<![CDATA[EL PAÍS]]>https://english.elpais.comSun, 17 May 2026 10:39:05 +0000en1hourly1<![CDATA[The auction of two Rothkos and a De Kooning injects optimism into New York Art Week]]>https://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-05-15/the-auction-of-two-rothkos-and-a-de-kooning-injects-optimism-into-new-york-art-week.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-05-15/the-auction-of-two-rothkos-and-a-de-kooning-injects-optimism-into-new-york-art-week.htmlFri, 15 May 2026 12:46:00 +0000New York offers a very good indicator of where the world’s great fortunes are headed. And the first signs suggest that, despite the uncertainty surrounding the crisis in Iran, the wealthy are eager to spend their money, especially on art. This is the conclusion of the Sotheby’s auction held this Thursday, which marks the start of the biggest week of art in the financial capital of the United States. Mark Rothko’s painting “Brown and Blacks in Reds” sold for $85.8 million (with fees), very close to the Latvian-born American painter’s record of $86.9 million. This abstract painting from 1957 had a pre-sale estimate of between $70 and $100 million.

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]]>John Nacion<![CDATA[The drums of war are beating louder in eastern Germany: ‘Here, we still remember what Germany owes to Russia’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-22/the-drums-of-war-are-beating-louder-in-eastern-germany-here-we-still-remember-what-germany-owes-to-russia.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-22/the-drums-of-war-are-beating-louder-in-eastern-germany-here-we-still-remember-what-germany-owes-to-russia.htmlSat, 22 Mar 2025 04:00:00 +0000Wünsdorf is only 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Berlin, but a vast chasm separates this town in eastern Germany from the thoughts of the country’s political and intellectual elites. Just as the Bundestag is racing to spend whatever it takes to confront Vladimir Putin’s Russia, here, in this locality that during the Cold War hosted the largest Soviet military base outside the borders of the USSR, time seems to pass more slowly. Here, the 20th century is still very much in focus. And it serves to answer many of the questions of the 21st century.

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]]>ÓSCAR CORRAL<![CDATA[Najib Mikati, prime minister of Lebanon: ‘Trump is a pragmatic man. I hope he will impose a solution for Palestine’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-13/najib-mikati-prime-minister-of-lebanon-trump-is-a-pragmatic-man-i-hope-he-will-impose-a-solution-for-palestine.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-13/najib-mikati-prime-minister-of-lebanon-trump-is-a-pragmatic-man-i-hope-he-will-impose-a-solution-for-palestine.htmlFri, 13 Dec 2024 13:32:57 +0000Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati arrives in Spain at a particularly sensitive moment for the Middle East. The ceasefire brokered between Israel and the Shiite militia Hezbollah in his country was followed just days later by the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. As the regional puzzle pieces are being reshuffled to create a new, still-elusive order, the situation in Lebanon remains extremely complicated. Mikati, 69, has been labeled an interim leader for more than two years, governing alone due to the parties’ failure to agree on a president. This institutional vacuum, combined with Israel’s ongoing war with Hezbollah, has exacerbated an economic crisis that, by 2022, had already pushed 80% of the population into poverty.

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]]>Claudio Álvarez<![CDATA[NATO’s number two official: ‘Putin’s nuclear threat is in the logic of psychological intimidation rather than in real intentions’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-01/natos-number-two-official-putins-nuclear-threat-is-in-the-logic-of-psychological-intimidation-rather-than-in-real-intentions.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-01/natos-number-two-official-putins-nuclear-threat-is-in-the-logic-of-psychological-intimidation-rather-than-in-real-intentions.htmlFri, 01 Mar 2024 12:30:06 +0000As deputy secretary general of NATO, Mircea Geoană has spent the last four and a half years monitoring the growing threats from Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Shortly before this interview was held, the head of the Kremlin launched his most explicit nuclear threat since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The social democratic politician’s response to Moscow’s rhetoric is calm but firm. His own arguments revolve around a forceful idea: that the members of the North Atlantic Alliance have done a lot to help the invaded country and must continue to do so. But above all, that they must not fall into despair in the face of difficulties.

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]]>Samuel Sánchez<![CDATA[Heather Conley: ‘Europe should prepare itself for Trump’s return as it would for a storm’]]>https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-02-01/heather-conley-europe-should-prepare-itself-for-trumps-return-as-it-would-for-a-storm.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-02-01/heather-conley-europe-should-prepare-itself-for-trumps-return-as-it-would-for-a-storm.htmlThu, 01 Feb 2024 12:13:04 +0000In the face of growing challenges around the world, Heather Conley calls for a modicum of optimism. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning,” jokes the president of U.S. think tank German Marshall Fund (GMF). On a visit to Madrid, the former high-ranking government official from the United States, who left her public post to work in analysis, focuses her words on the importance of improving transatlantic relations, a link that is imperiled by the looming threat of Donald Trump’s return after the November election. Conley also warns of the very negative consequences a Vladimir Putin victory in Ukraine could have for the West.

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]]>Andrea Comas<![CDATA[Russian journalist Maria Pevchij: ‘Time is on Putin’s side in Ukraine’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-06/russian-journalist-maria-pevchij-time-is-on-putins-side-in-ukraine.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-06/russian-journalist-maria-pevchij-time-is-on-putins-side-in-ukraine.htmlWed, 06 Dec 2023 20:20:56 +0000Maria Pevchij — journalist, activist and former associate of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny — recently visited Madrid to investigate the properties, yachts and other luxury assets of Russian oligarchs in Spain. “We’re on the hunt for Russian assets outside the country, and Spain happens to be one of the favorite places to invest corrupt Russian money,” she said in our interview. “In Malaga and Marbella, we saw mansion after mansion owned by Russians, and even a golf club owned by a deputy prime minister. Unfortunately, they were eagerly welcomed here until very recently. Nobody bothered to ask any questions,” said Pevchij, who is the director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), an organization that was classified in 2019 as a “foreign agent” by the Russian government.

