- 4d ago
Spain approves €21B regional funding reform despite opposition from 13 regions
The Fiscal and Financial Policy Council approved a 20,975 million euro financing model backed by Catalonia and the Canary Islands, while 13 regions opposed the measure.
- Aug 22
Spain rejects Moroccan sovereignty claims over Ceuta and Melilla following television remarks
Madrid delivered a formal diplomatic rejection after Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi called for bilateral talks on the status of Ceuta and Melilla.
- Aug 15
Shanghai Ranking 2026: Spain loses eight universities from the world's top 1,000, drops to 30
The 2026 Shanghai Ranking (ARWU), published on 15 August, places 30 Spanish universities among the world's top 1,000, down from 36 a year earlier. Eight institutions dropped out while only two entered, as Chinese campuses continued to gain ground.
- Aug 4
Ceuta migrant surge leaves at least 88 dead as Morocco faces internal backlash and Spain braces for next crisis
More than 70,000 people crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week in a surge that Moroccan and Spanish officials now blame on misinformation, while independent tallies put the death toll at 88 and rising.
- Jul 30
Spanish High Court opens criminal probe into Ceuta mass crossing as port camp is prepared
Judge María Tardón opened a criminal inquiry on 7 September into whether Moroccan authorities facilitated the July border surge, while Spain prepared a 16,000-square-metre port camp to house remaining arrivals.
- Jul 28
Fiscal council delayed to Sept 4, giving PP regions five weeks to weigh 20.975 billion euro funding reform
The Spanish Finance Ministry postponed the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council from July 29 to September 4 at the request of PP-governed regions, while Catalonia and the Canary Islands are expected to back a reform that would inject an extra 20.975 billion euros into regional coffers.
- Jul 14
Spain and Britain dismantle Gibraltar border fence, ending 116 years of land controls and opening Schengen access
The metal barrier known as 'la verja,' in place since 1909, was lifted by crane at midnight on 15 July 2026, hours after Brussels and London signed a treaty aligning the British Overseas Territory with the Schengen zone six years post-Brexit.
- Jul 11
Rajoy's 'no Frenchmen' column on France's World Cup team ignites cross-border political storm before Spain-France semifinal
Former Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy's column saying France's World Cup squad plays 'without Frenchmen' has been condemned as racist by both French and Spanish officials, overshadowing tonight's Spain-France semifinal.
- Jul 7
Spain approves record €226bn spending ceiling for 2027, setting stage for budget battle and possible early elections
The Spanish government has approved a non-financial spending limit of €226,032 million for 2027, a 6.6% increase, as it prepares an expansive budget that could double as an electoral platform ahead of possible early general elections.
- Jul 6
Spain's government faces near-unanimous regional revolt over new financing model, with only Catalonia backing the plan
Fourteen of Spain's fifteen common-regime autonomous communities, including two governed by the ruling Socialists, have declared they will vote against the government's new regional financing model, leaving Catalonia as the sole supporter ahead of a decisive 29 July vote.
- Jun 19
King Felipe and Princess Leonor fly together for the first time on a training mission over the Mar Menor
The Spanish royal household has released images of King Felipe VI and his heir flying separate Pilatus PC-21 aircraft in a joint training exercise at the San Javier air academy, coinciding with the 12th anniversary of his accession.
- Jun 15
Valencia leader opens door to financing talks with Spain's government but insists on multilateral forum
After a cordial but inconclusive meeting with Finance Minister Arcadi España, Valencian president Juanfran Pérez Llorca said he would accept a new autonomous financing model only if debated jointly by all regions, while his government will abide by any congressional debt write-off.
- Jun 9
Pope Leo XIV concludes Madrid visit with royal meeting and packed Bernabéu event
Pope Leo XIV ended his apostolic visit to Madrid with a private audience with Queen Sofía and her family, before a joyous diocesan gathering at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium that drew up to 80,000 faithful and included a mix of music, personal testimonies and liturgical pageantry.
- Jun 5
Pope Leo draws 1.2 million to Madrid Mass, urges Europe to overcome 'sterile simplifications'
Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass at Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles before a crowd of 1.2 million on Sunday, the centrepiece of a week-long Spanish visit focused on migration, peace and a call for Europe to reject divisive politics.
