Date Published: 27/11/2021

Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Nov 27

As the new year creeps up on us (we’re nearly in December already!), public organisations and private companies inevitably start looking ahead to see what changes they can slip through to be able to exert greater control over, and squeeze more money out of, average people (or ‘consumers’ as they are known).

Featured Article: All of which means to say, look out if you’re travelling to Spain or another EU country from outside of the European Union because there are two important new rules that travellers should be aware of for 2022:

Firstly, passports will no longer be stamped by border control guards for anyone coming into Spain from outside the EU but will just be swiped on digital scanners to better keep track of non-EU citizens’ compliance with the ‘90 days in 180’ rule. This will not apply to anyone who is resident in Spain.
Secondly, there will be a new kind of travel permit that by the end of next year will be obligatory for travel in the Schengen Zone by citizens of countries that are visa-exempt. This only applies only to tourists and those on business trips of less than 90 days, not people who have permanent residency in Spain or those who have a visa. The permit costs 7 euros, you can apply online and it will remain valid for three years.

Correos wrongly charging VAT on letters from outside the EU

So much for the European Commission making changes to travel rules. Now if only the Correos postal service in Spain would make changes to their payment policy for 2022 as well.

It has come to light that many UK, US, Canadian and Australian residents in Spain are being charged on the doorstep by overzealous postal workers for personal correspondences and private documents, when these should not carry any sort of import duty.

Commercial goods and anything that has a monetary value are liable to be taxed when they come into the EU from outside and go through border control, but letters and documents that aren’t worth anything are supposed to be exempted from such taxation. That’s not stopping delivery people from Correos demanding money upfront to hand over post coming from Britain or other non-European countries when they shouldn’t.

It’s thought that the confusion comes from a lack of understanding of what rules apply after Brexit, but really that’s no excuse. Correos head office knows the rules perfectly well, and it wouldn’t take too much for them to hold a few training workshops to let their workers know when to charge import duty and when to just put the post through the letterbox.

And when you’re put on the spot, given the choice between paying five or ten euros to get your important post or having it taken away to a warehouse somewhere, what can you do? Try to argue the finer points of international taxation law with the postman? Or just shrug your shoulders and fork over the cash?

If you’ve experienced this, make a note of the code on the package (‘código de envío’) and, if you ended up paying the charge even though you shouldn’t have, ask for a receipt or proof of payment (‘justificante del pago del IVA’). This should be enough to contact Correos directly and open a complaints procedure to reclaim any money that was mistakenly charged.

But if you do feel like educating your local postie, have at it!

Rain, wind and snow

Across many parts of the east coast of Spain, temperatures plummeted this week and lashing rains and even snow has been reported in some areas. The ‘isolated high-depression’ DANA storm coming down from the north of Spain brought with it a polar air mass that has caused a sharp drop in temperatures over the course of this week, prompting yellow and orange weather warnings to light up the map of Spain like a grotesque Christmas tree. Now, storm ‘Arwen’ is predicted to blanket much of the country in snow over the weekend, putting eleven communities on alert.

In Cartagena over the weekend, 15 people had to be rescued from several partially submerged vehicles, one of which was a Policía Local squad car that was washed down a street in Los Dolores after 100 litres of rainwater per square metre fell in just under two hours.

There was even snow in the Region of Murcia on Wednesday morning, November 24 – the first snowfall of winter in the Sierra Espuña and some other high-altitude areas over 1,000 metres in the northeast of the Region. There isn’t set to be anything like the same kind of weatherfront this weekend, thankfully, as skies are forecast to remain clear and sunny for the most part, though it will get noticeably colder.

It was the strong winds of up to 87 kilometres per hour that caused the most mischief in Andalucía last weekend, with trees and telephone poles being blown over and blocking roads, while several people were reported injured by falling debris

Parts of Alicante province and the rest of the Valencia region also saw snowfalls and flash floods after the storm brought heavy rainfall. Poor Elche was hit by a freak hailstorm and even a small tornado, while the town of Roswell (no, not that one) saw 48.6 litres/sqm of rain and one of the central motorway tunnels in Valencia city was closed due to flooding.

This weekend in Alicante and Valencia may see much of the same, though hopefully not as dramatic. Aemet has issued a yellow warning for wind and localised storms for much of the region, with temperatures expected to drop significantly and gusts of wind up to 80km/h, along with snowfall likely at altitudes as low as 800 metres.