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]]>Claudio Álvarez<![CDATA[Ukraine fights against one of its worst enemies: oblivion]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-26/ukraine-fights-against-one-of-its-worst-enemies-oblivion.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-26/ukraine-fights-against-one-of-its-worst-enemies-oblivion.htmlSun, 26 Nov 2023 17:06:24 +0000TThe meeting takes place in a warehouse in Kiev where medicines, emergency kits and other products are collected for Ukrainian soldiers fighting at the front. Taras, a 45-year-old volunteer who casts here all the free time his job leaves him, asks not to reveal the location so as not to give clues to the enemy. “Of course we are tired after almost two years of large-scale invasion,” he admits at one point in the conversation. “Many people ask me about war fatigue. And yes, of course there is. But in addition to fatigue, we are furious with the Russians and very proud of our resilience. To those who doubt, I ask only one thing: to step aside, not to stand in the way of our victory,” he concludes solemnly.

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]]>VALENTYN OGIRENKO<![CDATA[Josep Borrell, vice-president of the European Commission: ‘Putin is sacrificing his army and his people to survive’ ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-08-20/josep-borrell-vice-president-of-the-european-commission-putin-is-sacrificing-his-army-and-his-people-to-survive.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-08-20/josep-borrell-vice-president-of-the-european-commission-putin-is-sacrificing-his-army-and-his-people-to-survive.htmlSun, 20 Aug 2023 10:54:07 +0000Editing is, above all, deciding what to leave out. And it’s not easy to edit an almost 100-minute-long interview with Josep Borrell about the war in Ukraine, the coup in Niger, the unstoppable rise of China, the rise of the far-right around half the world and the political situation in Europe. But we’ve done our best.

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]]>Álvaro García<![CDATA[Historian Serhii Plokhy: ‘The fate of the war is already clear: Ukraine will be independent and Russia will be tremendously weakened’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-12-01/historian-serhii-plokhy-the-fate-of-the-war-is-already-clear-ukraine-will-be-independent-and-russia-will-be-tremendously-weakened.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2022-12-01/historian-serhii-plokhy-the-fate-of-the-war-is-already-clear-ukraine-will-be-independent-and-russia-will-be-tremendously-weakened.htmlThu, 01 Dec 2022 16:01:27 +0000Serhii Plokhy, one of Ukraine’s foremost historians, has spent his entire career trying to unearth his country’s dramatic but also fascinating history and free it from what he calls “imperial misrepresentations.” Born in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod but raised in Ukraine and holding dual US-Ukrainian citizenship, Plokhy has directed the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University since 2013.

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]]>Kristina Conroy <![CDATA[The luck of the Ukrainian oligarchs is beginning to change]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2022-06-28/the-luck-of-the-ukrainian-oligarchs-is-beginning-to-change.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2022-06-28/the-luck-of-the-ukrainian-oligarchs-is-beginning-to-change.htmlTue, 28 Jun 2022 17:25:53 +0000In the room of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, in his residence on the outskirts of Kyiv, there is no trace of the Picassos or the Aivazovskys that used to hang on its walls. What does remain are the gigantic empty dressing rooms where the president’s girlfriend once had a space with capacity for a thousand rings. There were also many, many television sets. In the ample residence where the couple lived more than comfortably, there were up to 18 Samsung sets, sometimes several in the same room. Books, on the other hand, were practically non-existent.

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]]><![CDATA[Plunging stocks, remote work: The economic effects of the coronavirus in Spain]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-03-10/plunging-stocks-remote-work-the-economic-effects-of-the-coronavirus-in-spain.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-03-10/plunging-stocks-remote-work-the-economic-effects-of-the-coronavirus-in-spain.htmlTue, 10 Mar 2020 10:20:15 +0000As Spain began to roll out more restrictive measures on Monday to deal with the growing effects of the coronavirus, the economic fallout continued on its own expansion path.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s tourism industry rails against new face mask rules: ‘They are going to turn beaches into field hospitals’]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2021-04-01/spains-tourism-industry-rails-against-new-face-mask-rules-they-are-going-to-turn-beaches-into-field-hospitals.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2021-04-01/spains-tourism-industry-rails-against-new-face-mask-rules-they-are-going-to-turn-beaches-into-field-hospitals.htmlThu, 01 Apr 2021 12:15:57 +0000After a punishing year, the Spanish tourism sector is desperately in need of good news. But instead, the new law making face masks mandatory in all public spaces regardless of the distance between people has come as an additional blow. Until now, the law only imposed the use of masks if a safe distance of 1.5 meters could not be respected.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain headed for record deficit level, according to IMF]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-10-14/spain-headed-for-record-deficit-level-according-to-imf.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-10-14/spain-headed-for-record-deficit-level-according-to-imf.htmlWed, 14 Oct 2020 10:20:02 +0000Besides leaving one million dead in its wake and changing lifestyles on a global scale, the coronavirus pandemic has also laid waste to the economic projections made by all governments, including that of Spain.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s economy will shrink more than most in 2020, says IMF]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-10-13/spains-economy-will-shrink-more-than-most-in-2020-says-imf.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-10-13/spains-economy-will-shrink-more-than-most-in-2020-says-imf.htmlTue, 13 Oct 2020 15:34:50 +0000Spain is once again in the lead when it comes to the effects of the global coronavirus pandemic. After experiencing the biggest contraction in the entire European Union between April and June, and heading the second wave of infections, the country is now headed for the biggest decline in activity of all developed economies in 2020.

