BoT 614

 

Business over Tapas

A digest of this week's Spanish financial, political and social news aimed primarily at Foreign Property Owners:

Prepared by Lenox Napier.  Consultant: José Antonio Sierra

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January 8 2026            Nº 614 

 

Editorial: 

It’s been raining a lot recently. I am sure that the ground could do with a good soaking, and the wild-flowers later this month and next will no doubt be spectacular. But for those of us who live under a flat roof (as most of us do in Almería) the first thing after the pitter-patter sound above our heads (unless it’s the cat) is to put out a few buckets in the living room, move the bed a bit to the right and tie a knot in our handkerchief to remember to see about fixing the leaks once the sun returns.

Or, failing that, before next winter anyway.

We never think much about rain down here in the south, although flooding both on the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca can be mortal (229 people died in the Dana in October 2024 in Valencia). Sometimes houses near where I live get inundated, especially in those areas which are listed both as flood-planes and urbanisable by whoever makes these calls. 

My friend Chicho would tell a story of how he was sitting under an umbrella in his lounge watching water dribble through a crack in the window one wet afternoon when the local lagoon breached and a tide of water smashed through the glass and drenched the poor guy.

In most of Spain, a river is a river, or at least a stream. It will fill up when the rains come, maybe overflow and cause damage to the roads and nearby houses; but here in the dry south we don’t have rivers – we have ramblas, which are in effect, huge drains waiting for their moment of glory.

Along comes Storm Francis: Frank to his friends. The various costas are duly flooded and the journalists are to be found, standing in their wellies and speaking into the cameras. It’s the usual television cliché, like when they show snowballers after a good arctic storm.

Right now, I’m home safe, dry and warm. I have a couple of large tins of pork in a German sauce, courtesy of the local German supermarket and my own planning ahead, a bottle of gin and some tea. I’ll be fine. I’m also isolated, surrounded by a lake as our dry river has filled and overflowed into my grateful orchard. The thing about the river-beds is that they can suddenly fill with water as a wave comes from up-stream. It’s not here that the rain needs to be watched, as much us up there. A decent wadi can fill in no time at all.

It will be a couple of days before I can get out and go shopping.

Actually, having written that, I see that I panicked needlessly, and the road is still there.

So: lessons. First of all, build your dream home on a small hill. It’s good for your tubes.

Second, if you are going to have a flat roof (and our local ordinance insists that you must), then make sure it’s leakproof.

Thirdly, buy a couple of those German emergency K-rations – mine are good until 2028.

 …

 

I have written about Trump’s remarkable attack on Venezuela, and Spain’s reaction to the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro, but rather than run it as a gloomy editorial, I’ve posted it at Bot Back-up here.  

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Housing: 

Xataca has noticed that ‘Madrid and Catalonia are losing their native population while gaining foreigners. The two autonomies attract the most foreigners, but they also lose the most population to other regions’. The high cost of housing appears easier to bear for wealthy foreign immigrants than for the poorer local folk. 

El Periódico here says: ‘More than a million Catalans – 13% of the population – fall into extreme poverty after paying rent: "Afterwards, I have nothing left." Caritas, which describes the situation as "unsustainable," demands urgent public policies and the implementation of a State Housing Pact, a law against homelessness, and a universal childcare allowance’. From elDiario.es here: ‘A family of four pays to sleep in the dining room: the most extreme side of the housing crisis in Barcelona’. 

From the Majorca Daily Bulletin here: ‘Demand for EU special legal regime to restrict foreign home ownership in Mallorca. Spanish Government being called on to push for this regime’. 

As far as the courts are concerned, low electricity usage means the dwelling is empty. 

Xataca has a story about the Hotel Algarrobico in Carboneras, Almería. Why is it still there? ‘Spain's biggest urban planning aberration is still there 20 years later: the never-ending story of Algarrobico’. The main reason for the delay is that the local town hall would be found liable for astronomical damages to the builder. 

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Tourism: 

This year’s Madrid international tourist fair, Fitur, will be held 21st to 25th January. 

El Mundo says that ‘Iberia launches a pricing campaign with tickets starting at €21 for flights during 2026. The offers will be available until January 26th, and tickets can be purchased for travel between January 10th and December 10th, 2026’. 

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Seniors: 

Euro Mundo Global brings news of a pilot scheme in eight municipalities in the Serranía de Ronda (Málaga) region: ‘Users, family members, and staff from Community Social Services highly value the pilot program ‘Nuestros mayores nunca solos’ or ‘Our Elders Never Alone’. The provincial secretary for social services María Dolores Vergara emphasizes that it is designed to reinforce the safety, autonomy, and peace of mind of both elderly people and their families’. With this success, the plan is to extend it across the province. 

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Finance: 

From El Plural, some encouraging news: ‘Employment ends 2025 with 506,000 more workers and 152,000 fewer unemployed. Spain's social security affiliation and unemployment figures show a substantial improvement over the 2024 results’. Social Security added 19,180 members in the last month of 2025, bringing the total figure close to 21.9 million employed. If you prefer the conservative viewpoint, then ‘Unemployment in Spain falls by 16,291 in December, leaving 2,408,670 jobless’ says The Corner here. 

From Coches Electricos here: ‘Spain breaks all records in 2025 with 104,262 electric cars registered. With a 77% increase compared to 2024, the electric car confirms its definitive take-off in Spain’.

