SPAIN: Potential No-Confidence Vote & more – 3rd July 2025

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 3rd of July twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

Kicking things off this week, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the Partido Popular, is preparing to test support for a no-confidence vote against President Pedro Sánchez, the leader of the PSOE party.

On Monday the 30th, Santos Cerdán, Sánchez’s close ally, was arrested without bail while the police continue to investigate corruption allegations throughout the PSOE. Feijóo declared the situation unsustainable and tasked Miguel Tellado, a spokesperson for the People’s Party, with reaching out to Sánchez’s coalition partners and gaining their support for the no-confidence vote.

Sánchez’s government relies on a fragile coalition of PSOE, Sumar, and several separatist and nationalist parties.

Now for an update to a story from a previous show. On Thursday the 26th, US President Donald Trump criticized Spain’s decision to opt out of NATO’s new spending target, saying the country wanted a little bit of a free ride, and that it would “have to pay it back to us on trade” through higher tariffs.

Spain shocked the political world last week by opting out of NATO's defense spending target of 2% of GDP, citing domestic priorities and economic concerns.

Sanchez stated Spain is open to discussions with the US.

Sánchez is not the only one feeling the heat. A fossil-fuel induced climate change heatwave has gripped Europe this week, with Southern Spain in particular reaching record levels. Temperatures hit as high as 46°C (115°F) in El Granado, Southwest Spain, the region’s highest June temperature on record.

Authorities across the continent have issued red and amber heat warnings. A woman in Barcelona even passed away on Saturday the 28th after working outdoors in the heat, which has prompted an investigation.

High-pressure systems and dry air are driving temperatures even higher, with forecasts warning of more heatwaves to come.

One thing you don’t want in hot weather is a power outage, but for residents in Barcelona, that’s exactly what happened this week.

On the evening of Monday the 30th, around 5,000 residents in Barcelona and surrounding areas were left in darkness, without fans or air conditioning, during the intense heatwave.

Endesa, one of Spain’s big three energy companies, blamed the situation on multiple simultaneous failures, describing it as a perfect storm that forced them to reconfigure the grid. In some areas, supply was restored within minutes, while others faced longer delays due to difficult access for technicians.

The outage coincided with Barcelona’s hottest June day on record, a staggering almost 38°C (100°F), prompting widespread frustration on social media.

Let’s take a look at Moroccan oil imports. On Tuesday, the 1st, sources from news publication El País reported that Spain has sharply increased diesel imports from Morocco, raising suspicions that Russian fuel may be entering the country in violation of EU sanctions.

Between March and April of this year, Spain imported over 123,000 tons of diesel from Morocco, surpassing the total of the previous four years combined. Morocco has not sanctioned Russian oil and imported over one million tons of Russian diesel in twenty twenty-five, making up 25% of its total imports.

Experts suspect this Russian diesel was blended or relabeled before being re-exported to Spain. The Spanish government has launched an investigation, but faces challenges due to diesel’s complex composition, making it harder to test.

From oil to aid. Between Monday the 30th and Thursday the 3rd, world leaders gathered in Sevilla, Southern Spain, for the once-in-a-decade UN Conference on Financing for Development.

The conference aimed to tackle critical global issues like poverty, hunger, climate change, and healthcare with over 4,000 representatives from across the world.

The United States notably withdrew, with President Donald Trump slashing over 80% of USAID programs since January. This move, along with aid cuts from Germany, the UK, and France to meet NATO defense demands, has drawn a lot of criticism.

Speaking of deals with the US, on Wednesday the 2nd, in an interview with media firm The Capitol Forum, Teresa Ribera, Spain’s First Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, firmly rejected any compromise on Europe’s digital rules so the EU could make a trade deal with the US.

Ribera made it very clear that the EU should not give up control over its own rules, even to reach a deal with the global powerhouse. Standing firm, Ribera said that, unlike Germany, which seems more willing to make trade-offs to help its economy, Spain won’t.

As the top Socialist in a mostly conservative EU Commission, she used her position to speak up for her party’s views.

Next, we’re hitting the books. On Tuesday the 1st, Spain’s former king Juan Carlos I announced he would release a personal memoir later this year, titled Reconciliation.

Juan Carlos’ publisher called the book uncompromising as it explores his private life and public role in Spain. Written in the first person during his self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi, the book is described as a response to what Juan Carlos sees as an effort to erase or distort his legacy.

The former king has faced multiple accusations of alleged corruption and secret funds over the years. His lavish lifestyle and a controversial hunting trip during the country's financial crisis led to public backlash and his twenty fourteen abdication.

He has promised a candid, emotional reflection on his life.

In more controversies. On Monday the 30th, firefighters in the Community of Madrid protested for better working conditions by setting fire to twenty-two control towers and lighting bonfires at their stations.

The Community of Madrid Firefighters Union organized the protest, with about 70% of those represented taking part. The protest followed the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Employment’s attempt to unilaterally change a previously agreed contract, which the workforce had approved by referendum.

After several hours of negotiations, the government reversed all the changes and restored the original contract. The final agreement includes a 10,000 euros annual salary increase per firefighter, adjusted working hours, and higher pay for night shifts.

On that note about fires, on Tuesday, the 1st, a large wildfire in Lleida, Catalonia, tragically claimed the lives of two people.

The fire was likely caused by agricultural machinery and spread rapidly across over 5,000 hectares (around 7,000 soccer fields), reaching record speeds of seventeen miles (twenty-eight kilometers) per hour and generating wind gusts of up to seventy miles (113 kilometers) per hour.

Over thirty fire units were aided by local farmers and worked overnight to stabilize the fire and prevent flare-ups. Regional president Salvador Illa visited the scene on Wednesday, the 2nd, and called for integrated land management to better handle future wildfire risks.

In the capital, early on Wednesday the 2nd, hundreds of passengers faced chaos at Madrid’s Barajas Airport as a technical failure prohibited access to the passport-control system in Terminal four.

The glitch triggered hours-long queues, flight delays, and widespread travel disruptions. The airport also saw a higher number of international departures than average, as many Spaniards attempted to catch their summer vacation flights.

Police and airport staff worked to restore functionality and manage crowd flow, but the issue was not resolved until the afternoon, causing many passengers to miss their flights.

Now for something a bit snappy! In a Michelin-starred restaurant in Fuengirola, Southern Spain, called Sollo, Chef Diego Gallegos cultivates river fish to feed his guests, like tilapia, bagre, tenca, and even piranhas!

Chef Diego fishes sustainably and has also found a way to grow vegetables without soil. He trained at top culinary schools and kitchens for years before following his passions and opening Sollo in twenty fourteen.

Wrapping up this edition, a celebration of a board game classic. On Monday the 30th, Vitoria, the capital of the Basque Country, hosted the international convention of Twilight Struggle, a board game that recreates the Cold War.

The beloved board game is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Designed for two players, one as the US and the other as the USSR, the game uses historical event cards and a world map to simulate the ideological and geopolitical struggle for influence.

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

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¡Hasta la próxima!