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]]><![CDATA[Facing another election, Spanish economy feels effects of the stalemate]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/11/07/inenglish/1573143718_272785.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/11/07/inenglish/1573143718_272785.htmlThu, 07 Nov 2019 16:46:29 +0000The government that emerges from Spain’s parliamentary election on Sunday – if one is formed at all – will have an increasingly complicated situation to deal with on many fronts, including the economic one.

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]]>L. RICO<![CDATA[Could France’s state rail operator bring “low-cost” train travel to Spain?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/04/09/inenglish/1554818376_373996.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/04/09/inenglish/1554818376_373996.htmlWed, 10 Apr 2019 08:03:01 +0000Trains with more seats and that run for more hours every day. Doing away with all services apart from those that are strictly necessary and that do not compromise safety. More flexible ticket prices, adapted to the needs of groups such as families, young people and seniors. Minimizing costs until a high-speed train ticket costs around half of what it cost under the traditional model. This is the model that the French rail firm SNCF has successfully implemented in its country, and that it now wants to export to Spain.

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]]>ALBERT GARCIA<![CDATA[Taxis vs Uber: A war between very similar enemies]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/01/29/inenglish/1548749144_862481.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/01/29/inenglish/1548749144_862481.htmlTue, 29 Jan 2019 10:07:43 +0000Customers of taxis and ride-booking services want very similar things: chiefly, to travel from point A to point B in the city. But while these two activities may be practically interchangeable, they are regulated in completely different ways.

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]]><![CDATA[Today’s Spanish youths are worse off than a decade ago]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/11/28/inenglish/1543402455_039592.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/11/28/inenglish/1543402455_039592.htmlThu, 29 Nov 2018 07:45:21 +0000Spaniards under the age of 30 are poorer and more pessimistic than the “mileuristas” (a neologism for people earning €1,000 a month) of a decade ago, despite being better prepared for the workplace.

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]]><![CDATA[IMF softened its 2012 report on Spain to reduce alarm]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/10/05/inenglish/1538725615_725829.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/10/05/inenglish/1538725615_725829.htmlFri, 05 Oct 2018 08:45:33 +0000In July 2012, Spain was struggling through its third straight year of recession since the beginning of the crisis in 2008. A staff team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wrote a report describing the outlook for the eurozone’s fourth largest economy as “bleak.” But the final document instead used the more neutral “very difficult.”

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]]>AFP/Getty Images GEORGES GOBET<![CDATA[Is Airbnb driving up rents? Spain’s competition commission says no]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/08/15/inenglish/1534342257_093148.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/08/15/inenglish/1534342257_093148.htmlThu, 16 Aug 2018 06:48:26 +0000Just a week ago, Spain’s National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) announced that it would be challenging the decision of the cities of Madrid, Bilbao and San Sebastián to limit the activity of accommodation websites such as Airbnb. And this week, in a report published on Monday, the watchdog – an autonomous public entity that “promotes and defends proper functioning of all markets, in the interest of consumers and businesses,” according to its website – released a report in defense of the accommodation platform’s model.

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]]>LIONEL BONAVENTURE<![CDATA[IMF warns about Spanish economy’s vulnerability from external imbalance]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/07/25/inenglish/1532509088_328662.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/07/25/inenglish/1532509088_328662.htmlWed, 25 Jul 2018 10:46:04 +0000Spain’s net international investment position (NIIP), or the difference between its external financial assets and liabilities, has improved from -94% of GDP in 2009 to -81% in 2017. Despite this improvement, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is warning about the potential risks it poses to the Spanish economy.

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]]>Aly Song<![CDATA[Barack Obama meets with prime minister on family trip to Spain]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/07/09/inenglish/1531139327_826721.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/07/09/inenglish/1531139327_826721.htmlMon, 09 Jul 2018 15:38:38 +0000Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has met with former US president Barack Obama in Madrid. It was “a cordial meeting of two people who know a lot about how to lead a country,” said government spokesperson Isabel Celaá at a press conference. “Short but interesting.”

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]]>Fernando Calvo<![CDATA[The rising stakes of Bitcoin]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/12/18/inenglish/1513585622_499872.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/12/18/inenglish/1513585622_499872.htmlTue, 19 Dec 2017 16:26:48 +0000Félix Brezo has come to terms with the fact that he is never going to retrieve the $6,630 he lost in Bitcoin assets. In reality, the money never existed as such in his wallet. A computer scientist, Brezo bought 39 cents in Bitcoins five years ago, worth at the time no more than $2.

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]]><![CDATA[Errors, falsehoods and half-truths about the economy of an independent Catalonia]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/10/24/inenglish/1508829623_178407.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/10/24/inenglish/1508829623_178407.htmlTue, 24 Oct 2017 15:51:52 +0000Oriol Junqueras, Catalonia’s deputy premier and head of the economy department for the region, published a report on October 15 titled La situació de l’economia en un Estat català (The situation of the economy in a Catalan state). This document listed the reasons why an independent Catalonia is a viable, desirable project. Yet the 13 pages are filled with erroneous statistics – such as claims that the Catalan gross domestic product (GDP) is like Denmark’s. There are also half-truths, like the assertion that the business flight from the region will not have any effects on the economy. And there are entirely false statements, such as the claim that an independent Catalan state would have guaranteed access to the European Single Market. The following is an EL PAÍS analysis of the report’s more questionable passages.

