SPAIN: Vote of Confidence & more – 12th Dec 2024

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 12th of December twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

To start this week, on Monday the 9th, Carles Puigdemont, the leader of the Catalan party Junts and former Catalan President, called for a vote of confidence against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Puigdemont, who is currently living in exile in Brussels, Belgium, has criticized Sánchez’s Socialist Party for failing to fulfill agreements made in November twenty twenty-three, which outlined specific economic deals for Catalunya in exchange for their support of Sánchez.

The pro-independence leader warned that Junts may withdraw support from Sánchez's government completely if commitments are not met.

If this request goes forward, It will allow Spanish members of Parliament to demand a new president, and it will be debated in Congress soon.

On that note about Sánchez, speaking at the 46th anniversary of Spain's constitution on Friday, the 6th, he re-emphasized the need to protect abortion rights and same-sex marriage against reactionary forces that could challenge their legitimacy, pointing at the right-leaning parties in particular like Vox. The Sumar political party has been discussing the idea since March, but this is almost the first time that it has been officially mentioned by Sánchez himself as he announced that he would protect these rights by incorporating them into Spain’s constitution, safeguarding them from future reversal.

Currently, the law recognizes the freedom of women to have an abortion up to fourteen weeks. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Spain since two thousand five, including the right of adoption.

Meanwhile, plans to protect pension payouts are in motion. As of the 1st of January, twenty twenty-five, Spain will implement changes to the retirement age regulations as part of reforms aimed at raising the standard retirement age to sixty-seven by twenty twenty-seven.

Workers with over thirty-eight years and three months of contributions will still be able to retire at sixty-five. However, those with fewer contributions will have to wait until they are just over sixty-six years and eight months old, which is an increase of two months compared to the retirement age set by the law in twenty twenty-four.

The government says that these adjustments encourage longer working lives, aiming to strengthen the pension system by delaying payouts and increasing social security contributions.

Next up, bilateral tensions flared on Monday the 9th, as the United States accused Spain of denying port access to American vessels carrying arms to Israel.

The US Federal Maritime Commission alleged that Spain barred ships like the Maersk Denver and Maersk Seletar from docking at strategic ports, forcing them to reroute to Morocco. José Manuel Albares, Spain’s Foreign Minister, defended the decision, declaring that the Middle East needs peace, not more weapons.

Spain has taken a firm stand on the Israel-Palestine situation, showing its support for Palestine by recognizing it as an official state early this May. The US, citing the refusal as a breach of NATO unity, threatened fines of up to 2.3 million dollars per voyage and restrictions on Spanish ships.

In other news, on Tuesday the 10th, the Spanish senate vetoed a proposed ban on the Golden Visa program, delaying its potential implementation.

The Golden Visa, introduced in twenty thirteen, grants residency to non-EU nationals who invest in Spain, with the most common route being property purchases worth at least 500,000 euros. Critics argue the scheme has worsened Spain’s housing crisis, as it encourages foreign buyers to drive up property prices and rents.

Congress originally approved the ban in November, but there was pushback. However, now it can override the veto in December, potentially finalizing the ban by April twenty twenty-five.

Let’s talk banking as under new European regulations, all bank transfers in Spain will be free and instant from the 1st of January, twenty twenty-five.

As it stands, transfers currently incur fees and delays, but as of next year, they must be completed within ten seconds at no cost to customers. The EU’s regulation states that banks have to ensure immediate delivery, regardless of time or day, and notify senders of successful transactions instantly.

The rules apply across the EU, including non-eurozone countries, standardizing financial practices. Transfers must be made digitally to qualify as free; in-person transactions may still have charges. This shift eliminates high transfer costs and aligns traditional banking with popular instant transfer apps like Bizum.

In local news, a survey for news outlet El País has shown that the far-right party Vox has gained three percentage points following the recent October storm and its aftermath in Valencia on the east coast, reaching a voter share of just over 13%.

Vox has been very outspoken about the local Valencian government and the Spanish government as a whole for its lack of critical response to the floods and cleanup.

More heavy storms and snow are causing widespread road closures across Spain.

On Monday the 9th, major motorways between Cantabria, in the north, and Palencia, in the interior, were closed, trapping around one hundred vehicles. In Catalunya, main roads were shut due to avalanche risks, while some mountain paths remained impassable throughout the start of the week. In the Basque Country, in the north, landslides disrupted smaller connecting roads and Christmas markets were postponed due to safety concerns.

As winter sets in, AEMET, Spain’s state meteorological agency, has even noted that snow might make its way down as far south as Andalucia.

For our next story, Joan Busquets, a ninety-six-year-old former guerrilla fighter against Franco's dictatorship, filed a 1 million euro lawsuit against the Spanish government on Tuesday the 3rd, citing torture, forced labor, and twenty years in prison under the regime.

Busquets joined anti-Franco guerrillas groups in Catalunya in nineteen forty-six but was arrested after a year. Tortured in Barcelona’s Vía Laietana police station, he narrowly escaped execution, serving life imprisonment instead.

His case is a response to Spain’s twenty twenty-two Democratic Memory law, which acknowledges victims of the crimes committed under Franco but excludes financial compensation. Supported by the General Confederation of Labour or CGT union, his case cites a two thousand five UN resolution on reparations for human rights violations, seeking justice for victims overlooked during Spain's transition to democracy.

Now, for some interesting news in health: On Monday the 9th, the HUB Alzheimer in Barcelona, located in the northeastern region of Catalunya, was unveiled to the public. This collaborative initiative aims to accelerate Alzheimer’s research.

The project unites Barcelona’s major public hospitals, with specialized centers like the Barcelona Beta Brain Research Center in the city’s southeast.

According to Barcelona Beta, nearly one million Spaniards are affected by Alzheimer’s, a figure that scientists expect to double by twenty fifty.

In transport updates, Renfe, Spain's state rail operator, announced significant upgrades to the Madrid-Algeciras rail service.

They say that new S-730 trains will cut travel times by almost forty-five minutes, reducing the journey from the capital to the very southern tip of Spain to five hours and thirty minutes.

These new rains can reach speeds over 250 kilometers per hour (about 155 miles) and will also increase capacity by 700 passengers weekly. The route passes through major stops in southern and central Spain, such as Córdoba, Ronda, and Ciudad Real.

In social media news, the TikTok Shop was officially launched in Spain on Tuesday the 10th, marking the first step in the company’s expansion in e-commerce across Europe and says it plans to expand its shop to Germany, France, and Italy in twenty twenty-five.

Spanish TikTok creators are now linking products like beauty items, home appliances, and health supplements to their videos, with prices starting at just one dollar. The platform will compete with Chinese e-commerce giants like Shein and Temu which are hugely popular in Spain despite being criticized for their extremely poor working conditions and negative contribution to fast fashion trends.

Feeling hungry? Well, on Friday the 6th, Gottan Grill, a Malaga-based burger chain, won the Best Burger in Spain title at The Champions Burger championship in Leganés, Madrid.

Gottan Grill's Lil Wayne burger won among twenty-four finalists, featuring aged rib eye, cheddar, crispy onions, slow-cooked bacon, BBQ sauce, and smoked mayo.

The top ten will face off in Barakaldo, near Bilbao in the north, from the 12th of December to the 6th of January, where customers will vote for their favorites in the finals.

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

We hope you are enjoying the Rorshok Spain Update as much as we enjoy making it. Don't forget to subscribe to your favorite platform to keep up with what's going on in Spain.

¡Hasta la próxima!