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Politics: 

Generally speaking, the PP and Vox are pleased – so far – with the events in Venezuela, while Pedro Sánchez and the small far-left parties are aghast. Some 520,000 Venezuelans live in Spain, principally in Madrid, Barcelona and (for some reason) Tenerife. So far, Trump backs Delcy Rodríguez rather than the Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado.

El País says, ‘Sánchez asserts that Spain will not recognize “an intervention that violates international law.” The government calls for “de-escalation” in Venezuela following the US attack and offers to mediate; and Feijóo focuses on Maduro’s “ironclad dictatorship”’. 

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Valencia: The Dana Enquiry 

20Minutos now has ‘The full conversation between Feijóo and Mazón on the day of the Dana storm: "The Government says they called you, I hope that's true". 

elDiario.es has ‘The Valencian government failed to warn of the collapse of the only dam under its jurisdiction during the Dana storm, despite 10 warnings from the Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar (CHJ). The Júcar River Basin Authority sent several "alarm" emails to the Emergency Coordination Centre (CCE) regarding the intense rainfall that occurred throughout the day in the area surrounding the dam, which is owned by the Ministry of Agriculture. However, the population was not alerted to the dam's overflow, which ultimately claimed the lives of seven people’. 

…...

Europe: 

El País has this disturbing item: ‘International pressure mounts on Israel over the banning of 37 NGOs in Gaza and the West Bank. The Netanyahu government has revoked the organizations' operating licenses and given them 60 days to withdraw. 

Venezuela: Statement by the High Representative on the aftermath of the U.S. intervention in Venezuela. This statement is supported by all EU Member States less Hungary. 

The Guardian says: ‘US attack on Greenland would mean end of Nato, says Danish PM. Mette Frederiksen criticises Donald Trump’s ‘unacceptable pressure’ as Greenland counterpart condemns ‘fantasies’’. From Newser here: ‘Trump: Greenland Security 'Added One More Dog Sled'. He claims US 'needs' the Arctic territory, and Denmark can't defend it’. El Huff Post has: ‘Trump, insatiable, is going after Greenland: the keys to his determination to control an EU territory’. Al Jazeera writes: ‘US says military ‘always an option’ in Greenland as Europe rejects threats’. From The New York Times here: ‘Stephen Miller asserts U.S. has right to take Greenland. In a CNN interview, the Trump aide also echoed the president’s intent to run Venezuela as he laid out a case for the United States to control weaker states by flexing its military might’. 

Denmark, Spain, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Poland defend Greenland against US threats in a joint statement here. Canada has since joined this coalition. 

…...

Corruption: 

From Computer Hoy here: ‘The Guardia Civil dismantles a massive mobile phone trafficking operation in Spain: it was sending more than 2.5 million scam messages daily’. 

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Courts: 

A retired bullfighter called Fran Rivera, inspired no doubt by events in Venezuela, calls on Trump to invade Spain and kidnap Pedro Sánchez. This is considered as treason in Spain and Rivera could face a lengthy prison sentence.

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Various: 

From The Times here: ‘Has royal recognition helped Spain’s gitanos escape legacy of persecution? The contribution of the Roma community to the country’s identity includes flamenco, but many believe more must be done to combat prejudice and poverty’ (Thanks to Colin for this story). An anecdote about the gypsies: We sold a young pony to a gypsy who left it out in the fields where it soon died of neglect. He then claimed his money back. A friendly lawyer said – you had better pay him, not because of any legal reason, but because of a likely threat. We paid. The Spanish are very wary of the gypsies. 

The Olive Press has: ‘‘A very serious racist act’: Outrage after Junta de Andalucía president Juanma Moreno appears in blackface for Seville’s Three Kings parade’. 

A lowbrow phenomenon called YouTube AI slop videos are becoming ever more popular – or at least – visible. Spain unfortunately leads the way in subscribers says Microsiervos here. It asks: ‘And what are Google, TikTok, Instagram, and all the other social media platforms doing about AI slop? As always, it seems like absolutely nothing, because they generate revenue, and who's going to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?’. 

Whether this is of more use to dodgy tow-services and other crooks, or to the Guardia Civil – here’s an interactive map of all of the V-16 emergency beacons on Spanish roads. 

Diario de Almería features some of the oldest pre-Roman cities in Andalucía. 

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See Spain: 

Infobae introduces us to ‘the most impressive castles in the Balearic Islands: from seaside fortresses to unique monuments in Spain. These structures showcase one of the archipelago's most incredible heritages, beyond its beautiful beaches and coastal towns’. 

Daroca in Zaragoza: ‘This Spanish village, a living museum of the Middle Ages, boasts a medieval wall stretching over 4 kms and has more than 200 historic buildings. It is one of the most beautiful and unique villages in all of Spain’. From Viajar here (with video). 

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Letters: 

Thanks for another top BoT, as it always is, Lenox. I took a particular interest in the Qingtian city story you linked to as my son has been dating a young woman in Barcelona whose parents are Chinese. I'm sharing your nice piece on Antifa too.

Later: Turns out the family IS from that same city, Qingtian.

A Reader from Catalonia. 

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Finally: 

Paté de Fuá (from Mexico City) - Llévame En Un Beso on YouTube here.