Although it’s just a light dusting of snow not more than a centimetre thick that’s fallen up until now, it was still enough to prompt the DGT to issue advice on how to drive safely in snow and ice in Spain. This includes driving slowly and using snow chains or special winter tyres with a minimum depth tyre thread of 1.6 millimetres. In fact, if you don’t do these things, or if you use your headlights when you shouldn’t, you can get a fine of up to 200 euros, according to additional information released by the DGT about the most common driving fines issued in winter in Spain. It’s also worth being aware of the 80-euro sanction you can get for defective wiper blades and a further 200 euros for driving with a damaged windshield or windows.

Property news

Just a couple of recent developments in the real estate sector in Spain, as experts are predicting that rental prices could soon go up. Since the Consumer Price Index, one of the main indicators of inflation, keeps going up and up, this may lead to rents sprialling out of control for those whose monthly rental fees are linked to the CPI (or IPC as it’s known in Spain).

For the average two-bedroom apartment costing around 700 euros a month, a 5.4% increase each month would mean tenants have to pay 450 euros more each year, which many families won’t be able to afford what with the price of everything else from petrol to food to toys going up too.

If you rent a home in Spain, be sure to check when the contract was signed. This is for two reasons: firstly, because the rent can only go up in accordance with the CPI once a year, when the contract comes up for renewal; and secondly, unless it’s expressly written in the contract, landlords are only allowed to update the price annually based on the CPI if the agreement was made before April 1 2015.

On the other hand, there is now one less obstacle for those looking to purchase a home on the Murcia coast and parts of Alicante as far as Torrevieja as a requirement on foreign property buyers to get a special military permit has now been abolished.

Up until now, this obscure law hanging over from Franco period in 1975 dissuaded a lot of people from outside the EU from purchasing homes as the red tape could mean it took up to eight months to get the special permit, which was put in place as a security measure around the Tentegorra military base in Cartagena.

It’s worth noting that the new repeal of this law simply means that military permits will no longer be required for homes in areas classified as urban land, but houses on undeveloped plots will still need authorisation from the Ministry of Defence.

Travel news

Aside from the new EU travel rules set to come into force next year, there have been a couple of announcements in Spain this week that are sure to make travellers happy. First, in Murcia the regional government agreed a plan with airport operations company Aena to relaunch Corvera Airport, also known as Murcia International Airport. The new plan aims to guarantee the long-term recovery of the airport and grants several economic reprieves to the airport in the hopes of easing the burden of the pandemic, which has decimated air travel for more than a year and a half.

The main points agreed by the plan include the aim to recover air traffic by reducing or suspending fees until the economic scenario is more favourable. They’ve also come up with a plan to reduce excess spending at the airport by cutting back on unnecessary maintenance work given the limited use the airport has received of late, while healthcare services at the airport have also been scaled to more accurately reflect the number of passengers.

From the air to the ground, a new high-speed rail service called ‘iryo’ was launched last week to give Renfe trains a run for their money. Due to start operations from the second quarter of 2022, the new operator will manage 30% of Spanish railway services connecting Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Seville, Málaga, Córdoba and Zaragoza… and that’s just in the first phase of their rollout!

This is great news for anyone looking for an environmentally friendly travel alternative as iryo promises that their trains are the only ones in the world that have the Environmental Product Declaration (EDP), being made with 95% recyclable material. This means they save 80% of carbon dioxide per person per journey and are the “most sustainable, fastest and quietest in Europe”.

Coronavirus

There is little good news this week regarding the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic unfortunately, as although the Spanish figures are lower than much of Europe, the 14-day incidence rate in Spain has still skyrocketed to reach 160 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The vaccination rate continues at its steady pace, with 89.2% of people in Spain now double jabbed, while the European Medicines Agency has given the green light to administering a lower dose of the Pfizer vaccine to children aged between 5 and 11 years old, the group with by far the highest incidence rate at the moment.

On a positive note, the hospitality industry is rejoicing as the Ministry of Health has decided against imposing capacity limits and earlier closing times on bars and restaurants in favour of altering the Covid ‘traffic light system’. The new barometer will have four risk levels and the idea is that restrictions won’t have to be imposed until communities reach the ‘very high’ point, which has been increased from 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants to 500.

While the autonomous communities and the Ministry of Health continue to battle it out over extending the use of the Covid passport to bars, restaurants and nightclubs, the EU has made a U-turn and plans to limit the validity of the digital certificate to nine months after the second vaccination has been received. The reasoning behind this move is that the limitation will encourage more people to avail themselves of the third booster dose and should make travel within Europe safer overall.

The EU has also had its first case of the ‘nu variant’ of coronavirus, a new strain which has been detected in southern Africa and has its first European victim in Brussels, no less. Following advice from the EU, Spain banned flights coming in from South Africa and Botswana on Friday to prevent the spread of this new variant, which it is feared is more contagious and could be resistant to existing vaccines.