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]]>PAU BARRENA<![CDATA[Corporate flight damages Catalonia’s image]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/10/09/inenglish/1507551190_284793.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/10/09/inenglish/1507551190_284793.htmlTue, 10 Oct 2017 10:11:56 +0000Barcelona, which the Financial Times once defined as the best city to live in, made the front page of Europe’s financial publications last week. This is because several major listed companies – including CaixaBank, Banco Sabadell, Gas Natural and Agbar – decided to join a growing list of small and medium enterprises moving their corporate headquarters out of Catalonia over fears of political turmoil should a declaration of independence be announced.

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]]><![CDATA[How many more tourists can Spain cope with?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/08/14/inenglish/1502705815_322526.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/08/14/inenglish/1502705815_322526.htmlMon, 14 Aug 2017 12:32:24 +0000With residents in some parts of Barcelona and the Balearics resentful toward visitors they accuse of pricing them out of the rental market, the measures taken by the Balearic government could become a model for other regions in Spain struggling to cope with increasing numbers of tourists.

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]]>Joan Sanchez<![CDATA[How a US private-equity group just became Spain’s new real estate giant]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/08/10/inenglish/1502382393_471618.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/08/10/inenglish/1502382393_471618.htmlThu, 10 Aug 2017 16:55:28 +0000The purchase was made from Spain’s Banco Santander, which in June bought the struggling Banco Popular for one euro in order to prevent its collapse. Like many other Spanish lenders, Popular had suffered from exposure to bad loans following the slump in the property market after a decade-long boom that ended in early 2008.

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]]>Samuel Sánchez<![CDATA[As economy improves, Spaniards are taking vacations again]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/07/31/inenglish/1501488204_102163.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/07/31/inenglish/1501488204_102163.htmlMon, 31 Jul 2017 09:16:06 +0000The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT) does not keep separate figures on Spanish and foreign visitors, but it is confident that 2017 will be a record year for both.

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]]>JAVIER HERNÁNDEZ JUANTEGUI<![CDATA[Spanish-born German spy and terror suspect starred in gay porn films]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/12/01/inenglish/1480587543_795474.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/12/01/inenglish/1480587543_795474.htmlThu, 01 Dec 2016 12:24:17 +0000But the story doesn’t end there. According to US newspaper The Washington Post, a search of the suspect’s home on November 16 took an unexpected turn with agents turning up films in which the alleged jihadist had starred as a gay porn actor before becoming radicalized.

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]]>Oliver Dietze<![CDATA[Brussels starts sanction proceedings against Spain over budget miss]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/07/06/inenglish/1467792896_126457.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/07/06/inenglish/1467792896_126457.htmlWed, 26 Oct 2016 09:39:46 +0000On Tuesday, the European Commission concluded that Spain, just like Portugal, did not take “effective measures” to reduce the deficit, which stood at 5.1% of GDP in 2015 compared with the target of 4.2%. But this does not necessarily mean that there will be sanctions against them in the end.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain tops euro zone for political risk to the economy, says ECB]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/05/25/inenglish/1464168056_368975.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/05/25/inenglish/1464168056_368975.htmlWed, 25 May 2016 12:02:11 +0000As if the European economy did not have enough to deal with, with stunted growth levels, a seemingly endless crisis in Greece and a global slowdown, the European Central Bank (ECB) has detected another risk: the populist movements mushrooming across the continent.

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]]>KAZUHIRO NOGI<![CDATA[“The sooner there is a responsible government in Spain, the better”]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/05/17/inenglish/1463471229_014238.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/05/17/inenglish/1463471229_014238.htmlTue, 17 May 2016 11:29:17 +0000In an interview with EL PAÍS in late 2014, Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann was very critical of the debt restructuring plan defended at the time by the Spanish anti-austerity party Podemos.

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]]>Bernd Hartung<![CDATA[Police appeal for help over mystery murder of Spaniard on Berlin street]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/11/11/inenglish/1447239049_977193.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/11/11/inenglish/1447239049_977193.htmlWed, 11 Nov 2015 11:08:09 +0000Police in Germany are struggling to solve the mysterious murder of a 26-year-old Spanish man who was stabbed in the middle of a Berlin street on Saturday night.

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]]><![CDATA[Are these the 10 best streets in Europe?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/06/19/inenglish/1434719390_167164.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/06/19/inenglish/1434719390_167164.htmlMon, 22 Jun 2015 14:08:51 +0000Streets that have an air of freedom and the good life to them; streets that are best explored on foot or on two wheels; streets where the influence of local entrepreneurs is clear to see, and that embody the spirit of the cities of which they are part.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish youngsters lack workplace computer skills, says OECD]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/05/29/inenglish/1432900532_192382.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/05/29/inenglish/1432900532_192382.htmlMon, 01 Jun 2015 13:00:53 +0000Computer skills are increasingly important when it comes to finding a job. But according to a survey published last week by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), young Spaniards and Italians are particularly disadvantaged in this field compared to youngsters from other advanced economies: almost 50 percent of Spaniards aged between 16 and 29 lack experience in the use of computers in their jobs, says the OECD.

