<![CDATA[EL PAÍS]]>https://english.elpais.comTue, 19 May 2026 10:42:43 +0000en1hourly1<![CDATA[Hantavirus case triggers political friction in Spain as Canary Islands resist WHO‑mandated port call ]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2026-05-06/hantavirus-case-triggers-political-friction-in-spain-as-canary-islands-resist-whomandated-port-call.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2026-05-06/hantavirus-case-triggers-political-friction-in-spain-as-canary-islands-resist-whomandated-port-call.htmlWed, 06 May 2026 13:33:17 +0000The arrival in the Canary Islands in the coming days of the ship where a Hantavirus outbreak occurred has quickly sparked a political battle in Spain. The premier of Spain’s Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, from the Canary Coalition, sparked tension Wednesday morning during a series of interviews with various media outlets. He stated that his government has not received detailed information on how the operation will be carried out and speculated that it might be a highly contagious variant.

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]]>Reuters TV<![CDATA[Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, on the US and Israeli attack on Iran: ‘No to war, we are not going to be complicit’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-04/pedro-sanchez-on-the-us-and-israeli-attack-on-iran-no-to-war-we-will-not-support-this-disaster.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-04/pedro-sanchez-on-the-us-and-israeli-attack-on-iran-no-to-war-we-will-not-support-this-disaster.htmlWed, 04 Mar 2026 11:54:46 +0000Pedro Sánchez has revived the “no to war” slogan that mobilized the Spanish left in 2003 and was the prelude to the conservative Popular Party (PP)’s loss of power in 2004 after the March 11 terrorist attacks in Madrid. The Spanish prime minister has firmly maintained his position against the conflict waged by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, revisiting the slogan to establish himself as the great antagonist of the U.S. president. “Spain’s position is the same as in Ukraine or Gaza. No to the breakdown of international law that protects us all. No to resolving conflicts with bombs. No to war,” he said Wednesday, while recalling the conflict in Iraq. “The world has been here before. Twenty-three years ago, another U.S. administration led us into an unjust war. The Iraq War led to a dramatic increase in terrorism and a serious migration and economic crisis. That was the gift of the ‘Azores Three’ (George W. Bush, Tony Blair and former Spanish prime minister José María Aznar) : a more insecure world and a worse life,” he stressed.

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]]>Jaime Villanueva<![CDATA[Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez: ‘Normalizing our relations with Mexico is a priority’]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2025-11-10/spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-normalizing-our-relations-with-mexico-is-a-priority.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2025-11-10/spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-normalizing-our-relations-with-mexico-is-a-priority.htmlMon, 10 Nov 2025 14:42:11 +0000It’s Thursday morning and Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, 53, arrives at the Miró Room in La Moncloa, the seat of government, dressed in a blue suit and in good spirits. He seems eager to continue the fight. Neither the fierce legal pressure nor the withdrawal of parliamentary support by the Catalan separatist party Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), announced just an hour earlier, appear to have affected the Socialist Party (PSOE) leader. On the contrary, during the interview he affirmed that he will run again in the 2027 general elections, and even allowed himself a touch of sarcasm regarding the new memoir by Spain’s emeritus king Juan Carlos I: “I haven’t read it yet, but I’ll also tell you that it won’t be one of the books I recommend this Christmas, given what’s happened.”

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]]>Carlos Rosillo<![CDATA[Spain says it will send military ship to ‘protect’ Gaza aid flotilla ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-25/spain-says-it-will-send-military-ship-to-protect-gaza-aid-flotilla.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-25/spain-says-it-will-send-military-ship-to-protect-gaza-aid-flotilla.htmlThu, 25 Sep 2025 09:22:29 +0000Following in Italy’s footsteps, Spain announced it will also send a Navy ship to protect and, if necessary, rescue members of the flotilla currently on its way to Gaza with humanitarian aid to break the Israeli blockade. The idea is not for the Spanish ship to confront the drones that have been attacking the flotilla, and therefore a military clash with Israel is not being considered. But the dispatch of the ship is a clear sign of the tension that currently dominates relations between the two countries.

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]]>Ufficio Stampa/laPresse<![CDATA[Spanish PM seeks full UN membership for Palestine, slams Gaza war: ‘In the name of human dignity, we must stop this slaughter’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-23/spanish-pm-seeks-full-un-membership-for-palestine-slams-gaza-war-in-the-name-of-human-dignity-we-must-stop-this-slaughter.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-23/spanish-pm-seeks-full-un-membership-for-palestine-slams-gaza-war-in-the-name-of-human-dignity-we-must-stop-this-slaughter.htmlTue, 23 Sep 2025 09:02:30 +0000Pedro Sánchez, one of the first European leaders to take the step of recognizing Palestine in May 2024, has welcomed the fact that key countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada have joined him in this position. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron formally took the step at the 80th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, stating that “recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people in no way detracts from the rights of the Israeli people, which France has supported from day one and to which it is no less committed.” Other nations to express support included Monaco, Malta and Luxembourg.

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]]>Eduardo Munoz<![CDATA[Spain’s PM announces total arms embargo on Israel and labels attacks on Palestinians ‘genocide’]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2025-09-08/spains-pm-announces-total-arms-embargo-on-israel-and-labels-attacks-on-palestinians-genocide.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2025-09-08/spains-pm-announces-total-arms-embargo-on-israel-and-labels-attacks-on-palestinians-genocide.htmlMon, 08 Sep 2025 09:40:26 +0000Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has taken a legal and rhetorical leap in response to the attacks on Gaza ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For the first time, Sánchez openly used the word “genocide” to describe the military offensive against the people of Gaza —something the Spanish government had avoided for many months, generating an internal debate within the governing coalition made up of Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), which resisted using the term, and the smaller left-wing party Sumar, which advocated it openly. Defense Minister Margarita Robles had used the word in 2024 and was subsequently reprimanded for it.

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]]><![CDATA[Trump threatens Spain: ‘We’re going to make them pay twice as much’]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-06-25/trump-threatens-spain-were-going-to-make-them-pay-twice-as-much.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-06-25/trump-threatens-spain-were-going-to-make-them-pay-twice-as-much.htmlWed, 25 Jun 2025 15:40:17 +0000Everything was going more or less smoothly at a very delicate NATO summit for Spain — the only country rejecting the demand to increase defense spending to 5% — until Donald Trump spoke and launched a sort of political war against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The U.S. president announced that, as retaliation for Spain’s position at the NATO summit, he will double the planned tariffs on the country: “They’re going to pay, they’ll pay more money this way.”

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]]>Brian Snyder<![CDATA[‘Spain is a problem’: Trump lashes out over NATO contributions]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-06-25/spain-is-a-problem-trump-lashes-out-over-nato-contributions.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-06-25/spain-is-a-problem-trump-lashes-out-over-nato-contributions.htmlWed, 25 Jun 2025 09:38:34 +0000Spain is emerging as the protagonist of the NATO summit following its prime minister’s refusal to accept raising military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, as Alliance leader Mark Rutte is asking all members to do. International media outlets are opening their reports from The Hague with Spain’s position, which views the spending request as “unreasonable,” and querying delegates from various countries about their views on the matter.

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]]>Brian Snyder<![CDATA[Spain’s Pedro Sánchez scrambles to hold government coalition together after top aide is implicated in corruption scandal]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2025-06-13/spains-pedro-sanchez-scrambles-to-hold-government-coalition-together-after-top-aide-is-implicated-in-corruption-scandal.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2025-06-13/spains-pedro-sanchez-scrambles-to-hold-government-coalition-together-after-top-aide-is-implicated-in-corruption-scandal.htmlFri, 13 Jun 2025 14:46:26 +0000For the first time in seven years, Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez seemed truly knocked out Thursday in a public appearance. This time, the crisis affects him directly, because it was he who appointed party secretary Santos Cerdán, who is embroiled in a corruption scandal involving kickbacks in the awarding of public contracts. Sánchez confirmed Santos Cerdán in his role six months ago, even though by then there were already suspicions hanging over this top official of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE). In fact, up until the publication of a report by the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, one of Spain’s main law enforcement agencies, the prime minister continued to defend him and express confidence in him. But on Thursday, Sánchez dismissed Santos Cerdán, ruled out resigning himself, and bought some time to undertake a profound reshuffle of the PSOE while trying to maintain the reins of government.