In terms of Covid figures, it has been a bad week for the Murcia Region, as there were over 500 new cases over the course of last weekend and the 14-day cumulative incidence rate jumped up to 187.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (as of Thursday November 25). Some municipalities actually surpass this mark by a large margin, including Torre Pacheco (608.8) and Mazarrón (502.5), which are two of the most densely populated municipalities in the Region.

The number of active coronavirus cases in the Region has risen to 2,453 after Wednesday’s figure broke the 300 threshold for the first time in months (335 in 24 hours).

The situation seemed even more bleak when it was revealed that 85% of inspected bars and restaurants in the Region of Murcia are breaking Covid rules. Inspectors visited 28 businesses over the weekend and found that 24 of them were not abiding by the current Covid restrictions.

To combat the rising figures, the government are setting up mobile vaccination points in Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca during December, as well as implementing mass Covid testing in the municipalities where a large increase in cases has been reported.

The Valencia region, too, is also seeing the highest number of new cases recorded in three months. On Monday, the Ministry of Health reported a staggering 1,762 new infections over the weekend – 51.37% more than the previous Monday’s 1,164 cases and the highest figure recorded since August 30.

Not surprisingly, the hike has had an impact on hospitals and led to a sharp rise in the 14-day cumulative incidence rate which is now teetering around 150 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

President of Valencia, Ximo Puig, has maintained that new restrictions are not currently being considered to combat the continued spread of the virus, but he has confirmed that Covid passports will be required to enter certain venues for a provisional 30 days from December 3 – pending authorisation from the Superior Court of Justice.

Subject to approval, the Covid passport will be required in hotel and restaurant establishments with a capacity of more than 50 people; leisure and entertainment venues; spaces for recreational and gambling activities (such as casinos and bingo halls) with restaurants; outdoor celebrations and festivals; and for visits to hospitals and public and private nursing homes.

Puig hinted last week that the regional government was planning to introduce the passport scheme, and requests for Covid certificates literally doubled in a week. This has had an unexpected side effect, though, as black market traders have been quick to cash in on counterfeit Covid certificates. Forged documents for those who do not want to be vaccinated are being advertised on popular social networks for between 50 and 250 euros.

In Andalucía, the 14-day cumulative incidence rate is also rising at an alarming rate. Whilst on Monday it stood at 71 cases per 100,000 people, itself an increase of 26.5 points in the space of just a week, as of Friday November 26 it stood at 90.1. The region is now facing a situation of over 1,000 new infections each day, though mercifully there hasn’t been a significant increase in the number of Covid deaths from last week, indicating that while there may be more infections, at least the disease doesn’t seem to be getting more lethal.

As part of the response to the impending dire Covid situation, the Junta de Andalucía has also expressed an interest in making the Covid certificate obligatory for entry to bars and restaurants, but has fallen short of announcing any plans to limit capacity in establishments or restrict opening hours.

Murcia

During the early hours of last Sunday morning, an elderly driver mistakenly entered the A-30 motorway using an exit and drove the wrong way down the road for five kilometres before crashing into another car near the Espacio Mediterráneo shopping centre. The 84-year-old driver was unfortunately killed in the collision and two others were injured.

Meanwhile, a large livestock cargo ship was caught trying to smuggle around a dozen Syrians into Cartagena port. The police were alerted to this illegal immigration attempt after several of the foreign passengers jumped from the ship and attempted to swim to shore while it was waiting for permission to enter the harbour.

The port in question is currently being expanded with a new 822 million-euro terminal, and the local authorities and port operators hope that the expansion will put Cartagena’s port on the map and allow the municipality’s maritime trade to compete with some of the busiest ports in Spain, despite being much smaller than the main Spanish ports in Barcelona, Valencia and Algeciras.

Another maritime crime was also prevented by the Region’s police this week, after the Guardia Civil intercepted a boat near Tomás Maestre in La Manga del Mar Menor and found 3,000 kilos of hashish hidden in almost 100 packages. The two men aboard the boat were arrested and the authorities are still looking into whether anyone else was involved in the failed drug trafficking attempt.

Efforts to save the Mar Menor seem to be on the right track recently as the regional government in Murcia and the Royal Academy of Engineering have agreed to work together to facilitate the recovery of Mar Menor, with expert engineers to advise on recovery projects. The legal authorities have also taken steps to secure the lagoon’s future this week as the High Court of Justice in the Region of Murcia has ordered citrus farmers to restore 4.9 hectares of agricultural land to its natural state in order to prevent further nitrate-laden agricultural run-off from reaching the fragile ecosystem.