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]]><![CDATA[Germanwings pilot hid illness from employers and colleagues]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/03/27/inenglish/1427457827_055030.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/03/27/inenglish/1427457827_055030.htmlFri, 27 Mar 2015 12:17:06 +0000The public prosecutor in Düsseldorf announced on Friday that Andreas Lubitz, the 27-year-old co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight, “hid” an illness from his employers and his colleagues. The nature of that illness, however, has not been specified.

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]]>STRINGER<![CDATA[Spanish workers in Germany unite in defense of their labor rights]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/06/30/inenglish/1404117952_274795.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/06/30/inenglish/1404117952_274795.htmlMon, 30 Jun 2014 08:51:39 +0000It’s been a familiar scene in these recent years of crisis, which have pushed many into economic exile: a group of young Spaniards gets together in a bar in a European city, or some other part of the world. But the twenty- and thirtysomethings sharing beers last Wednesday in the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg have more in common than just having left behind a country where more than half of those aged under 25 are unemployed. After also leaving Spain because of the crisis, they are now getting organized to help those who emigrated later and, once in the so-called “German paradise,” found themselves in jobs with abusive conditions or salaries clearly below those paid to local workers.

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]]>Júlia Soler.<![CDATA[Germany cancels scheme designed to attract young jobless from abroad]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/04/16/inenglish/1397657287_424479.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/04/16/inenglish/1397657287_424479.htmlThu, 17 Apr 2014 10:34:26 +0000The German government has announced that it is closing its The Job of My Life program, set up at the beginning of last year to attract young people from some of Europe’s hardest-hit economies – such as Greece and Spain – to work in Germany.

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]]>Björn Kietzmann<![CDATA[“I thought the Germans were serious”]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/04/17/inenglish/1397729152_931619.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/04/17/inenglish/1397729152_931619.htmlThu, 17 Apr 2014 10:34:26 +0000Lidia López and Nabil Kaddaure have a lot in common. They are both Spaniards from regions where being young and unemployed pretty much go together. The two signed up to the German government’s The Job of My Life program hoping to learn both German and a profession. After spending time at a hotel/school in Rostock, the two say that they feel cheated that the German government has suspended the scheme, which provided funding for young people from hard-hit regions of Europe.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels denies receiving Spain’s request for border help]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/18/inenglish/1392745992_847962.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/18/inenglish/1392745992_847962.htmlTue, 18 Feb 2014 17:58:14 +0000Illegal immigration is once again affecting relations between the Spanish authorities and Brussels. After last week demanding explanations and threatening disciplinary action against Spain over the death of 15 sub-Saharans trying to enter the North African exclave of Ceuta, the European Commission on Tuesday poured cold water on a Spanish Interior Ministry request for help dealing with the migratory pressure on its borders.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels: Spain must explain use of rubber bullets in migrant tragedy]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/14/inenglish/1392410803_256988.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/14/inenglish/1392410803_256988.htmlFri, 14 Feb 2014 20:49:24 +0000The European Commission on Friday said it would demand explanations from Spain as to why authorities used rubber bullets to try to deter a large group of sub-Saharan migrants as they made a desperate attempt to enter Ceuta from Morocco on February 6.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels discovers the mysticism of Francisco de Zurbarán]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/09/inenglish/1391955869_351329.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/09/inenglish/1391955869_351329.htmlSun, 09 Feb 2014 14:27:48 +0000After walking up and down the hallways of the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, visitors finally come to one last painting by the 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán: Saint Luke as a Painter, before Christ on the Cross. This artwork sums up an entire lifetime devoted to religious painting, and makes viewers wonder about the real identity of the man holding the palette and brushes. Is it really Luke, the patron saint of artists? If so, why don't we see any trace of his halo of sanctity?

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]]><![CDATA[“There is no San Mamés case”]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/18/inenglish/1387381295_679838.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/18/inenglish/1387381295_679838.htmlWed, 18 Dec 2013 15:46:24 +0000Spanish EU competition commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, on Wednesday confirmed reports that the European Commission is to investigate seven Spanish Liga clubs for receiving illegal financial aid. Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo took the unusual step of pre-announcing the probe after a meeting in Brussels on Monday, and named Real Madrid, Barcelona, Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Elche and Hércules as the clubs that will be looked into. However, the minister erred in one respect: there is to be no investigation into the financing for Athletic’s new San Mamés stadium. “There is no San Mamés case,” Almunia, a lifelong Athletic supporter, said Wednesday.

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]]>OLIVIER HOSLET<![CDATA[Illegal public aid to Spanish clubs prompts Brussels to open investigation]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/17/inenglish/1387307268_128321.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/17/inenglish/1387307268_128321.htmlTue, 17 Dec 2013 19:23:16 +0000Brussels is preparing to tear apart the links between soccer, public administrations and construction firms in Spain. Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo announced on Monday that the European Commission was launching an investigation into seven Spanish soccer clubs over allegations that they received illegal public financial aid.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels to investigate possible illegal state aid to Liga clubs]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/16/inenglish/1387214441_486283.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/16/inenglish/1387214441_486283.htmlMon, 16 Dec 2013 17:20:35 +0000Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo announced Monday that the European competition authorities are to open an investigation into seven Liga clubs for receiving illegal public funding. The teams in question are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Elche and Hércules.