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]]>Gabriel Luengas <![CDATA[Spanish PM Sánchez in New York: ‘Europe needs reforms to avoid falling behind in the most cutting-edge technological sectors’]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2024-09-24/spanish-pm-sanchez-in-new-york-europe-needs-reforms-to-avoid-falling-behind-in-the-most-cutting-edge-technological-sectors.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2024-09-24/spanish-pm-sanchez-in-new-york-europe-needs-reforms-to-avoid-falling-behind-in-the-most-cutting-edge-technological-sectors.htmlTue, 24 Sep 2024 19:52:26 +0000Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is brimming with optimism about the economy on his seventh trip to New York to participate in the U.N. General Assembly. During his speech at the forum Latin America, the United States and Spain in the Global Economy — organized by EL PAÍS and the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and sponsored by DLA Piper, Iberia, Inditex, Indra, NTT Data and Total Protect in collaboration with the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) — Sánchez even joked about the fact that in Spain no one talks about positive data, so he wanted to be clear: “Spain is experiencing one of the best moments in recent decades, this must also be said abroad.”

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]]>Corrie Aune<![CDATA[Spain recognizes Palestine and calls for a ‘viable’ state based on 1967 borders]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-28/spain-recognizes-palestine-and-calls-for-a-viable-state-based-on-1967-borders.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-28/spain-recognizes-palestine-and-calls-for-a-viable-state-based-on-1967-borders.htmlTue, 28 May 2024 14:55:31 +0000With the utmost solemnity, on the steps of La Moncloa, the seat of government, alone and without taking questions, Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday confirmed the biggest leap in Spanish foreign policy since he came to power in 2018. After more than 70 years of conflict, Spain recognized the Palestinian state simultaneously with Ireland and Norway, and will thus expand the list of countries around the world that have taken the step to 145. The Spanish prime minister announced that Spain will not recognize — unless agreed between the parties — any borders other than those of 1967, when Israel gradually began to occupy larger and larger areas of Palestine after the Six-Day War. Since then, Israel has been carving up Palestinian land through areas controlled by settlers that are reducing the living space of the inhabitants of the occupied territories.

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]]>Borja Puig de la Bellacasa<![CDATA[Coalition of European countries consider recognizing Palestinian State on May 21]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-09/coalition-of-european-countries-consider-recognizing-palestinian-state-on-may-21.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-09/coalition-of-european-countries-consider-recognizing-palestinian-state-on-may-21.htmlThu, 09 May 2024 10:44:28 +0000According to Spanish government sources, May 21 is the date that is being considered by Spain and other European Union countries to recognize the Palestinian State. On that day the last meeting of ministers will be held before the campaign for the elections to the European Parliament begins on June 9, and the sources consulted advocate taking a decision of this importance out of the electoral debate.

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]]>Borja Puis (Pool/Moncloa)<![CDATA[Spain’s Pedro Sánchez decides not to resign: ‘Let’s show the world how democracy is defended’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-04-29/spains-pedro-sanchez-decides-not-to-resign-lets-show-the-world-how-democracy-is-defended.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-04-29/spains-pedro-sanchez-decides-not-to-resign-lets-show-the-world-how-democracy-is-defended.htmlMon, 29 Apr 2024 10:00:57 +0000Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), on Monday morning confirmed that he has decided not to resign, to stay at the helm of government and to keep going “stronger” than ever, following five days of uncertainty about his political future.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez considers resigning due to ‘the unprecedented attacks’ against his wife ]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2024-04-24/spanish-prime-minister-pedro-sanchez-considers-resigning-due-to-the-unprecedented-attacks-against-his-wife-by-the-right-and-the-far-right.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2024-04-24/spanish-prime-minister-pedro-sanchez-considers-resigning-due-to-the-unprecedented-attacks-against-his-wife-by-the-right-and-the-far-right.htmlWed, 24 Apr 2024 20:44:09 +0000From early in the morning, it was very evident that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was affected by a judge’s decision to open proceedings to investigate his wife, Begoña Gómez, in response to a complaint filed by the ultra-right group Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), which specializes in filing complaints against left-wing leaders in cases which usually amount to nothing. Sánchez left Congress visibly upset, and went to La Moncloa, the seat of government in Spain. The leader of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) locked himself away with his family and drafted a letter stating that he is seriously considering resigning after the “unprecedented attacks” against his wife. “I need to stop and reflect. I have to answer the question of whether it is worth it, whether I should continue at the head of the government or resign from this honor,” the president said in a “letter to citizens” posted on the social network X, without an official letterhead — a sign that it is a personal matter.

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]]>Claudio Álvarez<![CDATA[Spain’s PM speaks with leaders of Jordan, Egypt and PNA to finalize recognition of Palestine]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-04-23/spains-pm-speaks-with-leaders-of-jordan-egypt-and-pna-to-finalize-recognition-of-palestine.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-04-23/spains-pm-speaks-with-leaders-of-jordan-egypt-and-pna-to-finalize-recognition-of-palestine.htmlTue, 23 Apr 2024 09:15:29 +0000Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has intensified his round of contacts to prepare the final decision on the recognition of Palestine. According to several government sources, recognition by Spain could be imminent, although no specific date has been set. After a recent trip to the region with stops in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and a European tour that took him to Poland, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia and Belgium, Sánchez has held a series of telephone conversations with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and the president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas.

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]]>Borja Puis (Pool/Moncloa)<![CDATA[Gunmen sent by Moscow killed defector sheltering in Alicante, Spanish intelligence services say]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-22/gunmen-sent-by-moscow-killed-defector-sheltering-in-alicante-spanish-intelligence-services-say.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-22/gunmen-sent-by-moscow-killed-defector-sheltering-in-alicante-spanish-intelligence-services-say.htmlThu, 22 Feb 2024 05:00:00 +0000Spanish intelligence services have no doubt that the long hand of the Kremlin is behind an unprecedented crime: the assassination in Alicante of Maxim Kuzminov, the Russian captain who defected last August and crossed over to Ukraine with his Mi8 combat helicopter. Publicly, the Spanish government has been very cautious regarding who was possibly responsible for the murder. “We have to let the Civil Guard [a national law enforcement force] do its job and for the investigation to progress,” said government spokesperson Pilar Alegría on Tuesday. However, diplomatic sources recognize that, although they are still waiting to gather enough information, it is a “very serious” matter. If the involvement of the Russian authorities is confirmed, they add, Spain will give a “forceful response.”

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]]>Rafa Arjones<![CDATA[Pedro Sánchez, the political survivor who keeps resisting against all odds]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-16/pedro-sanchez-the-political-survivor-who-keeps-resisting-against-all-odds.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-16/pedro-sanchez-the-political-survivor-who-keeps-resisting-against-all-odds.htmlThu, 16 Nov 2023 16:21:45 +0000It took him a long time to get them to take him seriously. Ten years ago, when Pedro Sánchez decided to try his luck in the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) primaries, and he began to tell his close circle about it, not even some of his close friends who are now in La Moncloa, the seat of government, thought he had a chance. Some even advised against it. No one knew him within the party, he had no organic weight, it seemed impossible that he could become general secretary.

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]]>Samuel Sánchez <![CDATA[At highly charged session, Spain’s PM justifies amnesty as only way to stop the far right]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-15/at-highly-charged-session-spains-pm-justifies-amnesty-as-only-way-to-stop-the-far-right.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-15/at-highly-charged-session-spains-pm-justifies-amnesty-as-only-way-to-stop-the-far-right.htmlWed, 15 Nov 2023 16:55:22 +0000Spain’s acting prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, on Wednesday delivered a lengthy address inside a fractious parliament, where lawmakers had gathered for the first of a two-day debate that will end with a vote to confirm him as the new government leader following inconclusive elections in July.

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]]>Claudio Álvarez<![CDATA[Spain’s crucial week: Socialists file amnesty bill, triggering vote to confirm Sánchez as PM]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-13/spains-crucial-week-socialists-plan-to-file-amnesty-bill-triggering-vote-to-confirm-sanchez-as-pm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-13/spains-crucial-week-socialists-plan-to-file-amnesty-bill-triggering-vote-to-confirm-sanchez-as-pm.htmlMon, 13 Nov 2023 14:50:02 +0000The Spanish government’s negotiating team and its partners have finalized the draft of the amnesty law that will pave the way for acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to secure a new term in office following inconclusive elections in July.

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]]>PSOE<![CDATA[Spain’s PM and Catalan separatists close amnesty deal, clearing his way to power ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-09/spains-pm-and-catalan-separatists-close-amnesty-deal-clearing-his-way-to-power.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-09/spains-pm-and-catalan-separatists-close-amnesty-deal-clearing-his-way-to-power.htmlThu, 09 Nov 2023 11:11:56 +0000Spain’s Socialists (PSOE) and the Catalan separatist party Junts have finalized an agreement for an amnesty law that will allow acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez to form a new national government following inconclusive elections in July. The investiture vote in parliament will be held in the next few days, according to sources familiar with the negotiation. These sources suggested that it could happen early next week, possibly on Monday and Tuesday. Failure to form a government by November 27 would trigger fresh elections.