Finally, in a move to boost tourism, the Murcia government has also launched a new plan to reactivate Portman bay, including instating itineraries through several historic attractions, such as the José Maestre mining tunnel. At the same time, a new tourism promotion scheme has created a voucher that can be used to get 50% off hotel stays in the Region of more than two nights. The ‘Bono Turístico’ is valid for bookings up to a maximum of 250 euros, and the accommodation must be booked through a local travel agency.

Want to know what’s going on in your local area? CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR EVENTS DIARY!

Spain

In direct response to the frigid temperatures, driving rain, powerful gusts and snowstorms, traffic officers in Spain have reminded drivers of what to do to ensure that they and other road users remain safe if the worst happens, and a car breaks down or is in an accident.

Even if poor driving conditions and hefty fines haven’t put you off driving for good, now might still not be the best time to purchase a new car in Spain, as semiconductor and raw material shortages continue to slow car manufacturers down, resulting in production plummeting by 37.9% in October. While every type of vehicle took a hammering, zero- or low-emission vehicles suffered the smallest decline, while demand for plug-in hybrids crashed, falling by 43.8%.

It’s not only on the road that certain rules must be followed, and ecologists are fighting for maritime speed limits in the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor (CMC) to be reduced to 10 knots in order to protect the whales and dolphins that live in these waters. Each year, several incidents between these sea mammals and boats are reported and the restriction would safeguard countless cetaceans migrating between the ports of Valencia, Dénia, the Balearic Islands, Tarragona and Barcelona.

Whales and dolphins aren’t the only creatures under threat in Spain, with scientists warning that the endangered wild cat species is suffering a “silent extinction”. In fact, Spain now has some of the lowest numbers of this protected feline in all of Europe. Unsurprisingly, 83% of wildcat deaths are caused by human interference, but the scarcity of their food source – prey like rabbits and small mammals – is also contributing to their demise.

Now for an animal that most people wouldn’t mind wiping off the face of the Earth: rats. The black rat specifically, whose population is positively booming in urban areas in Spain, largely due to people irresponsibly disposing of food waste and feeding feral cats and birds in residential areas. These scurrying pests carry all manner of diseases that are dangerous to both humans and household pets and environmental health groups have appealed to local governments to crack down on illegal dumping. Time is of the essence it would seem, as there are now almost 20 million rats in Spain – that’s four for every ten people.

Moving on to far more appealing furry creatures, the Guardia Civil has launched a campaign to warn dog owners of the danger of leaving their pooch tied up outside shops while they go about their business. The authorities have warned of all sorts of terrifying outcomes they have come across, from beloved pets being stolen by unscrupulous breeders to nervous dogs strangling themselves on their own leash.

Alicante

The EU Digital Certificate initially came into force in July to allow free travel, and those hoping to jet off to the heart of the Norwegian fjords (though perhaps not anyone concerned about the effect of excessive air travel on our planet) will welcome the news that the Wideore airline is now operating a weekly flight from Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport to the city of Bergen in Norway, following an agreement with Aena.

Environmental issues made other news with shocking images that showed the full extent of the problem of marine litter following a seabed clear-up in Calpe. More than 2,000 kilos of waste were recovered from the sea and coastline near the Calpe town port, including car and tractor tyres, glass bottles, car batteries and nets.

Meanwhile, in the neighbouring municipality of Javea, a fire forced the closure of the Ramblars green waste landfill, the second blaze at the site in five years, prompting calls from ecologists for better waste management “to prevent fires”. According to Ecologistes en Acció (Ecologists in Action) Marina Alta, “with good waste management this fire could have been avoided; it has happened on other occasions and if nothing is done it will happen again”.

Staying in Javea, there was another raw sewage spill at Gorgos River, the second this month. A culvert channeling human waste in the riverbed broke, leaving the river and surrounding areas littered with “sanitary towels and other items that do not decompose,” according to Ecologistes en Acció.

As Black Friday loomed, police and consumer agencies offered tips on how to avoid being scammed. A consumer analysis app developed in Alicante found that 73% of products sold online increased ahead of the big Black Friday promotion. The AZbox app is basically an online price tracker and comparison tool that monitors the evolution of the price of items to help consumers make savings and take advantage of genuine promotions and discounts.

Meanwhile, police shut down a 10-member criminal fraud organisation, making arrests in Torrevieja and Almoradí. Four Moroccan brothers, believed to be the ringleaders, have been remanded in prison over a mass banking scam worth around 56,000 euros.

