BoT 640

 

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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July 16 2026            Nº 640          

 

Editorial: 

The heat right now is far from normal. There are those who post things on Facebook like ‘It’s summer, of course it’s hot’ or ‘They’re on purple and are running out of colours for the maps’ or (worse still) ‘It was much hotter twenty thousand years ago’. Silly remarks to try and make light of our current global warming.

Brought on, as much as anything (Mr Trump, are you reading this?) by burning fossil fuels. Drill, baby, drill indeed.

Spain has moved towards clean energy, whether solar, wind or geothermal, thank goodness. It wasn’t so long ago that the Partido Popular government had a ludicrous ‘sun tax’ to keep us burning diesel and gas.

I’m doing my bit – staying home and reading. Drinking plenty of water. Using the fan at night (apparently, it costs about six cents for an eight-hour breeze). The book I’m reading right now is a Hammond Innes thriller about people caught on the ice-flows of Antarctica. The Baddy is trying to kill them, and he has just rammed and sunk their whaling ship. It’s cold as Hell. Ah, I wish I was there (for a minute or two, no more).

The heat here is terrific. My phone says, ‘Tomorrow will be hotter’. I must shower several times a day in cold water. Below, the wild boar are attacking my orchard, digging up the roots and knocking down the stone terracing. Bastards!

But this is nothing. On Thursday evening last week, I could see from my window across the valley to Bédar, a small town I used to live in back in the seventies. 

 

It’s on fire. Smoke obscures the setting sun, and flames stretch along a corridor of maybe fifteen kilometres. Small flashing blue lights, and a helicopter overhead. I can see the sky glowing behind the mountains. The Facebook is alive with pictures and updates. Bédar has been evacuated and the townsfolk (it’s a small place) have been ordered inland to the next pueblo, Lubrín. They are in the municipal building there. Others have been sent to Los Gallardos below, but then that too became under threat. Movement on the A-7 motorway was cut by the police. Fire moves so very quickly. You can come round a bend in the road, and find it’s taken a short cut and is now both ahead of you as well as behind.

My son is a fire-fighter in America. He tells me on WhatsApp to be ready, to pack a bag with my passport and a change of clothes – and of course my Hammond Innes book. Close all the windows and shutters, and the interior doors. Be prepared.

A friend from Bédar sends me a worrying message from where she lives, out in the campo: ‘Road in both directions blocked by flames. We’re out but there’s hardly anywhere to go. We stupidly waited too long’.

By midnight on Thursday, the authorities were talking about a dozen fatalities and ‘another 23 missing’. People we know. Maybe my friend.

Updating this on Wednesday, the fire is out, the president of Spain and the President of Andalucía have had their pictures taken and my friend and her husband are declared as among the now thirteen dead. 

……

The Fire: 

The ‘Los Gallardos fire’ (it made more of an impact in Bédar, which some sources fail to recognise is a municipality rather than a barriada of Los G) began on Thursday evening. The fire was sudden and fast. No warning was given to the outlying homes in the hills, connected by narrow roads around Bédar. Thirteen people died and others are in the burn units of Seville and Almería hospitals. The dead have now finally been identified. The perimeter of the fire was around 40kms, with 7,000 hectares burned. It was officially declared extinguished on Sunday. It was the most lethal wildfire in Spain this century. 

El Huff Post here: ‘The Moreno administration reduced the number of firefighters by 14% for the 2026 prevention campaign. The Ministry of Sustainability had almost 100 fewer environmental agents at the start of the high-risk season’. Thus giving rise to the ‘less bullfighters, more firefighters’ memes. The Xornal Galicia says that the PPox partnership has brought about a generalised reduction in firefighters in the regions they govern. 

La Voz de Almería here: ‘Why wasn't the ES-Alert message sent to the public? The president of the regional government explains the reasons "It might have caused more confusion."’. Since the Bédar population (around half are Brits) is divided by village-houses and homes scattered around the countryside, door-to-door warnings and a phone-alert could only have saved confusion and unnecessary deaths.  

The Guardian here: ‘I had an incredible escape: British woman tells of close encounter with Spanish wildfire. Jeanne Henny, 74, put her friend, a wheelchair and two dogs into the car and drove away, only to meet fire surging on to the road’. 

Spectrum Radio on Facebook here: ‘The roar of Canadair water bombers breaks the silence every few minutes. They appear from the Mediterranean, load up with water, and disappear again, heading towards the fire front that has the Almería Levante region on edge. Below, at the Vista Alegre Sports Pavilion in Garrucha, the scene unfolds at the same frantic pace. Red Cross, Civil Protection, and 112 emergency service volunteers unload boxes of water, food, and soft drinks while dozens of residents pass through the doors of the facility with fans, phone chargers, diapers, hygiene products, and bags full of clean clothes…’ 

The Olive Press here: ‘We are surrounded by fire – I think we left too late’: The harrowing message from Andalucia’s deadliest wildfire as expats scramble to survive the horror’. 

Público here: ‘The PP tries to capitalize on the Almería fire: Spain needs "a government focused on management". Miguel Tellado took advantage of an event at the Complutense University to criticize the central government amidst the fire that has killed at least 12 people’. The responsibility lies with the regional government – unless it specifically asks for help from Madrid. From elDiario.es here: ‘Plainspoken Óscar Puente on Tellado: “Is this sack of shit blaming the Spanish Government for the Almería fire?”’. 