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]]>Delmi Álvarez<![CDATA[At the ‘Latin America, United States and Spain in the Global Economy’ forum, Pedro Sánchez outlines the Spanish government’s priorities]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2023-09-20/at-the-latin-america-united-states-and-spain-in-the-global-economy-forum-pedro-sanchez-outlines-the-spanish-governments-priorities.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2023-09-20/at-the-latin-america-united-states-and-spain-in-the-global-economy-forum-pedro-sanchez-outlines-the-spanish-governments-priorities.htmlWed, 20 Sep 2023 18:31:51 +0000Spain’s Pedro Sánchez traveled to New York for the UN summit as his rival Alberto Núñez Feijóo seeks to unseat him. The acting prime minister, who seems convinced that he will succeed in his own investiture vote when Núñez Feijóo’s vote fails, has already begun to present an outline of his political project going forward. This Wednesday, at the opening of the Latin America, United States and Spain in the Global Economy forum, Sánchez laid out his government’s future priorities, if he wins the vote of confidence in Congress. His plans consist of reinforcing what his government done over the last four years, with special emphasis on deepening the ecological and digital transition and fighting structural unemployment, a Spanish scourge that the politician is committed to reducing by half. Sánchez, who belongs to Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE), explained that, although there are many political sectors — especially on the right and far right —who are talking about slowing down the ecological transition amid global economic difficulties, he believes that Spain must speed up and strengthen its position as a leader in renewable energy.

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]]>Lucía Vázquez<![CDATA[In Spain, the left’s resistance thwarts a PP-Vox majority and leaves all possibilities open]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-07-23/in-spain-the-lefts-resistance-thwarts-a-pp-vox-majority-and-leaves-all-possibilities-open.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-07-23/in-spain-the-lefts-resistance-thwarts-a-pp-vox-majority-and-leaves-all-possibilities-open.htmlSun, 23 Jul 2023 23:54:40 +0000Just a week ago, Spain’s Popular Party (PP) dreamed of 168 seats and a landslide victory that would allow it to govern the country alone, without the need for the far-right Vox. But a much greater resistance from the left than expected, with a Socialist Party (PSOE) that against all odds has amply surpassed its 2019 results, has left PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo with such a narrow victory that not only will he not be able to govern alone — he will not even be able to achieve a sufficient majority with Vox.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain votes with vertigo]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-07-23/spain-votes-with-vertigo.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-07-23/spain-votes-with-vertigo.htmlSun, 23 Jul 2023 14:57:11 +0000If elections are a state of mind, this Sunday’s elections in Spain feel very much like vertigo. The right is going to the ballot convinced of the victory that almost all opinion polls were giving it until five days ago, but the spark of a comeback that the left managed to ignite in the last week has demolished any certainty and opened up a range of possibilities.

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]]>Garcia-Santos<![CDATA[Spain calls snap general election after right, far-right, inflict heavy local and regional defeat]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-05-29/spain-calls-snap-general-election-after-right-far-right-inflict-heavy-local-and-regional-defeat.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-05-29/spain-calls-snap-general-election-after-right-far-right-inflict-heavy-local-and-regional-defeat.htmlMon, 29 May 2023 10:17:21 +0000The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) suffered a dramatic electoral reverse in local and regional elections held on Sunday, triggering an equally dramatic response from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The leader of the PSOE, who heads a leftist coalition government, has decided to bring forward the general elections slated for December to July 23, in order to minimize the risk of further wear and tear on his administration over the coming months after the country’s right wing was emboldened by its resounding successes on Sunday, and to try and prevent the right-wing Popular’s Party (PP) and the far-right Vox grouping from scoring a clean sweep during the ballot to elect a new government.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s PM Pedro Sánchez meets with Biden to discuss Ukraine, trade and immigration]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-05-12/spains-pm-pedro-sanchez-meets-with-biden-to-discuss-ukraine-trade-and-immigration.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-05-12/spains-pm-pedro-sanchez-meets-with-biden-to-discuss-ukraine-trade-and-immigration.htmlFri, 12 May 2023 12:10:12 +0000Pedro Sánchez’s continuous efforts to propel his international agenda are paying off: on Friday, the prime minister of Spain will be in the White House to meet with President Joe Biden and discuss issues of strategic relevance ranging from the war in Ukraine to trade and immigration. The meeting also happens to coincide with the start of campaigning for local and regional elections in Spain, a fact that, though coincidental, will help the leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) raise his own profile ahead of the May 28 vote.

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]]><![CDATA[“My father was much crueler than the Pablo Escobar you see on Netflix”]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/09/28/inenglish/1475055674_817222.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/09/28/inenglish/1475055674_817222.htmlWed, 28 Sep 2016 12:54:14 +0000“It’s full of errors.” That’s the verdict of Juan Pablo Escobar when asked about the hit Netflix show Narcos, which recounts the story of his father, the notorious 1980s Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar.

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]]><![CDATA[Argentina “has stopped blaming the world” for its problems: Macri]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/02/24/inenglish/1487941258_008794.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/02/24/inenglish/1487941258_008794.htmlFri, 24 Feb 2017 14:29:55 +0000Speaking on the third day of his official visit to Spain at an investment forum in Madrid organized by EL PAÍS and the PRISA media group of which the paper is part, Macri insisted that his election in 2015 represented a change “from the ground up”, reflecting a desire on the part of voters to end the policies implemented during the previous 13 years under Néstor Kirchner and then his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

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]]>Pablo Cuadra<![CDATA[Spain’s PM: ‘We are entering a critical phase, Putin already knows he’s losing the war’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-09-22/spains-pm-we-are-entering-a-critical-phase-putin-already-knows-hes-losing-the-war.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2022-09-22/spains-pm-we-are-entering-a-critical-phase-putin-already-knows-hes-losing-the-war.htmlThu, 22 Sep 2022 08:19:25 +0000Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s threat to deploy nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war has shaken the United Nations General Assembly, which is meeting this week in New York. Ahead of his scheduled address at the UN, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday responded to Putin’s speech at a forum organized by EL PAÍS and the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce at the Yale Club in Manhattan, where the Spanish leader also explained why he thinks his country is better positioned than others to deal with an energy supply cut.

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]]><![CDATA[In sweeping reshuffle, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez names younger Cabinet with more women]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2021-07-12/in-sweeping-reshuffle-spains-pedro-sanchez-names-younger-cabinet-with-more-women.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2021-07-12/in-sweeping-reshuffle-spains-pedro-sanchez-names-younger-cabinet-with-more-women.htmlMon, 12 Jul 2021 11:30:20 +0000Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has carried out a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle, replacing some of his most important ministers, boosting the representation of women and reducing the average age of his team.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez: ‘When 2021 is over, consumers will have paid the same for electricity as they did in 2018’]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-09-06/spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-when-2021-is-over-consumers-will-have-paid-the-same-for-electricity-as-they-did-in-2018.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-09-06/spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-when-2021-is-over-consumers-will-have-paid-the-same-for-electricity-as-they-did-in-2018.htmlMon, 06 Sep 2021 10:38:54 +0000Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrives at his interview with EL PAÍS at La Moncloa, the seat of power, with the price of electricity on his mind. It is clear from his replies that he has been focusing on this issue for several days, having memorized facts and figures and debated alternatives to solve the record high prices that Spanish consumers are currently facing. The price of power is currently a major problem for the Spanish government, which is a coalition of Sánchez’s Socialist Party and leftist Unidas Podemos. Sánchez clearly had an urgency to explain and repeat a commitment: despite the lack of control over the wholesale power market, the effect of which is seeing record prices for electricity, by the end of the year residents of Spain will have paid the same on average for their bills as in 2018, thanks to the intervention of the government. Sánchez also spoke about his confidence that there will be a “fair recovery” in Spain after the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, trusting that this, along with his radical Cabinet reshuffle, will improve his party’s standings in the polls and allow the government to reconnect with a progressive electorate over the remaining two years of his mandate. What follows is an edited version of the full interview, which was published in Spanish on Sunday.

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]]><![CDATA[Bolivia fears “wave of xenophobia” in wake of Argentina immigration laws]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/02/07/inenglish/1486470696_242825.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/02/07/inenglish/1486470696_242825.htmlTue, 07 Feb 2017 14:06:50 +0000Bolivian President Evo Morales, who has criticized Macri for the measures, accusing him of mimicking Donald Trump’s immigration policies, has sent a delegation to Argentina led by José Alberto Gonzáles, the president of the Bolivian Senate, in a bid to show his unhappiness and to reduce tensions.

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]]><![CDATA[As inflation soars, patience wears thin in Buenos Aires slums]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/05/04/inenglish/1462368785_762563.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/05/04/inenglish/1462368785_762563.htmlWed, 04 May 2016 15:55:15 +0000Rodrigo Bueno, a shantytown on Argentina’s Rio de la Plata, does not have running water, sewer systems or paved streets. Every path here is a dirt road with crossing cables overhead, dilapidated houses hunched together, and palpable poverty everywhere.