In other news, Orihuela launched its Christmas Toy Appeal to bring festive cheer to less fortunate children in the municipality, and there’s still time to catch the third in a series of concerts to celebrate the feast of Santa Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians, in Benitatxell.

Or alternatively, you can get fit on the beach in Pilar de la Horadada. As part of the Hibernis Mare project to “revitalise” Mil Palmeras beach, the town council’s tourism department has put together a great program of free winter activities on the sand for anyone willing to brave the elements.

Andalucía

The metal workers’ strike in the Andalusian province of Cádiz continued to be frontpage news of the national newspapers in the second week of work stoppages that finally ended in a tentative resolution reached between employers in the metal sector and workers’ unions.

Negotiators had been hopeful that the tenth day of strikes, which was on Thursday, would yield results as after that the clients of the metal companies would start cancelling important contracts, meaning the employers would be forced to find a deal before then. That’s exactly what happened as a “pre-agreement” was arrived at that unions accepted as it was “much closer to the positions that the workers’ representatives defended than to those of the employers”, meaning picket lines on the streets of Cádiz capital city and many other working towns nearby could be dismantled.

While the strikes were happening, though, one worker lost his life on Monday morning when his motorbike crashed into a lorry that was parked on the picket lines at the entrance to the port of Algeciras.

Protesting workers across the Bay of Cádiz continued to throw rocks at police and burn rubbish containers in the streets, but it was the response of riot police which garnered criticism from parties across the political spectrum this week. There was widespread outrage at reports of the use of tear gas and rubber bullets, not to mention a heavy-duty armoured vehicle that used to belong to the military being used to not only clear away the barricades on the streets but the crowds of people, too.

The general workers’ union also made headlines this week as, together with the Pepos Andalucía Association, they are calling on provincial authorities in Granada to give the same legal recognition to emotional support dogs for victims of gender violence and domestic violence as guide dogs and other assistance animals. Currently, guide dogs are allowed access to public spaces and indoor establishments but emotional support are not, which is exactly what these organisations are hoping to change in order to provide victims of gender violence with the best possible level of emotional support.

Finally, there are a number of things to see and do in Andalucía this winter, not least of which is visit the Nao Victoria ship at Estepona harbour. The ship, which is an exact working replica of the one that was used by American explorers Magellan and Elcano on their cross-Atlantic voyage 500 years ago, now sails around the world and stops at ports to allow tourists a chance to visit this utterly unique floating museum. She will be docked in Estepona until December 1, so get down there fast for your chance to see it!

In Fuengirola as of this weekend, there is a Christmas Market with a difference in the Plaza de la Constitución, as there is guaranteed snow every Saturday at 7pm. Every weekend of the market’s run, from Friday November 26 to Sunday December 19, there will be artificial snow drifting gently over the tops of the little wooden huts selling Christmas decorations and festive food. There will even be, in the words of the Fuengirola mayor, “ecological children’s attractions”, whatever that means. Should be a (snow)blast!

Last but not least, visiting Málaga city’s Alcazaba is always a great day out and an excellent thing to do if you’ve got people coming to stay, but now Málaga town hall has stated its intention to open up more parts of the ancient fortress to the public. After a series of planned improvement works, certain parts of the Alcazaba that were previously closed off to visitors will be opened up and a new chapter of Málaga’s history made discoverable, though it hasn’t been specified what part of the Alcazaba exactly, nor when it will be open.

You may have missed…

1. Cabo de Palos lighthouse damaged in storm.

Storms along the coast in the Region of Murcia damaged the lighthouse in Cabo de Palos, which is why it’s currently emitting a fixed light instead of its usual intermittent light signals to warn boats of the proximity of the rocky shore.

2. Alicante Tram line connecting Benidorm and Denia will be operational in 2022.

The modernisation of Alicante Tram Line 9, which connects Benidorm with Denia, will be accelerated and the entire section will be operational before the end of 2022.

3. Mazarron, Benidorm and Fuengirola nominated for Best Pet-friendly Destination 2021.

The towns have been chosen for their dog-friendly beaches and vacation spots to travel to with pets.

4. One dead following nuclear power plant leak in Catalonia.

Three others suffered injuries following the leak at the Asco nuclear power plant in Tarragona on Wednesday, but the spill was “not linked to radiological activity”.

5. Police tips to avoid Christmas Lottery scams in Spain.

National Police have issued a list of things for punters to look out for so that they don’t fall prey to scams when buying their lottery tickets for the Christmas ‘Gordo’ draw.

That’s your lot for this week! Thanks for reading, and hoepfully you enjoyed it. If you did, feel free to TELL A FRIEND who you think would enjoy it too.

See you next week!

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