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]]><![CDATA[Spaniard wins European Book Prize]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/06/inenglish/1386354145_750854.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/06/inenglish/1386354145_750854.htmlFri, 06 Dec 2013 18:35:13 +0000The story of Anthony Whitelands, an Englishman who discovers a painting attributed to Velázquez right before outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, has earned author Eduardo Mendoza the European Book Prize. This is the first time that a Spaniard has won an award that was created in 2007 to support European culture.

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]]>Álvaro García<![CDATA[Idea of an independent Catalonia gets a NATO no-go]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/04/inenglish/1386167889_511691.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/04/inenglish/1386167889_511691.htmlWed, 04 Dec 2013 14:41:38 +0000The European Union has made it clear on many occasions that if Catalonia, or Scotland, decide to become independent, they will be excluded from the collective and will have to negotiate their re-entry with the 28 member states, all of which have a vote. Now, NATO has said the same will apply.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain seeks Eurogroup support for draft 2014 budget]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/24/inenglish/1385304924_047252.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/24/inenglish/1385304924_047252.htmlSun, 24 Nov 2013 14:56:39 +0000At the Eurogroup meeting held on Friday Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos was hoping to canvas support from his European colleagues for Spain's draft 2014 budget after the European Commission suggested the government risked missing its deficit targets.

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]]><![CDATA[EU gives approval to Spain’s increased checks at Gibraltar border]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/15/inenglish/1384535592_400027.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/15/inenglish/1384535592_400027.htmlFri, 15 Nov 2013 17:17:17 +0000Spain did not infringe European regulations by establishing tougher criteria for people wanting to cross the border from Gibraltar, the European Commission has said.

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]]>MARCOS MORENO<![CDATA[No further spending cuts needed to meet 2014 deficit target, minister claims]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/15/inenglish/1384534048_883464.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/15/inenglish/1384534048_883464.htmlFri, 15 Nov 2013 16:50:00 +0000Just hours after the European Commission warned that Spain was at risk of missing its deficit-reduction target for next year of 5.8 percent of GDP, Economy Minister Luis de Guindos reaffirmed the government’s commitment to meeting that goal and insisted no further spending cuts would be needed to do so.

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]]><![CDATA[Europe endorses Spain’s exit from bailout program]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/14/inenglish/1384452628_454182.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/14/inenglish/1384452628_454182.htmlThu, 14 Nov 2013 18:13:32 +0000The Eurogroup on Thursday put an end to Spain’s banking bailout program, saying that Spanish financial institutions won’t need any more assistance after January.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels slams Spain's latest claims on Erasmus funding as "rubbish"]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/12/inenglish/1384262815_597008.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/12/inenglish/1384262815_597008.htmlTue, 12 Nov 2013 13:31:42 +0000The European Commission (EC) has contradicted the announcement made on Monday by Spain’s Education Ministry that the country would be losing out on funds from Brussels next year for the Erasmus exchange program. The education minister, José Ignacio Wert, said that the number of students eligible for grants could fall from the current level of 40,000 by around half during the next academic year.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels calls on telecoms regulator to change Telefónica price proposal]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/10/28/inenglish/1382981660_033901.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/10/28/inenglish/1382981660_033901.htmlMon, 28 Oct 2013 17:35:27 +0000It is not the first time that Brussels has warned the Spanish telecommunications regulator, the CNMC, that its program of regulated prices benefits the leading operator, Telefónica. But the statement released on Monday was clear: the European Commission believes the system Telefónica applies to its rivals for using its broadband network means regulated prices up to 50 percent higher than they would be in an efficient market.

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]]><![CDATA[“Egypt must not fall to extremists,” says EU special envoy Bernardino León]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/23/inenglish/1377256352_941609.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/23/inenglish/1377256352_941609.htmlSun, 25 Aug 2013 11:37:46 +0000The European Union's special representative for the Southern Mediterranean, Spaniard Bernardino León, says that he foresaw a difficult summer, but that events have proved more complicated than expected as result of what the EU calls the "military intervention" in Egypt and the ensuing violence that has left an estimated 900 people dead. León talked to EL PAÍS earlier this week, ahead of the EU emergency meeting that saw Brussels suspend licenses for arms exports to Egypt. Last November the EU pledged a five-billion-euro aid package for Egypt. It consists of one billion directly from the EU, with the rest to come from the EU-associated European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. But most is already frozen because of EU concerns about corruption in Egypt. The EU says it has sent about 450m euros to Egypt in the last three years.

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]]>Luis Sevillano<![CDATA[EC Rock mission to listen to both sides]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/21/inenglish/1377086684_762901.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/21/inenglish/1377086684_762901.htmlWed, 21 Aug 2013 12:39:20 +0000The conversation between Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and European Commission (EC) President José Manuel Durão Barroso on Monday has cleared up the role that Brussels will play in the row over Gibraltar. An EC technical mission due to travel to the Rock shortly to investigate allegations of wrongdoing from both Britain and Spain will be directed by Brussels, but also take into account the views of Spanish and British authorities.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels to send observers to Gibraltar as dispute widens]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/19/inenglish/1376923966_971412.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/19/inenglish/1376923966_971412.htmlMon, 19 Aug 2013 17:05:07 +0000Brussels is to act as a mediator in the ongoing diplomatic conflict between Spain, the UK and Gibraltar, it has been decided.