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]]><![CDATA[The shantytown misery that Buenos Aires is struggling to hide]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/02/01/inenglish/1454324322_595911.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/02/01/inenglish/1454324322_595911.htmlMon, 01 Feb 2016 13:34:19 +0000It is almost impossible to ignore, but some people still manage to. In the center of Buenos Aires, around 200 meters from one of the city’s most expensive neighborhoods, the sprawling Villa 31 shantytown has been a long-standing and somewhat embarrassing fixture in the Argentinean capital.

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]]><![CDATA[Buenos Aires mayor opens office in city’s most notorious slum]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/03/27/inenglish/1490622406_129503.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/03/27/inenglish/1490622406_129503.htmlMon, 27 Mar 2017 14:44:39 +0000But slowly, they are getting used to his presence. “Don’t let up, pelado!,” shouts one local business owner as he passes by, making a friendly reference to the mayor’s thinning hair. Other, more desperate residents come up to him to ask for a job.

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]]><![CDATA[The Buenos Aires slum fighting to save its youngsters from drug dealers]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/03/06/inenglish/1488799149_916637.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/03/06/inenglish/1488799149_916637.htmlMon, 06 Mar 2017 13:34:44 +0000A number of recent murders in Argentina have highlighted a problem that Villa 1-11-14, a shanty town within Flores home to some 70,000 people, has experienced first hand. Two months ago, a 15-year-old of Peruvian-origin killed another boy of the same age here. The courts ruled that as a minor he couldn’t be tried for murder and instead deported him with his grandfather to Peru.

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]]><![CDATA[Ukraine to join Spain-Portugal joint bid to host 2030 World Cup ]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-10-04/ukraine-to-join-spain-portugal-joint-bid-to-host-2030-world-cup.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-10-04/ukraine-to-join-spain-portugal-joint-bid-to-host-2030-world-cup.htmlTue, 04 Oct 2022 11:39:04 +0000Spain and Portugal can take a huge step toward securing the rights to organize the 2030 FIFA World Cup if, as reported by The Times, Ukraine joins the Iberian candidacy by offering to stage one of the groups in the preliminary round. EL PAÍS has contacted the Spanish Football Federation and the governing body headed by Luis Rubiales referred to a press conference that is due to take place on Wednesday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, which will be attended by Rubiales and his Portuguese counterpart, Fernando Gomes. Both executives are UEFA vice-presidents and right-hand men to the organization’s president, Aleksander Ceferin. According to The Times, both the Spanish government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the Portuguese administration of António Costa have spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and agreed that Ukraine will be invited to join the bid. Sánchez’s office confirmed that it intends to add Ukraine to the Iberian candidacy to stage the 2030 World Cup and that the Spanish government supports the project being proposed by the soccer federations of both countries, which has also received the blessing of UEFA.

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]]><![CDATA[U2’s Bono asks for Europe-wide campaign for Spain]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/03/07/inenglish/1394215483_860578.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/03/07/inenglish/1394215483_860578.htmlFri, 07 Mar 2014 18:33:32 +0000Some of the most powerful people in Europe were there. But neither Angela Merkel, José Manuel Durão Barroso, Herman Van Rompuy or Mariano Rajoy was the star of the European People’s Party congress in Dublin. That honor went to Irish rock musician Bono, who had been invited to speak and used the occasion to make the longest, most applauded speech of the day.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s governing coalition partners: ‘It can’t go on like this’]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-02-22/spains-governing-coalition-partners-it-cant-go-on-like-this.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-02-22/spains-governing-coalition-partners-it-cant-go-on-like-this.htmlMon, 22 Feb 2021 11:23:55 +0000After just one year of life, Spain’s governing coalition is showing clear signs of fatigue. The Socialist Party (PSOE) is accusing its junior partner Unidas Podemos of behaving simultaneously like the government and the opposition. And the leftist group is charging the Socialists with failing to honor signed agreements on issues like capping the price of rent.

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]]><![CDATA[Deputy PM Pablo Iglesias makes surprise move to run in the Madrid regional elections]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-03-15/deputy-pm-pablo-iglesias-makes-surprise-move-to-run-in-the-madrid-regional-elections.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-03-15/deputy-pm-pablo-iglesias-makes-surprise-move-to-run-in-the-madrid-regional-elections.htmlMon, 15 Mar 2021 12:28:13 +0000What began as a power play in one of Spain’s smaller regions last week has snowballed into a series of unexpected moves and counter-moves that are changing the country’s political landscape.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s Catholic Church agrees to return around 1,000 properties irregularly listed to its name]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2022-01-25/spains-catholic-church-agrees-to-return-around-1000-properties-irregularly-listed-to-its-name.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2022-01-25/spains-catholic-church-agrees-to-return-around-1000-properties-irregularly-listed-to-its-name.htmlTue, 25 Jan 2022 11:56:09 +0000The Spanish Catholic Church admitted on Monday that nearly 1,000 properties that it registered to its name between 1998 and 2015 do not really belong to the institution. The admission is intended to bring to an end a long-running scandal but not everyone is satisfied with the result.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish government makes legal move that could see Franco-era crimes prosecuted ]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-11-17/spanish-government-makes-legal-move-that-could-see-franco-era-crimes-prosecuted.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-11-17/spanish-government-makes-legal-move-that-could-see-franco-era-crimes-prosecuted.htmlWed, 17 Nov 2021 16:09:28 +0000The two parties that make up the coalition government in Spain, the Socialist Party (PSOE) and junior partner Unidas Podemos, have filed an amendment to the draft Democratic Memory Law that seeks to ensure that crimes committed during the regime of former dictator Francisco Franco no longer go unpunished. The agreement between the two groups – which could also see the Valley of the Fallen monument in Madrid renamed – has been reached three days before November 20, the day that Franco died in 1975.

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]]>Samuel Sanchez<![CDATA[Podemos lawmaker quits party, vows to go to European court over controversial loss of seat in Spain ]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-10-25/podemos-lawmaker-quits-party-vows-to-go-to-european-court-over-controversial-loss-of-seat-in-spain.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-10-25/podemos-lawmaker-quits-party-vows-to-go-to-european-court-over-controversial-loss-of-seat-in-spain.htmlMon, 25 Oct 2021 11:01:20 +0000A young Spanish politician who became a symbol of change when he joined parliament in 2016 will fight a decision revoking his seat after he was found guilty of assaulting a police officer.

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]]><![CDATA[Labor reforms and the abolition of prostitution: Spain’s prime minister sets out policy targets at party congress]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-10-18/labor-reforms-and-the-abolition-of-prostitution-spains-prime-minister-sets-out-policy-targets-at-party-congress.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-10-18/labor-reforms-and-the-abolition-of-prostitution-spains-prime-minister-sets-out-policy-targets-at-party-congress.htmlMon, 18 Oct 2021 08:17:49 +0000Former Spanish prime ministers Felipe González and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero were present this weekend at their Socialist Party’s (PSOE) 40th Federal Congress, which was held over three days at the Fira de Valencia conference center in the eastern Mediterranean city. The presence of the historical leaders at the event cemented a message of unity transmitted by the governing party, and the congress also saw current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez set out his policy targets for the coming years. These include overturning labor reforms introduced by the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the so-called “gag law,” as well as abolishing prostitution.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish PM makes plea for multilateralism at tense UN meeting in New York]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-09-23/spanish-pm-makes-plea-for-multilateralism-at-tense-un-meeting-in-new-york.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-09-23/spanish-pm-makes-plea-for-multilateralism-at-tense-un-meeting-in-new-york.htmlThu, 23 Sep 2021 11:36:24 +0000The volcanic eruption in La Palma, in Spain’s Canary Islands, has forced Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to minimize his presence at the United Nations General Assembly annual debate in New York.

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]]><![CDATA[In Spain, central and regional leaders hopeful despite their differences after meeting on future of Catalonia]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/catalonia/2021-09-16/in-spain-central-and-regional-leaders-hopeful-despite-their-differences-after-meeting-on-future-of-catalonia.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/catalonia/2021-09-16/in-spain-central-and-regional-leaders-hopeful-despite-their-differences-after-meeting-on-future-of-catalonia.htmlThu, 16 Sep 2021 09:28:44 +0000A long-awaited meeting between central and Catalan authorities in Spain over the future of the northeastern region ended on Wednesday without any groundbreaking progress, other than an agreement to keep meeting regularly for as long as it takes.

