Business News & Financial News

Spanish economy 12th March 2026

Brussels requests CJEU to fine Spain for failing to apply VAT exemption directive for SMEs and self-employed

Firstly, the Commission reproaches Spain for failing to incorporate the rules that update the VAT regime applicable to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—a reform adopted in 2020 with the aim of simplifying the tax obligations of these companies and reducing competition distortions within the internal market. The EU Executive explains that although Spain has indicated it does not intend to apply the VAT exemption for SMEs and the self-employed with…

In Europe 11th March 2026

Germany’s trade surplus grows to €21.2 billion in January (against €17.4 billion previously), while France reduces deficit by remarkable 55.8% to €1.9 billion

Singular Bank | According to Destatis, in January, German goods exports fell by 2.3% compared to the previous month (against an increase of 3.9% in December), standing at €130.5 billion. Meanwhile, imports of goods recorded a notable drop of 5.9% month-on-month (against an increase of 1.3% in December) to a total of €109.2 billion. Given this development, Germany’s trade surplus increased to €21.2 billion (against €17.4 billion in December), exceeding…

In the World 10th March 2026

US job creation surprises negatively, falling to minus 92K and pushing unemployment to 4.4%

Bankinter | Non-farm payrolls in February surprised negatively, falling to negative 92K (compared to the expected positive 65K and the previous positive 126K). The unemployment rate rose to 4.4% (versus the expected 4.3% and the previous figure). Non-farm payrolls in February surprised negatively, falling to negative 92K from the previous positive 126K (revised from 130K), a figure well below market expectations (65K). This is the weakest job creation figure since…

“We need to approach negotiations with the U.S. on terms that are completely different from those currently being proposed”

Says Antonio Bonet, president of the Club of Spanish Exporters and Investors. He points out that “Europe has a single tariff applied by all member states, but the U.S. applies a tariff to each country, meaning it can decide that the tariff applied to Spanish black olives is higher than that for Italian olives, as it did at one point. So there is a part of the negotiation between Europe…

“Fifteen years ago, the European economy was larger than that of the U.S. Today, the U.S. economy is one and a half times that of Europe”

“It is a shame that we are able to mobilize economic resources for large-scale projects abroad, but not in our Spanish market”

In an interview with Consejeros magazine, Sacyr’s coordinating advisor, Elena Jiménez de Andrade, explains that now “We have great capacity to win projects, a capacity that until now contrasted with a series of financial limitations and balance sheet size. However, in this strategic cycle, we are going to eliminate those barriers. That is why we have set an ambitious goal for 2033: to triple the value of our assets. We…

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