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]]><![CDATA[Would the Latvian model fit Spain?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/16/inenglish/1376652621_535842.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/16/inenglish/1376652621_535842.htmlFri, 16 Aug 2013 13:44:46 +0000There is hope for Spain, at least that's what Olli Rehn believes. Writing in his blog on August 6, the EU's commissioner for economic affairs said Spain need not resign itself to soaring unemployment levels and weak economic growth. But recovery will require Spaniards to make sacrifices - such as a 10-percent salary cut - following the examples of Ireland and Lithuania, which he describes as "two success stories."

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels cool on Spanish proposal to lift visas for Colombians and Peruvians]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/13/inenglish/1376394936_866540.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/13/inenglish/1376394936_866540.htmlTue, 13 Aug 2013 11:57:04 +0000The European Commission announced on Monday that it may consider next year whether travel visa requirements should be lifted for the citizens of Colombia and Peru, as proposed by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

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]]><![CDATA[British PM Cameron “concerned” over Spain-Gibraltar conflict]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/05/inenglish/1375715479_266050.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/05/inenglish/1375715479_266050.htmlMon, 05 Aug 2013 15:17:54 +0000British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday said he was “seriously concerned” about the situation at the border between Gibraltar and Spain, according to a UK government spokesman. He also pointed out that Spain had not officially informed it of its plan to turn up the pressure on the British colony.

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]]><![CDATA[EU finance ministers agree on seven-year budget ahead of summit]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/27/inenglish/1372346976_138343.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/27/inenglish/1372346976_138343.htmlThu, 27 Jun 2013 15:31:50 +0000After weeks of negotiations, the European Commission and the European Parliament reached a final agreement on Thursday on the seven-year budget for the period 2014-2021. For the first time ever, the amount agreed — 960 billion euros — cuts real spending, due to the ongoing economic crisis.

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]]><![CDATA[Europe’s great cucumber debate]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/12/inenglish/1371040868_331936.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/12/inenglish/1371040868_331936.htmlWed, 12 Jun 2013 12:53:37 +0000If the initiative had prospered, on January 1, 2014 every single restaurant from Athens to Helsinki would have had to eliminate the refillable oil dispensers that customers use to dress their salads or add flavor to their bread while they wait for the main course. Instead, establishments would have had to provide single-dose packages or sealed bottles to prove that there really is olive oil inside and that nobody has refilled the cruets with a lower-quality product.

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]]>SANTI BURGOS<![CDATA[European Parliament votes in support of eviction bill]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/11/inenglish/1370974435_511188.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/11/inenglish/1370974435_511188.htmlTue, 11 Jun 2013 18:16:06 +0000The European Parliament on Tuesday approved a report calling on governments within the EU to seek alternatives to eviction and adopt measures “that will prevent evicted families from continuing to make mortgage payments.”

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]]><![CDATA[European Parliament steps up pressure on Spain on mortgages]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/09/inenglish/1370804365_228936.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/09/inenglish/1370804365_228936.htmlSun, 09 Jun 2013 19:00:24 +0000The European Union is about to deliver a new blow to Spain’s mortgage legislation. After granting the 2013 European Citizen Award to PAH, an activist group that demands that banks accept homes in return for canceling the debt of struggling borrowers, this week the European Parliament is set to approve a report with recommendations like “the renegotiation of debt or dation in payment for debtors or bankrupt families.”

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels eases Spain’s deficit target for this year to 6.5 percent of GDP]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/05/29/inenglish/1369834893_547583.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/05/29/inenglish/1369834893_547583.htmlWed, 29 May 2013 14:14:01 +0000The European Commission on Wednesday confirmed that Spain will be given more time to reach its deficit-reduction targets as a result of the weak state of the economy.

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]]>Virginia Mayo<![CDATA[Brussels sees risk of Spanish recession continuing into 2014]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/04/10/inenglish/1365603186_127501.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/04/10/inenglish/1365603186_127501.htmlWed, 10 Apr 2013 14:16:06 +0000The European Commission on Wednesday warned that Spain’s macroeconomic imbalances could cause the current recession in the country to extend into next year.

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]]><![CDATA[Cyprus crisis could spread, Spain's economy minister warns]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/03/24/inenglish/1364153974_595268.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/03/24/inenglish/1364153974_595268.htmlSun, 24 Mar 2013 19:39:17 +0000Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said on Sunday that unless countries including Spain reached a "conclusive decision" at Sunday's emergency meeting of finance ministers, the Cyprus crisis could spread to other European countries.

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]]>Jock Fistick<![CDATA[Spain says bank deposits “sacred” as Cypriot parliament rejects levy plan]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/03/19/inenglish/1363719453_547903.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/03/19/inenglish/1363719453_547903.htmlTue, 19 Mar 2013 18:58:54 +0000In response to plans to make Cypriot savers foot part of the bill for a bailout of its banking system, Economy Minister Luis de Guindos on Tuesday said that bank deposits of under 100,000 euros in Spain are “sacred.”