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]]><![CDATA[Ahead of talks with Spanish PM on future of Catalonia, coalition partners split over interlocutors]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/catalonia/2021-09-15/ahead-of-talks-with-spanish-pm-on-future-of-catalonia-coalition-partners-split-over-interlocutors.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/catalonia/2021-09-15/ahead-of-talks-with-spanish-pm-on-future-of-catalonia-coalition-partners-split-over-interlocutors.htmlWed, 15 Sep 2021 09:32:08 +0000Members of Spain’s central and Catalan governments are scheduled to meet on Wednesday in Barcelona for highly anticipated negotiations on the future of the northeastern region, where separatist politicians led an unsuccessful unilateral secession attempt in late 2017.

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]]><![CDATA[On US trip, Spanish PM seeks to soothe investment funds, touts progress of Covid-19 vaccination campaign ]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-07-22/on-us-trip-spanish-pm-seeks-to-soothe-investment-funds-touts-progress-of-covid-19-vaccination-campaign.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-07-22/on-us-trip-spanish-pm-seeks-to-soothe-investment-funds-touts-progress-of-covid-19-vaccination-campaign.htmlThu, 22 Jul 2021 08:40:33 +0000During the first day of his visit to the United States on Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez came face to face with the harsh reality of some of the biggest investment funds in the world’s biggest economy: they are not happy about a new housing law in Spain because it could limit rent rises, and they are also wary of labor reforms being prepared by the Spanish government after a deal was reached by Sánchez’s Socialist Party (PSOE) and its coalition partner, the leftist Unidas Podemos.

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]]><![CDATA[Aircraft alert cuts short Spanish, Lithuanian leaders’ press conference at Šiauliai air base]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-07-08/aircraft-alert-cuts-short-spanish-lithuanian-leaders-press-conference-at-siauliai-air-base.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-07-08/aircraft-alert-cuts-short-spanish-lithuanian-leaders-press-conference-at-siauliai-air-base.htmlThu, 08 Jul 2021 10:40:50 +0000A joint press conference by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda at Šiauliai air base in Lithuania was cut short on Thursday morning due to the presence of at least one unidentified Russian aircraft within the latter country’s airspace, according to government sources.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish PM backtracks on postponing talks with Catalan government]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2020-01-31/spanish-pm-backtracks-on-postponing-talks-with-catalan-government.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2020-01-31/spanish-pm-backtracks-on-postponing-talks-with-catalan-government.htmlFri, 31 Jan 2020 11:07:44 +0000This time it wasn’t weeks or days, but less than six-and-a-half hours. That is how long it took the Spanish government to do a U-turn on the key issue of talks about the future of Catalonia.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s coronavirus recovery plan gets green light from Brussels ]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2021-06-17/spains-coronavirus-recovery-plan-gets-green-light-from-brussels.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2021-06-17/spains-coronavirus-recovery-plan-gets-green-light-from-brussels.htmlThu, 17 Jun 2021 09:58:09 +0000The European Commission on Wednesday endorsed Spain’s €69.5 billion coronavirus recovery and resilience plan, giving it top scores on 10 out of 11 criteria under evaluation. Spain will receive €37 billion over the next year-and-a-half, subject to a series of reforms. But Brussels has accepted that Madrid will not provide specifics about pension and job market reform until after the government sits down for talks with unions and employers.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish PM meets with Catalan premier ahead of talks on region’s future]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2020-02-06/spanish-pm-meets-with-catalan-premier-ahead-of-talks-on-regions-future.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2020-02-06/spanish-pm-meets-with-catalan-premier-ahead-of-talks-on-regions-future.htmlThu, 06 Feb 2020 14:21:15 +0000Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez held a much-anticipated meeting with the Catalan regional premier Quim Torra today, as part of promised talks on the future of the northeastern Spanish region. The two politicians met at the seat of the premier in Catalonia, the Palau de la Generalitat, in the regional capital of Barcelona, and during their encounter Sánchez proposed that political dialogue starts this very month.

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]]>Massimiliano Minocri<![CDATA[Spanish government prepares measures to ease the country’s farming crisis]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-02-25/spanish-government-prepares-measures-to-ease-the-countrys-farming-crisis.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-02-25/spanish-government-prepares-measures-to-ease-the-countrys-farming-crisis.htmlTue, 25 Feb 2020 11:10:00 +0000The crisis in Spain’s agricultural sector has become one of the biggest political headaches for the Spanish government. Madrid is concerned that ongoing protests by farmers could spawn something similar to France’s gilets jaunes or yellow vests – a movement in support of economic justice that has been staging mass demonstrations in the country’s northern neighbor since late 2018.

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]]>Fermín Rodríguez <![CDATA[Catalan talks start with three hours of “therapy” about the origins of the crisis]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2020-02-28/catalan-talks-start-with-three-hours-of-therapy-about-the-origins-of-the-crisis.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2020-02-28/catalan-talks-start-with-three-hours-of-therapy-about-the-origins-of-the-crisis.htmlFri, 28 Feb 2020 11:55:53 +0000Contrary to expectations, the first round of talks between Spain’s central government and the Catalan authorities on the future of the northeastern region did not focus on how to resolve the ongoing political crisis in Catalonia, or whether the region has the right to hold a referendum on independence. Instead, representatives from both sides – who until recently appeared irreconcilable – spent nearly three hours on Wednesday discussing a historical issue: what were the origins of the Catalan crisis, and when do they date from?

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]]>Kiko Huesca (Efe)<![CDATA[Spanish PM calls for calm, warns of ‘difficult weeks’ ahead due to coronavirus crisis]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-03-11/spanish-pm-calls-for-calm-warns-of-difficult-weeks-ahead-in-face-of-coronavirus-crisis.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-03-11/spanish-pm-calls-for-calm-warns-of-difficult-weeks-ahead-in-face-of-coronavirus-crisis.htmlWed, 11 Mar 2020 08:02:02 +0000In an atmosphere that reflected the complexity of the situation caused by the novel coronavirus crisis, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke on Tuesday evening from La Moncloa prime ministerial palace to announce economic assistance for companies and families who are suffering from the epidemic. The aid will be particularly aimed at parents who are unable to go to work and need to take care of their children, as well as the sectors that have been most affected by the outbreak.

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]]>Andrea Comas<![CDATA[PM due to make statement after seven-hour debate on state of alert measures]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-03-14/cabinet-debating-banning-all-journeys-in-spain-apart-from-travel-to-work-or-to-buy-food.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-03-14/cabinet-debating-banning-all-journeys-in-spain-apart-from-travel-to-work-or-to-buy-food.htmlSat, 14 Mar 2020 18:28:28 +0000The Spanish Cabinet on Saturday was debating limiting the movement of citizens as much as possible in a bid to slow down coronavirus contagions in the country. Government ministers were discussing prohibiting all journeys in Spain that are not due to “force majeure,” but allowing trips so that people can get to work and purchase food. The decisions were included in a draft document produced at a special Cabinet meeting today ahead of the implementation of a state of alarm in Spain, a measure that was announced on Friday by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a bid to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

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]]>Efe<![CDATA[More Spanish politicians confirm they have been infected with the coronavirus]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-03-13/more-spanish-politicians-confirm-they-have-been-infected-with-the-coronavirus.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-03-13/more-spanish-politicians-confirm-they-have-been-infected-with-the-coronavirus.htmlFri, 13 Mar 2020 10:23:26 +0000The coronavirus outbreak in Spain has reached the heart of the government. On Thursday, the executive announced that the equality minister, Irene Montero of left-wing Unidas Podemos, had tested positive for the Covid-19 disease. “The minister is in a good condition, and the deputy prime minister, Pablo Iglesias, is in quarantine for this situation too,” the statement read, in reference to Montero’s partner, who is the leader of Unidas Podemos. The executive announced on Thursday that tests would be carried out on all members of the government for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. So far, only Carolina Darias, the minister for territorial policy, has also tested positive.

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]]>Santi Burgos<![CDATA[Face masks will still be obligatory in Spain after the state of alarm]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-06-06/face-masks-will-still-be-obligatory-in-spain-after-the-state-of-alarm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-06-06/face-masks-will-still-be-obligatory-in-spain-after-the-state-of-alarm.htmlSat, 06 Jun 2020 08:01:09 +0000Face masks are here to stay. Not only are they obligatory in Spain at the moment, while the state of alarm emergency measures are still in place, but they will also continue to be in the future, in the so-called “new normality,” until the government declares the coronavirus crisis to be completely over.

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]]>PACO PUENTES / EL PAÍS<![CDATA[Madrid region and Barcelona to remain in Phase 0, but with some coronavirus restrictions eased]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-05-16/madrid-region-and-barcelona-to-remain-in-phase-0-but-with-some-coronavirus-restrictions-eased.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-05-16/madrid-region-and-barcelona-to-remain-in-phase-0-but-with-some-coronavirus-restrictions-eased.htmlSat, 16 May 2020 07:54:54 +0000The Madrid region and the Catalan city of Barcelona will remain in Phase 0 of the national coronavirus deescalation plan, the central government announced on Friday after studying requests sent by the areas’ regional governments. The majority of the Castilla y León region will also stay in the first phase of the plan. However, all of these areas will see some small relaxations of the current measures.

