The Council of Ministers re-approved two housing Royal Decree-Laws that Congress rejected last Friday. The package, still needing parliamentary approval, would endow a 'Tu Casa' fund with 10.000 million euros for first-home loans of up to 50.000 euros. It would also extend the ban on vulture funds buying homes below 70% of market value until 2030.
Spain's rental supply has shrunk from more than 902.660 listings in 2018 to just over 510.000 in 2025, according to an Idealista study. Catalonia lost the most, down 71,2%, and Barcelona shed 82,7% of its rental stock. Idealista blames price caps for pushing homes into seasonal rentals outside the Housing Law, and the report calls the market 'broken and dislocated'.
Spain has published the order regulating mandatory electronic invoicing between businesses; it entered into force this Tuesday. Companies and professionals billing more than 8 million euros a year must comply from October 6, 2027, and autónomos and smaller firms from October 6, 2028. Businesses can keep their current invoicing software and choose private platforms, the public Hacienda solution, or both.
Spain's regulated electricity tariff (PVPC) has softened part of the price surge driven by soaring gas costs linked to the conflict in Iran. Without the Mercados a Plazo adjustment term in force since January, PVPC energy would have been 29% more expensive, according to El Diario. The mechanism has acted as a discount since September because of the greater weight of futures prices, shielding about 8 million supply points.
One in four Spaniards now devotes more than 30% of income to food, according to the Food 2026 barometer. Lower-income households are hit hardest: food reached 19,6% of their spending, and adding housing and fuels took it to 61,5%. Average household food spending rose 4,4% to 5.626 euros, out of total average spending of 35.101 euros.
CCOO and UGT have called the first general strike of Pedro Sánchez's time in office, over housing, shortly before the general election. The unions escalated the protests by the Sindicato de Inquilinas after Congress rejected the housing Royal Decree-Laws. They link the strike to insufficient wages, arguing that decent pay is needed to afford housing, because purely political strikes are illegal in Spain.
The Supreme Court has postponed its decision on whether around 400.000 people nationalised under the 'ley de nietos' can vote in the November 29 general election. Parties have until 15:00 Thursday to file arguments in the State Attorney's appeal against the suspension of CERA electoral roll registrations. The suspension followed appeals by Vox and Iustitia Europa, which alleged a 'gigantic and massive fraud'.
The Constitutional Court has upheld amnesty for the embezzlement offence affecting 'procés' leaders such as Carles Puigdemont and ordered the Supreme Court to apply it. The progressive majority backed a draft by court president Cándido Conde-Pumpido to amnesty former ERC councillor Dolors Bassa, annulling earlier orders that denied it. Conservative magistrates issued a dissenting opinion, accusing colleagues of 'impersonating' the Supreme Court.
Pharmacies across Spain are running out of Lenzetto and other hormonal treatments used by menopausal and trans women, leaving patients without medication. Lenzetto, a spray-applied oestrogen gel, was the most common treatment for the roughly 300.000 women being treated for menopause or perimenopause, according to the AEEM. Patients report being unable to order the drug and having to search pharmacies for remaining stock.
Madrid's Prosecutor's Office confirmed in 2025 that 346 people who presented as unaccompanied foreign minors were actually over 18, according to El Confidencial. A total of 611 age-determination proceedings were opened, down 33% from 911 the previous year, with 240 confirmed minors recorded. Prosecutors urged reflection on 'failures in the system's filters' and warned of risks of adults living alongside children in first-reception centres.
The Supreme Court has upheld Just Eat's use of subcontractors for food delivery, overturning a Labour Inspectorate finding of illegal worker transfer. The court confirmed that Fleet Delivery Solutions has its own business organisation, traffic managers and digital tools, and found no evidence that Just Eat controlled hiring, shifts or contracts. The ruling validates the subcontracting arrangement for delivery in parts of Catalonia.
Tourism alliance Exceltur has urged the next government to regulate tourist home rentals as an economic activity subject to VAT. It wants urban-use rules, separation from seasonal rentals, and platforms to block listings that fail to meet legal requirements. Exceltur cited absenteeism rising from 2% during the pandemic to 7,7% now, after a strong summer for the sector.
A large US study suggests that people taking statins for cholesterol are less likely to need intensified glaucoma treatment. In a database of 165 million people, statin use was associated with a 15% lower risk of developing open-angle glaucoma. Among people already diagnosed, statin users had lower odds of needing escalated therapy, including surgery, researchers report in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
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