C, which the university acknowledged should never have been accepted, calling it an error. Two other cadavers had Influenza A and COVID-19, though the university argued tests showed no active viral load at the time of use.

Experts, including the Spanish Anatomical Society, say using bodies with infections contradicts standard safety practices, even if not explicitly illegal. While embalming and time reduce infection risks, protocols generally exclude such cadavers.

This case has raised broader concerns, as regional authorities were unaware of the issue, and the university was recently fined after an inspection found unqualified staff handling cadavers, highlighting systemic procedural failures.

Let’s look to Space! On Monday, the 21st, Pangea Propulsion, a Barcelona and Toulouse-based aerospace company, secured two million euros from the Catalan government to expand its manufacturing and testing capabilities.

The company was founded in twenty-eighteen and shifted focus in twenty twenty-three from developing its own space launch vehicle to providing propulsion systems. Pangea currently develops propulsion technologies for European launch vehicles, aiding European agencies in getting to the stars sooner.

A bullfighting blunder next… On Monday the 20th, Morante de la Puebla, one of the country's most famous matadors, suffered a serious and highly unusual injury during a bullfight in Sevilla, south. The forty-six-year-old had successfully handled several bulls before the finale went wrong while performing at the Maestranza arena,

During the encounter, the bull gained an advantage near a ditch in the ring and charged as Puebla attempted to escape but was caught off guard and gored, with the horn causing a severe rectal injury. Puebla was rushed to hospital, where he underwent lengthy surgery to repair extensive internal damage.

While Puebla survived, he suffered severe injuries and his return to the sport now looks unlikely.

Next, to the North. On Tuesday the 21st, the central government declared and recognized San Cristóbal fort, also known as Fort Alfonso XII, a site of democratic memory, and its role as a prison during the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent dictatorship. Located near Pamplona in Northern Spain, the fortress once held over 4,000 prisoners, many detained for political reasons.

The designation aims to honour victims of repression and preserve historical truth. It highlights the fort’s most tragic history, as well as a mass escape attempt in May nineteen thirty-eight, when 795 inmates attempted to flee toward France. Most were captured or killed, with only three reaching safety. Many recaptured prisoners were later executed.

It's getting hot for our weather update! Temperatures in Spain are forecast to rise well above normal for late April, with cities like Madrid reaching around 30°C (86°F) and Sevilla hitting 34°C (93°F), up to 10°C (50°F) higher than average.

The warmer conditions are being driven by hot air moving in from North Africa due to an Atlantic low-pressure system. A Saharan dust plume is also expected to spread across the Iberian Peninsula and parts of France, potentially creating hazy skies and vivid orange or red sunsets.

Similar weather anomalies are affecting Brazil, where several states, including São Paulo, are expected to have scorching temperatures.

Red carpets are out for the Pope next. Telemadrid will spend just over 400,000 euros to outsource and enhance coverage of Pope Leo XIV’s June visit to Madrid, adding custom graphics, extra cameras, drones and technical crews. It says the scale exceeds its capacity and frames the expense as part of its public service role, coordinating with RTVE and other outlets. Opposition parties question the cost and transparency, warning the tailored coverage could double as promotion for regional leaders, including Isabel Díaz Ayuso and the city’s mayor.

And finally, a striking piece from news outlet El País by Luis R. Aizpeolea challenges how we measure the legacy of violence. It reveals that Spain has more people missing due to terrorism than Northern Ireland, yet many of those cases remain unresolved decades on.

But this isn’t about numbers. It’s about absence. Families still waiting, still searching, still asking questions no institution has fully answered. The article exposes not just gaps in investigation, but gaps in memory, where political transitions moved forward, leaving some stories behind.

By drawing this comparison, Aizpeolea quietly asks: What does justice look like when time passes, but truth doesn’t? And how long can a society carry unresolved loss before it becomes part of its identity?

For the full article, the link will be in the show notes.

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

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¡Hasta la próxima!