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]]>Moncloa<![CDATA[Growing migrant crisis in Canary Islands pushes Spanish government to action]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-11-16/growing-migrant-crisis-in-canary-islands-pushes-spanish-government-to-action.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-11-16/growing-migrant-crisis-in-canary-islands-pushes-spanish-government-to-action.htmlMon, 16 Nov 2020 11:11:34 +0000The arrival of more than 16,000 migrants in the Canary Islands this year, and the fact that half of these arrivals took place over the last month, has pushed the Spanish government into action to deal with a growing humanitarian and political crisis.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s PM to self-isolate after French president tests positive for coronavirus]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-12-17/spains-pm-to-self-isolate-after-french-president-tests-positive-for-coronavirus.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-12-17/spains-pm-to-self-isolate-after-french-president-tests-positive-for-coronavirus.htmlThu, 17 Dec 2020 11:13:11 +0000Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is going into quarantine and canceling his agenda for the coming days after being in contact with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has tested positive for the coronavirus.

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]]>CHRISTIAN HARTMANN<![CDATA[Spanish PM vows to protect borders ‘with all necessary measures’ after thousands of migrants swim to Ceuta]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-05-18/spanish-pm-vows-to-protect-north-african-borders-with-all-necessary-measures-after-thousands-of-migrants-swim-ashore.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-05-18/spanish-pm-vows-to-protect-north-african-borders-with-all-necessary-measures-after-thousands-of-migrants-swim-ashore.htmlTue, 18 May 2021 16:47:38 +0000The dramatic arrival of thousands of irregular migrants from Morocco on Spanish shores has put the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on high alert. The Socialist Party (PSOE) leader canceled a trip to Paris on Tuesday and flew down to Ceuta, after having stated earlier in the day that “territorial integrity” would be defended after more than 7,000 people swam to the North African Spanish city from Morocco between Monday and Tuesday.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish government to extend state of alarm until April 26]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-04-04/spanish-government-prepares-to-extend-state-of-alarm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-04-04/spanish-government-prepares-to-extend-state-of-alarm.htmlSat, 04 Apr 2020 08:42:25 +0000Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Saturday that the government intends to extend the state of alarm, which was declared three weeks ago in a bid to slow the coronavirus outbreak, until April 26.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish government proposes new national pact for coronavirus recovery effort]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-04-03/spanish-government-proposes-new-national-pact-for-coronavirus-recovery-effort.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-04-03/spanish-government-proposes-new-national-pact-for-coronavirus-recovery-effort.htmlFri, 03 Apr 2020 09:11:55 +0000The Spanish government is trying to reduce the political tension ahead of an increasingly likely extension of the state of alarm, a move that could keep citizens at home until at least April 26.

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]]>Julián Rojas<![CDATA[Spain’s Congress of Deputies approves fourth extension to state of alarm]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-05-06/spanish-congress-approves-fourth-extension-to-state-of-alarm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-05-06/spanish-congress-approves-fourth-extension-to-state-of-alarm.htmlWed, 06 May 2020 16:54:42 +0000The Congress of Deputies voted on Wednesday to extend the state of alarm in Spain for another 15 days, maintaining the emergency powers this situation gives the government to deal with the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish government declares state of alarm]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-03-13/spanish-government-declares-state-of-alarm-in-bid-to-combat-coronavirus-spread.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-03-13/spanish-government-declares-state-of-alarm-in-bid-to-combat-coronavirus-spread.htmlFri, 13 Mar 2020 15:19:39 +0000The Spanish government announced on Friday that it was implementing a state of alarm for 15 days in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. Speaking during a press conference at around 3.30pm, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez informed the Spanish public that the Cabinet would meet tomorrow to put the measure into effect, allowing the government to temporarily restrict the movement of citizens. Fundamental rights, however, will not be affected.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish PM on coronavirus crisis: “The worst is yet to come” ]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-03-22/spanish-pm-on-coronavirus-crisis-the-worst-is-yet-to-come.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-03-22/spanish-pm-on-coronavirus-crisis-the-worst-is-yet-to-come.htmlSun, 22 Mar 2020 08:41:59 +0000The coronavirus crisis in Spain is going to worsen next week, and Spaniards must be prepared to face an even more difficult situation. That was the message from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during a national address on Saturday night to discuss the pandemic, which as of yesterday had claimed 1,350 lives in Spain.

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]]><![CDATA[Government counting on opposition support for coronavirus measures despite lack of dialogue]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-03-31/government-counting-on-opposition-support-for-coronavirus-measures-despite-lack-of-dialogue.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-03-31/government-counting-on-opposition-support-for-coronavirus-measures-despite-lack-of-dialogue.htmlTue, 31 Mar 2020 07:27:33 +0000The Spanish government will once again call on opposition parties in Congress to support its latest measures aimed at combating the spread of the coronavirus, easing the congestion caused by the Covid-19 disease in the country’s intensive care units, and tackling the effect the crisis is having on the Spanish economy.

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]]><![CDATA[“Do we have a deal, Pedro?”: an inside look at the clash at EU coronavirus summit]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-03-28/do-we-have-a-deal-pedro-an-inside-look-at-the-clash-between-eu-leaders-at-coronavirus-summit.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-03-28/do-we-have-a-deal-pedro-an-inside-look-at-the-clash-between-eu-leaders-at-coronavirus-summit.htmlSat, 28 Mar 2020 15:59:31 +0000It was Thursday, and government heads had gathered for a virtual European Council meeting to back a joint statement on a coordinated strategy against the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis. But too many hours had elapsed without an agreement, so Council President Charles Michel decided to take a recess with his team to seek some common ground.

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]]>MONCLOA/ BORJA PUIG DE LA BELLA<![CDATA[Spanish government adds more experts to task force preparing deescalation of confinement measures]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-04-15/spanish-government-adds-more-experts-to-task-force-preparing-deescalation-of-confinement-measures.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-04-15/spanish-government-adds-more-experts-to-task-force-preparing-deescalation-of-confinement-measures.htmlWed, 15 Apr 2020 07:20:27 +0000The Spanish government is currently working at at least three different speeds to combat the coronavirus crisis. One is the here and now, and which involves practically the entire executive, with the four key ministries – Health, Interior, Transportation and Defense – in charge, taking decisions every day to try to control the health emergency and palliate the effects it is having on the economy.

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]]>Pablo Monge<![CDATA[Spanish political parties close ranks around the government in battle against the coronavirus]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-03-17/spanish-political-parties-close-ranks-around-the-government-in-battle-against-the-coronavirus.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-03-17/spanish-political-parties-close-ranks-around-the-government-in-battle-against-the-coronavirus.htmlTue, 17 Mar 2020 07:58:26 +0000With the Spanish (and global) economy in freefall, the coronavirus pandemic still spreading, and citizens in Spain on lockdown in their houses, Spain’s political parties – including the opposition – opted on Monday to close ranks around Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), Pablo Casado, stated yesterday that he would support all of the measures that the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Unidas Podemos coalition government is taking, and avoided criticizing the actions of the executive, which declared a state of alarm in the country on Saturday, giving it greater powers to combat the ongoing health crisis.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish government secures support for sixth and final extension to state of alarm]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-05-31/spanish-government-secures-support-for-sixth-and-final-extension-to-state-of-alarm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-05-31/spanish-government-secures-support-for-sixth-and-final-extension-to-state-of-alarm.htmlSun, 31 May 2020 07:12:46 +0000The Spanish government has secured the support that it will need in the Congress of Deputies to pass a sixth extension to the ongoing state of alarm, which was first implemented by the Cabinet on March 14 in a bid to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

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]]>Quique García<![CDATA[Spain’s guaranteed minimum income scheme will reach 255,000 people by June 26, says PM]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-06-07/spains-guaranteed-minimum-income-scheme-will-reach-255000-people-by-june-26-says-pm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-06-07/spains-guaranteed-minimum-income-scheme-will-reach-255000-people-by-june-26-says-pm.htmlSun, 07 Jun 2020 16:34:09 +0000The Spanish government is seeking to convey messages of relief not just with regard to the coronavirus epidemic, but also the economy, with a view to starting a cross-party debate as soon as possible on a new budget. Speaking during a televised address on Sunday afternoon, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that his coalition government is making an unprecedented effort to supply the country’s regions with a €16 billion fund to be spent on health and education in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

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]]><![CDATA[Prime Minister Sánchez seeks final extension to state of alarm in Congress]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-06-03/spanish-government-seeks-final-extension-to-state-of-alarm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-06-03/spanish-government-seeks-final-extension-to-state-of-alarm.htmlWed, 03 Jun 2020 10:26:14 +0000Spain’s Congress of Deputies on Wednesday will vote on the sixth and final extension to the state of alarm that was decreed in mid-March by the Cabinet in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s PM puts final stage of coronavirus deescalation in hands of the regions]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-05-31/spains-pm-puts-final-stage-of-coronavirus-deescalation-in-hands-of-the-regions.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-05-31/spains-pm-puts-final-stage-of-coronavirus-deescalation-in-hands-of-the-regions.htmlSun, 31 May 2020 14:38:49 +0000Spain’s prime minister is speeding up both the deescalation of coronavirus confinement measures, and the country’s political tensions. Everything is moving faster than expected and Pedro Sánchez has made moves this weekend that have helped him recover his majority in Congress and thus strengthen his position ahead of having to tackle the impending economic crisis caused by the epidemic.

