Contributory pensions could rise by around 3.5% in January 2027, based on 11 of 12 monthly inflation readings so far. Pensions are revalued using average CPI from December to November. The final figure depends on November's CPI, due on November 27, with official confirmation on December 15.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced on November 3 that he is resigning and withdrawing as a PSOE candidate after the Urda rail crash killed 69 people. Earlier that day, the cabinet approved a Royal Decree with compensation of about €288,000 per death, including complementary aid, and about €84,000 for injured victims.
A Labour Ministry panel recommends raising the SMI (minimum wage) by 4.9% to €1,281 gross a month in 14 payments, matching inflation. The proposal assumes it stays exempt from IRPF (personal income tax). Negotiations are pending: unions seek 7% and stronger time-recording rules, while employers criticise the timetable.
Rents in Spain rose 5.6% year on year in October to €15.1/m², Idealista reports. They fell 1.1% over the quarter but edged up 0.1% from September. Madrid remained the most expensive capital at €23.4/m², followed by Barcelona at €20.5 and Palma at €19.6.
Madrid's regional cabinet is due to approve guarantees on November 4 that would let off-plan buyers avoid advance payments of up to 10%. Separately, its 2027 budget plan would cut the property transfer tax on used homes from 6% to 4% and stamp duty on new homes from 0.75% to 0.4%.
Ombudsman Ángel Gabilondo has submitted 35 non-binding housing recommendations to parliament. He urges incentives for affordable rentals in empty homes, more public housing, and limits on tourist flats where they harm residential supply. Social rentals were 3.3% of Spain's main homes in 2024, versus an 8% European average.
Writer Cristina Fernández Cubas has won the 2026 Cervantes Prize, the highest literary honour in Spanish. The €125,000 award recognises her renewal of the contemporary short story and transformation of fantastic literature in Spanish.
Barcelona's Urbanism Subcommission has approved a planning change that would allow neighbourhood limits on seasonal and tourist rentals. It would let authorities restrict these uses where housing is scarce, rather than impose specific bans itself. The share of main residences fell from 86.1% in 1991 to 83% in 2021.
Spain had 10,178,625 people aged 65 or older on January 1, 2025, a record 20.7% of the population, a CSIC report says. Their share is projected to reach 29.6% by 2046. Fewer workers per retiree changes the balance of the pension system. Immigration is helping slow the rise in that share.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has told the European Commission he disagrees with leaving Spain out of its migration-pressure group, citing the Ceuta crisis. The Commission's decision is pending. Losing the status would mean less financial support and make relocating migrants to other EU states harder.
EU gas reserves are at their lowest since 2013, the International Energy Agency warns. In one scenario, storage could fall to 7% of capacity by the end of March 2027. Low stocks leave Europe more exposed to a cold winter and supply disruptions, and could prolong price tensions into next summer.
The Supreme Court has ruled that contractors can reclaim provisional ICIO (construction tax) payments when work never starts and the contract ends, without waiting for the licence to lapse. The ruling sets case law. It upheld an appeal by Ferrovial Construcción against Madrid City Council over a €103,617 payment.
The cabinet approved a Royal Decree on November 3 to extend CUME benefit payment periods for parents cutting work hours to care for children with cancer or other serious illnesses. It also aims to lengthen extensions and change medical certification and checks.
The suspected Blocus leader arrested in Picanya, Valencia, on October 30 allegedly chose at least one 17-year-old for the group's inner circle. He faces charges of criminal organisation and robbery with force. Investigators linked his phone to Telegram groups allegedly used to organise riots and looting.
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