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]]><![CDATA[European Court rules Spanish mortgage law is abusive]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/03/14/inenglish/1363264199_406548.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/03/14/inenglish/1363264199_406548.htmlThu, 14 Mar 2013 20:27:19 +0000The European Court of Justice on Thursday ruled that Spain’s mortgage law is incompatible with a European directive on abusive practices in consumer contracts, opening the door to more legal protection for households facing eviction from their family home.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish PP sees end of line for fishing as EC rules on discards]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/02/07/inenglish/1360266997_379731.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/02/07/inenglish/1360266997_379731.htmlThu, 07 Feb 2013 19:49:45 +0000What the main representatives of the fishing sector consider suicide is, from an ecological point of view, an historic advance. One thing on which both parties do agree is the importance of the vote made this week in the European Parliament. The Strasbourg chamber gave the green light to a report submitted by German eurodeputy Ulrike Rodust that signals the end of the practice of throwing unwanted catch — the vast majority dead fish — back into the ocean.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels fines Telefónica and Portugal Telecom for non-competition pact]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/01/23/inenglish/1358952710_360192.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/01/23/inenglish/1358952710_360192.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2013 14:53:51 +0000The European Commission on Wednesday slapped a fine of 66.8 million euros on Telefónica and 12.3 million on Portugal Telecom for agreeing a non-aggression pact in their respective domestic markets in breach of European Union competition rules.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish banks receiving EC aid will have to cut balance sheets by over 60 percent]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/11/28/inenglish/1354111890_269226.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/11/28/inenglish/1354111890_269226.htmlWed, 28 Nov 2012 14:16:49 +0000The European Commission will require Spanish banks receiving European funds to recapitalize to slim down their operations by more than 60 percent by 2017, the EC said Wednesday.

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]]><![CDATA[Mas warns of campaign to derail Catalan secessionist drive]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/11/05/inenglish/1352118286_961616.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/11/05/inenglish/1352118286_961616.htmlMon, 05 Nov 2012 12:20:46 +0000Catalonia regional premier Artur Mas warned on Sunday that there were people both inside and outside Spain who want to derail the independence process that his government is attempting to organize through a referendum, planned for next year.

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]]>ALBERTO ESTÉVEZ<![CDATA[IMF asks for non-viable Spanish banks to be wound down]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/10/26/inenglish/1351269790_765609.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/10/26/inenglish/1351269790_765609.htmlFri, 26 Oct 2012 16:45:38 +0000After a 10-day review in Madrid, the European Commission, the IMF and the European Central Bank (ECB) have given a favorable opinion of the Spanish government’s efforts to clean up the banks that were nationalized in order to save them from going under.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s main unions call for general strike on November 14]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/10/17/inenglish/1350495208_363904.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/10/17/inenglish/1350495208_363904.htmlWed, 17 Oct 2012 17:34:07 +0000Spain’s main labor unions, CCOO and UGT, plan to call a general strike for November 14 to protest the government’s austerity drive, just eight months after the last country-wide stoppage.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels urges Rajoy to make mind up on second bailout for Spain]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/17/inenglish/1347894926_675953.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/17/inenglish/1347894926_675953.htmlMon, 17 Sep 2012 15:18:20 +0000European Commission Vice President Joaquín Almunia on Monday urged the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to make its mind up soon about asking for a second bailout.

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]]><![CDATA[Brussels holds back bailout funds until needs of banks clarified]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/02/inenglish/1346612396_051947.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/02/inenglish/1346612396_051947.htmlSun, 02 Sep 2012 19:08:33 +0000At the end of July, the Economy Ministry announced that “in a question of days, or at the most weeks,” 30 billion euros of emergency funds would be transferred to Spain from Brussels. The money was to form the first part of the European bailout of Spain’s banks, with a total of 100 billion euros due to be used to recapitalize the country’s stricken lenders. The majority of the money was destined for Bankia, which has requested 19 billion euros of assistance.

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]]><![CDATA[Is Spain finally going to be for rent?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/06/04/inenglish/1338818690_762457.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/06/04/inenglish/1338818690_762457.htmlMon, 04 Jun 2012 14:18:07 +0000Housing has become a chronic problem in Spain. But it was already a vexed issue during the property bubble of the last decade, when thousands of citizens were priced out of the market while thousands of others got themselves mortgaged for life. And it continues to be a problem now, when the financial crisis and soaring unemployment are preventing young people from moving out of their parents' homes even as the growing number of mortgage defaults are throwing entire families out on the street.

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]]>CARLOS ROSILLO<![CDATA[Europe braces itself for bailout dilemma: who gets the money?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/06/03/inenglish/1338748551_943173.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/06/03/inenglish/1338748551_943173.htmlSun, 03 Jun 2012 18:36:49 +0000With each passing week tightening the pressure on Spain’s banking sector, more and more European Union officials are coming round to the idea that Spain will eventually need a bailout. “They have to stop throwing out figures. Where are you going to get the dozens of billions of euros to recapitalize the Spanish financial sector? The current market conditions make it impossible to obtain it there,” said one EU source.

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]]><![CDATA[High-speed link to nowhere]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/03/26/inenglish/1332786230_883989.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/03/26/inenglish/1332786230_883989.htmlMon, 26 Mar 2012 19:24:05 +0000Spain has decided to continue with its leg of the planned Madrid-Lisbon high-speed train link despite the decision last week of the government of Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho to abandon the project.

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]]><![CDATA[Home prices see biggest fall since property bubble burst]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/03/15/inenglish/1331839244_147404.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/03/15/inenglish/1331839244_147404.htmlThu, 15 Mar 2012 19:22:59 +0000The fourth quarter of 2011 saw average home prices in Spain fall the most since the property bubble burst, dropping 11.2 percent from the same period in 2010, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said in a press release on Thursday.

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]]><![CDATA[Labor-reform protestors slam “incompetent politicians”]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/02/20/inenglish/1329767338_152701.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/02/20/inenglish/1329767338_152701.htmlMon, 20 Feb 2012 20:01:55 +0000Madrid isn’t Athens and — except for one minor skirmish, when a group of demonstrators threw eggs filled with yellow paint at labor leaders — Sunday’s massive march against labor reform went without a hitch.

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]]>