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]]><![CDATA[Despite opposition calls, Spanish government leaves coronavirus crisis in hands of the regions]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-08-25/despite-opposition-calls-spanish-government-leaves-coronavirus-crisis-in-hands-of-the-regions.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-08-25/despite-opposition-calls-spanish-government-leaves-coronavirus-crisis-in-hands-of-the-regions.htmlTue, 25 Aug 2020 08:46:18 +0000The Spanish government has taken a political decision when it comes to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, and will not change course unless the situation gets completely out of control: the country’s regional governments have all the powers to deal with the epidemic and will be taking the main decisions. That was what opposition parties in charge of these administrations were calling for in June, after more than three months under a state of alarm that saw the Socialist Party-Unidas Podemos government centralize control. Now, however, there are calls from Popular Party (PP)-run regional governments – such as that in Madrid – that the administration of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez should take over once more. But the government is holding fast.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s prime minister plays down crisis with coalition partner over upcoming budget]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-09-01/spains-prime-minister-plays-down-crisis-with-coalition-partner-over-upcoming-budget.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-09-01/spains-prime-minister-plays-down-crisis-with-coalition-partner-over-upcoming-budget.htmlTue, 01 Sep 2020 12:45:14 +0000A minor crisis between Spain’s governing coalition partners over the 2020 budget plan appears to be over, at least according to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the leader of the Socialist Party (PSOE).

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]]><![CDATA[Spain to get €140 billion from historic EU coronavirus recovery fund]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-07-21/spain-to-get-140-billion-from-historic-eu-coronavirus-recovery-fund.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-07-21/spain-to-get-140-billion-from-historic-eu-coronavirus-recovery-fund.htmlTue, 21 Jul 2020 09:06:29 +0000Spain will receive close to €140 billion over the next six years from a €750 billion coronavirus recovery fund that the 27 members of the European Union agreed on in the early hours of Tuesday following a marathon summit in Brussels.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish PM predicts creation of 800,000 jobs over next three years thanks to European recovery fund ]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-10-07/spanish-pm-predicts-creation-of-800000-jobs-over-next-three-years-thanks-to-european-recovery-fund.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-10-07/spanish-pm-predicts-creation-of-800000-jobs-over-next-three-years-thanks-to-european-recovery-fund.htmlWed, 07 Oct 2020 13:32:21 +0000Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, on Wednesday presented a financial plan for the remainder of his term in office that goes beyond drafting a new budget. The Socialist Party (PSOE) set out a Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan for the Spanish Economy that will be sent to Brussels in two weeks.

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]]><![CDATA[At no-confidence debate, Spain’s PM urges opposition PP “not to fall into the abyss of the far right”]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-10-21/at-no-confidence-debate-spains-pm-urges-opposition-pp-not-to-fall-into-the-abyss-of-the-far-right.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-10-21/at-no-confidence-debate-spains-pm-urges-opposition-pp-not-to-fall-into-the-abyss-of-the-far-right.htmlWed, 21 Oct 2020 16:33:37 +0000Spain’s far-right party Vox on Wednesday accused the center-left government of “destroying Spain, the rule of law and the constitutional monarchy” on day one of a highly charged debate inside Congress, which has been asked to consider a no-confidence motion filed by the ultranationalist group.

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]]><![CDATA[From ‘sterile’ to ‘betrayal’: idea of pardons for jailed Catalan leaders sparks political outrage in Spain]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-05-27/from-sterile-to-betrayal-idea-of-pardons-for-jailed-catalan-leaders-sparks-political-outrage-in-spain.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-05-27/from-sterile-to-betrayal-idea-of-pardons-for-jailed-catalan-leaders-sparks-political-outrage-in-spain.htmlThu, 27 May 2021 14:39:09 +0000The Spanish government’s apparent willingness to pardon leaders of the 2017 unilateral secession attempt in Catalonia, nine of whom have been in prison for more than three years, caused political outrage even before a formal decision has been announced.

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]]><![CDATA[Madrid region faces early election after infighting triggers political earthquake]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-03-10/madrid-region-faces-early-election-after-infighting-triggers-political-earthquake-in-spain.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-03-10/madrid-region-faces-early-election-after-infighting-triggers-political-earthquake-in-spain.htmlWed, 10 Mar 2021 17:39:55 +0000Spain’s butterfly effect began in the southeastern region of Murcia. The precarious balance between the country’s two main political blocs has been broken by what started out as a local move but that quickly snowballed into an event with national repercussions.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish prime minister: 33m people will be vaccinated by end of August]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-04-06/spanish-prime-minister-33-million-people-will-be-vaccinated-by-the-end-of-august.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-04-06/spanish-prime-minister-33-million-people-will-be-vaccinated-by-the-end-of-august.htmlTue, 06 Apr 2021 14:11:09 +0000Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sought to convey a message of optimism on Tuesday, at a press conference during which he committed to the vaccination of 33 million people, which is 70% of the adult population of Spain, by the end of August. Speaking at a time when doubts persist about the slower rate of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in the European Union, in particular, compared to countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, Sánchez also committed to fully vaccinating five million citizens by May 3, and 25 million by the week of July 19.

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]]><![CDATA[Popular Party takes victory in bitterly fought Madrid regional election]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-05-04/popular-party-takes-victory-in-bitterly-fought-madrid-regional-election-falling-just-short-of-majority.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-05-04/popular-party-takes-victory-in-bitterly-fought-madrid-regional-election-falling-just-short-of-majority.htmlTue, 04 May 2021 21:39:46 +0000Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who until a few years ago was pretty much unknown on the Spanish political scene, today consolidated her position as a genuine political phenomenon. The conservative Popular Party’s candidate was the big winner at Tuesday’s Madrid election, having managed to secure more seats in the regional assembly than the three leftist parties combined. With 99% of votes counted, Ayuso had taken 65 seats, just four short of the absolute majority of 69. Combined with the 13 seats of far-right Vox, the two parties secured 77 deputies in total compared to the 59 of the leftist bloc: 25 for the Socialist Party (PSOE), 24 for Más Madrid and 10 for Unidas Podemos. At the last regional elections, in 2019, the difference between right and left was just four seats. Now that number is 18. Madrid has shifted even further to the right.

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]]><![CDATA[Madrid election campaign descends into toxic battle ]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-04-27/madrid-election-campaign-descends-into-toxic-battle.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-04-27/madrid-election-campaign-descends-into-toxic-battle.htmlTue, 27 Apr 2021 08:03:51 +0000The campaign ahead of the May 4 regional elections in Madrid has exploded. In just a few days, the discourse has moved on from the passionate debate between the candidates on the Telemadrid regional TV channel about the handling of the pandemic, to a series of ever-more concerning criminal incidents and regular clashes involving words that are charged with meaning and history: fascism, democracy, communism and freedom.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s prime minister gears up for fight to extend state of alarm]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-05-04/spains-pm-gears-up-for-fight-to-extend-state-of-alarm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-05-04/spains-pm-gears-up-for-fight-to-extend-state-of-alarm.htmlTue, 05 May 2020 14:32:46 +0000Faced with growing political opposition to the state of alarm implemented in mid-March to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the Spanish government is seeking to extend its emergency powers by framing an upcoming vote in Congress as a choice between the “state of alarm or chaos.”

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]]><![CDATA[Spain backtracks on minister’s claim about reopening land borders with Portugal and France ]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-06-04/spain-corrects-decision-to-open-land-borders-with-portugal-and-france.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-06-04/spain-corrects-decision-to-open-land-borders-with-portugal-and-france.htmlThu, 04 Jun 2020 13:09:48 +0000The Spanish government has clarified that Spain will not open to international visitors until July 1, backtracking on Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto’s announcement on Thursday that restrictions to border crossings with Portugal and France would be lifted from June 22.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain considering reopening soccer stadiums to public before July 19 ]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2020-06-04/spain-considering-reopening-soccer-stadiums-to-public-before-july-19.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2020-06-04/spain-considering-reopening-soccer-stadiums-to-public-before-july-19.htmlThu, 04 Jun 2020 07:29:57 +0000The Spanish Health Ministry is considering allowing the public to attend soccer matches in stadiums before the season comes to an end on July 19.

