Juan Carlos I of Spain
Photo: Irekia, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- Oct 11
Felipe VI closes Melilla visit, saying the city is Spain and Europe
King Felipe VI closed his two-day visit to Ceuta and Melilla on Wednesday, 14 October, with a message on sovereignty and the EU border. The Melilla leg included a ceremony at the Assembly, a school visit and crowds of thousands in Plaza de España.
- Oct 9
Mohammed VI rejects Spanish pressure and says the Ceuta migration cooperation model has reached its limits
In his first public remarks on Spain since the Ceuta crisis, Mohammed VI told parliament in Rabat that the partnership cannot be subject to threats or blackmail, and that Morocco will present a new strategic vision to its EU partners.
- Oct 1
Spain schedules first royal visit by King Felipe VI to Ceuta and Melilla for 13 and 14 October
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will travel to Spain's North African enclaves on 13 and 14 October 2026, marking their first official trip to the autonomous cities since the 2014 royal succession.
- Sep 20
Juan Carlos I receives Prix Saint-Simon in France for his memoirs Reconciliación
The 88-year-old former Spanish monarch accepted the honour in La Ferté-Vidame alongside family members after attending a regatta in Galicia.
- Sep 17
Sumar proposes wealth tax for child support as Ernest Urtasun weighs leadership role
Spain's junior coalition partner has submitted legislation for a 3% tax on fortunes exceeding 50 million euros to fund universal child support, as Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun indicates willingness to lead the alliance.
- Sep 9
King Felipe VI convenes defense minister and top military chiefs over Ceuta border crisis
King Felipe VI held an unannounced meeting at Zarzuela Palace with Defense Minister Margarita Robles and Spain's military leadership to evaluate national defense in Ceuta following July border crossings.
- 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
Ceuta court expels 12 migrants as tunnel fire reveals subterranean camp and Morocco arrests 10
A Spanish court ordered five-year expulsions for 12 Moroccan nationals following assaults on soldiers, hours after a blaze in sealed military tunnels near the university campus uncovered dozens living underground.
- 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.
