Spanish Politics News | Page 14 of 30

Spanish economy, Spanish Politics 18th October 2022

The Minister of Social Security Presents A Bus That Will Travel Around Spain Looking For Beneficiaries Of The Ingreso Minimo Vital While The Trade Unions Accuse Him Of “Incompetence”

Social Security is still on the warpath. After many threats, CSIF, UGT and CCOO have today announced mobilisations for November amongst Social Security staff, in protest at “the failure and incompetence in management” of the current minister, José Luis Escrivá. He has not been able to redirect the progressive deterioration of management, according to the unions in a joint statement. “There are fewer staff. It is not managed effectively or…

Spanish economy, Spanish Politics 17th October 2022

The Government Will Raise All Pensions By 8.5%: 860 Euros A Year For Minimum Pensions And 3,350 Euros A Year For Maximum Pensions

Fedea, the foundation of the former savings banks, has drawn up a report highly critical of the Government’s proposed increase in pensions (8.5% for all pensions). According to FEDEA, “In the debate on the revaluation of pensions, two issues are being mixed up that should be dealt with separately. On the one hand, the sustainability of pensions, which is a structural problem that has not yet been resolved, and, on…

Spanish Politics 10th October 2022

The President Of The Judges Resigns And Forces Sánchez And Feijoó To Move On

The president of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) and the Supreme Court (SC), Carlos Lesmes, announced on Sunday that he will formalise his resignation tomorrow. This is a month after he threatened to leave if there was no tangible progress in renewing a CGPJ that has been out of date for almost four years. He thus fulfils his promise, but without having managed to get the Council to…

Spanish economy, Spanish Politics 7th October 2022

Sánchez, Setting An Example: 4% Pay Rise, Compared To 3.5% For Civil Servants

The coalition government led by Pedro Sánchez has decided to implement a 4% pay rise for next year, above the 3.5% planned for civil servants and MPs. With this, Prime Minister Sánchez’s annual salary will be 90,010.20 euros a year, which means a monthly salary of 7,500 euros. The Ministry of Finance agreed with unions Comisiones Obreras and UGT a salary increase for civil servants of up to 3.5% in…

Spanish economy, Spanish Politics 5th October 2022

Spain: A Reckless Electioneering Budget

The Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved the draft General State Budget for 2023 agreed by the coalition partners. The accounts are based on a new macroeconomic framework that reduces the GDP growth forecast for 2023 from 2.7% to 2.1%, on a record expenditure ceiling of 198.221 billion euros. Current spending grows by 6.9% (18.3% if one takes into account that refugee aid measures are now supported here). Meanwhile, so-called…

Spanish economy, Spanish Politics 27th September 2022

Taxing Seldom Provides A Winning Ticket

J.P. Marín-Arrese | The ruling coalition in Spain faces a dim prospect in the coming elections next year. According to the polls, the main Opposition party, bolstered by its new leadership, is poised to snatch a comfortable victory. It seems even close to securing an overall majority, counting on a helping hand from the extreme right and some minor partners. To ward off the danger of a crushing defeat, the…

Spanish Politics 21st September 2022

Spain In The Electoral Storm: My Kingdom For A Horse

Fernando Gonzalez Urbaneja | I don’t want to assign the role of Richard III in the Spanish political drama, but the main contenders, Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Nuñez Feijóo, although with different intensity, are doomed to opt for whatever it takes to succeed and fail, like Richard III. The recent debate (combat) in the Senate between the two politicians with pretensions to rent La Moncloa showed desperation, obsession, determination to…

Spanish Politics 20th September 2022

The Royals

J.P. Marín-Arrese | The UK has delivered a humbling lesson to the Spanish government as its forceful attempts to downgrade the former King Juan Carlos’s attendance at late Queen Elisabeth’s funeral have backfired. The Foreign Minister stepped in, eagerly underlining that State representation confined itself to the sovereign and himself, even consigning Queen Letizia to oblivion in his hasty statement. His frantic efforts to portray Don Juan Carlos as an…

Spanish Politics 28th July 2022

Sánchez Defends Chaves And Griñán After The ERE Conviction: “They Are Paying For The Sins Of Others”

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, defended, on Wednesday, the former presidents of Andalusia Manuel Chaves and José Antonio Griñán after their conviction in the ERE case. Pedro Sánchez believes that “they are paying for the sins of others” , and avoided saying anything on “hypothetical future actions” such as the granting of a pardon. In a press conference with the Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, Sánchez stressed…

Spanish economy, Spanish Politics 14th July 2022

Against Inflation… More Taxes

Fernando Gonzalez Urbaneja | Economics textbooks have a heading to add to the chapter on inflation: the one dictated by Dr Pedro Sánchez before Parliament. After warning that inflation (10% annual rate) is the most worrying problem for the government, he deployed a series of “anti-inflationary” measures, among them, new taxes for banks and energy companies on extraordinary profits . The president spoke about his concern about the influence of…