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]]>Oficina de Prensa el Consejo Sup<![CDATA[Italian and Spanish PMs meet in Madrid ahead of EU recovery fund summit]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-07-08/italian-and-spanish-pms-meet-in-madrid-ahead-of-eu-recovery-fund-summit.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-07-08/italian-and-spanish-pms-meet-in-madrid-ahead-of-eu-recovery-fund-summit.htmlWed, 08 Jul 2020 16:05:13 +0000Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, was in Madrid on Wednesday for a meeting with his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist Party (PSOE), to discuss their countries’ joint strategy for an upcoming summit on the European Union’s coronavirus recovery fund.

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]]><![CDATA[The winners and losers from Sunday’s elections in Galicia and the Basque Country]]>https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2020-07-13/the-winners-and-losers-from-sundays-elections-in-galicia-and-the-basque-country.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/opinion/2020-07-13/the-winners-and-losers-from-sundays-elections-in-galicia-and-the-basque-country.htmlMon, 13 Jul 2020 12:48:31 +0000Sunday’s elections in Spain were in the Basque Country and Galicia regions, but they will have clear consequences for the national political scene. The winners of the polls yesterday are Galician premier Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the conservative Popular Party (PP) and Basque premier Iñigo Urkullu of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), but the problems are in Madrid.

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]]> <![CDATA[Spanish PM offers regions their own state of alarm if needed, plus 2,000 members of the military for contact tracing]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-08-25/spanish-pm-offers-regions-their-own-state-of-alarm-if-needed-plus-2000-members-of-the-military-for-contact-tracing.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-08-25/spanish-pm-offers-regions-their-own-state-of-alarm-if-needed-plus-2000-members-of-the-military-for-contact-tracing.htmlTue, 25 Aug 2020 14:16:55 +0000Speaking for the first time since his summer break, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez held a press conference on Tuesday during which he said that the “progress of the curve” of the coronavirus pandemic “is worrying in Spain,” adding that it “needed to be tackled.”

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]]>Olmo Calvo<![CDATA[Spanish government pressures Madrid to take tougher action against Covid-19 epidemic]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-09-23/spanish-government-pressures-madrid-to-take-tougher-action-against-covid-19.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-09-23/spanish-government-pressures-madrid-to-take-tougher-action-against-covid-19.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2020 09:06:41 +0000Spain’s central government has decided to indirectly take charge of the health crisis in the Madrid region, which is once again the epicenter of the Covid-19 epidemic in the country.

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]]>Oscar J. Barroso<![CDATA[Spanish government considering nationwide state of alarm to implement a curfew]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-20/spanish-government-considering-using-nationwide-state-of-alarm-to-implement-a-curfew.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-20/spanish-government-considering-using-nationwide-state-of-alarm-to-implement-a-curfew.htmlTue, 20 Oct 2020 13:14:58 +0000The Spanish government is considering introducing a nighttime curfew across the whole of the country, in a bid to bring down coronavirus infections. The executive believes, however, that it would need to do so under a state of alarm given that there is no other option that would give it the legal framework to limit a fundamental right such as that of movement in this way.

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]]>Andrea Comas<![CDATA[Spanish prime minister approves new state of alarm with plans to keep it in place until May]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-25/spanish-prime-minister-approves-new-state-of-alarm-with-plans-to-keep-it-in-place-until-may.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-25/spanish-prime-minister-approves-new-state-of-alarm-with-plans-to-keep-it-in-place-until-may.htmlMon, 26 Oct 2020 10:58:25 +0000The Spanish Cabinet on Sunday morning approved a new national state of alarm for the country, aimed at giving Spain’s regional governments the legal framework they need to limit mobility – in particular nighttime socializing – in a bid to combat the second wave of the coronavirus.

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]]>Borja Puig de la Bellacasa<![CDATA[‘Stop everything that has to be stopped’: The inside story of Spain’s coronavirus state of alarm]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-03-18/stop-everything-that-has-to-be-stopped-the-inside-story-of-spains-coronavirus-state-of-alarm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2021-03-18/stop-everything-that-has-to-be-stopped-the-inside-story-of-spains-coronavirus-state-of-alarm.htmlThu, 18 Mar 2021 08:38:41 +0000Just two years earlier, none of the three main protagonists taking the most difficult decision of a generation could have imagined doing so. Running fourth in the polls, Pedro Sánchez came to power through an unexpected no-confidence motion against then prime minister Mariano Rajoy of the conservative Popular Party (PP). Salvador Illa, a member of the Catalonia Socialist Party (PSC) and a philosophy graduate, never thought the Health Ministry was for him; and Fernando Simón, a high-ranking PP appointee, had kept to the wings since the Ebola crisis.

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]]>Paco Puentes<![CDATA[Spain declares disaster zones in areas hit by Storm Filomena]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-01-19/spain-declares-disaster-zones-in-areas-hit-by-storm-filomena.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-01-19/spain-declares-disaster-zones-in-areas-hit-by-storm-filomena.htmlTue, 19 Jan 2021 16:36:55 +0000The Spanish government on Tuesday declared disaster zones in the regions hit hardest by Storm Filomena last week.

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]]><![CDATA[Pardons for jailed Catalan independence leaders will be fast, limited and reversible]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2021-05-31/pardons-for-jailed-catalan-independence-leaders-will-be-fast-limited-and-reversible.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2021-05-31/pardons-for-jailed-catalan-independence-leaders-will-be-fast-limited-and-reversible.htmlMon, 31 May 2021 07:58:51 +0000Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is preparing to take the most delicate decision of his mandate so far, by issuing pardons for the Catalan independence leaders who were jailed for their role in the 2017 secessionist drive in the region. In contrary to what was expected, the pardons will not take place in August, a time when many Spaniards will be on vacation and not paying so much attention to the news, but in the clear light of day. The Cabinet meeting that will take the decision, one that will have a clear political cost for the government and will mark a defining moment in its current term, will take place at the end of June or early July, according to a number of sources from the government.

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]]><![CDATA[Diplomatic pressure curbs Spain’s migrant crisis in Ceuta, but hundreds of minors remain in limbo]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-05-20/diplomatic-pressure-curbs-spains-migrant-crisis-in-ceuta-but-hundreds-of-minors-remain-in-limbo.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-05-20/diplomatic-pressure-curbs-spains-migrant-crisis-in-ceuta-but-hundreds-of-minors-remain-in-limbo.htmlThu, 20 May 2021 09:34:50 +0000Morocco appeared on Thursday to have succumbed to pressure from Spain and the European Union over the migrant crisis in the Spanish North African city of Ceuta. After allowing thousands of people to cross into the exclave city on foot or by sea, Moroccan authorities decided once again to impose control at the border, a move that dramatically reduced the number of arrivals. Given Morocco’s unpredictability, the Spanish government was unwilling today to say the crisis was over but the latest developments indicated that it had clearly subsided. The main problem remaining was how to deal with the minors who entered and continued to enter Ceuta. A total of 740 migrant teens and children have been recorded, but the final count could be as high as 1,000.

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]]><![CDATA[In Spain, expiring emergency powers fuel political sparring over what comes next ]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-05-11/in-spain-expiring-emergency-powers-fuel-political-sparring-over-what-comes-next.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-05-11/in-spain-expiring-emergency-powers-fuel-political-sparring-over-what-comes-next.htmlTue, 11 May 2021 16:09:42 +0000The emergency powers used by Spain to fight the spread of the coronavirus have been a source of political friction ever since the first state of alarm was declared in March 2020. But now that this legal framework has expired, the confrontation shows no signs of letting up.

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]]><![CDATA[Madrid premier receives death threat letter amid tense campaign]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-04-28/new-death-threat-letter-raises-tension-ahead-of-madrid-election.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/2021-04-28/new-death-threat-letter-raises-tension-ahead-of-madrid-election.htmlWed, 28 Apr 2021 09:36:18 +0000The head of Spain’s Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, is the latest politician to have received death threats in the mail during a highly confrontational campaign ahead of a regional election on May 4. The government has intensified security around the candidates.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s PM says €140bn in EU funds will deliver greatest economic transformation since the 1980s]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2021-04-13/spains-pm-says-140b-in-eu-funds-will-deliver-greatest-economic-transformation-since-the-1980s.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2021-04-13/spains-pm-says-140b-in-eu-funds-will-deliver-greatest-economic-transformation-since-the-1980s.htmlTue, 13 Apr 2021 16:02:47 +0000Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday offered some insight into the way that €140 billion in European recovery funds will be spent in the coming years.

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