ABC here: ‘The fire in Bédar exposes decades of illegal development in Sierra Cabrera. Most of the homes affected by the Los Gallardos fire, as well as the fatalities, were located on hard-to-reach rural roads’. 

El Salto Diario here: ‘Andalucía faces its worst wildfires while the PP and Vox parties agree to reject the environmental “ideological agenda”. Despite being one of the regions in Europe most severely affected by the climate crisis, the PP and Vox have just signed a governing pact that aims to continue with policies “that protect traditions,” denying and ridiculing the real risks of climate change’. In a photo-op in next-door Turre (there’s a fire-station there) on Monday, Pedro Sánchez and Juanma Moreno both warned against the dangers of el cambio clímatico: climate change. This didn’t go down well with Moreno’s partner. From El Plural here, ‘Moreno's allusions to climate change spark the first clash between the PP and Vox: "Green fanaticism demonizes rural life" say the Voxxers’. 

…...

Housing: 

This one is all over the Internet: From Yahoo! Finance here: ‘Spain's rental trap: 71% of citizens see a mortgage as more cost-effective’. No doubt they are right. 

…...

Tourism: 

From Maldita here: ‘It looks like the Alhambra website, but it's not: how Spanish websites pay Google to sneak in before official tourist sites, making you end up paying more’. 

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Seniors: 

From elDiario.es here: ‘Revolution in dependency and disability care: 6,200 million extra to transition from nursing homes to aging at home. Congress voted on Tuesday on an ambitious reform of two laws aimed at caring for people; the law will allow neighbours or friends to be considered caregivers and help dependent people with their daily tasks outside the home and establishes universal access as a subjective right’. From 65yMás here: ‘Congress approves the reform of the Dependency Law with the sole dissenting vote coming from Vox’. Fidelitis has the details. 

…...

Finance: 

From elDiario.es here: ‘Azora and Blackstone: two projected data centres in Villamayor de Gállego and Calatorao (both in Zaragoza), will absorb almost 70% of Aragon's current electricity consumption. Environmental impact studies estimate a combined demand of 7,373 GWh per year, although water usage will barely exceed 10,800 cubic meters thanks to air cooling’. 

…...

Politics: 

From The Independent here: ‘Why Donald Trump keeps picking fights with Spain (and why they don’t care). The US president has branded Spain a ‘terrible partner’, threatened trade and repeatedly criticised PM Pedro Sánchez over defence spending and foreign policy. But Madrid has shown little sign of backing down, Graham Keeley writes, as there is another superpower in play’. 

The CIS (or ‘CIS de Tezanos’ as the right-wing media prefer, as if it’s somehow a dodgy pollster) publishes its latest voting intention. Despite the corruption and the improbable cases against the president’s family, and with Spain doing well economically (and morally), the PSOE is up two points over June at 33%, the PP down by a like amount to 25.1% and Vox down half a point to 15.3%. The item comes from 20Minutos here. 

‘The president of the bishops' conference calls the government a "gang of thieves" and argues: "The evidence speaks for itself." Luis Argüello criticizes the ban on conversion therapies at the Spanish Episcopal Conference's summer course: "There is a project of anthropological deconstruction, which consists of me deciding my own gender while despising my body."’. The answer coming from the Government was quick: ‘The Minister of the Presidency sent a letter to Luis Argüello criticizing his attacks on the government and asking him to ensure that relations are "characterized by moderation, respect, and justice, rather than by exaggeration and partisanship in favour of the right and far right."’. Both stories come from elDiario.es 

From El Norte de Castilla here: Ignacio Dancausa, new leader of the Nuevas Generaciones youth wing of the PP: "We are the generation that will fill churches and bullrings again". The newly elected leader of the youth organization, who describes himself as an "ayuser," (i.e. inspired by Isabel Díaz Ayuso) cites his appointment as a milestone that marks the beginning of "the golden age"’. 

20Minutos cynically explains: ‘Why the Government is fuelling the idea of ​​'lawfare' in the justice system: more than half of socialist voters 'buy into' the theory’. 

‘Some leaders of the white supremacist group Patriot Front that marched in hoods in Washington on July 4th met with Spain’s fascist Núcleo Nacional organisation shortly before it launched itself as a political party (Noviembre Nacional). Activists from Patriot Front, the far-right US organization that promotes xenophobic actions, met a few weeks ago in Madrid with Spanish neo-Nazis and together they visited Cuelgamuros (previously known as the Valley of the Fallen)’. The story is at Público here. 

…...

Catalonia:

From a poll at elDiario.es here: ‘Aliança Catalana (far right) overtakes Junts and competes with ERC to become the second largest party in Catalonia, according to the CEO poll. President Salvador Illa would once again win the elections but could face difficulties in securing a majority with ERC and Comuns, who, according to the poll, could fall just short of an absolute majority’. 

…...

Gibraltar: 

From the BBC News here: ‘New era for Gibraltar with removal of 118-year-old border controls with Spain’. Many years ago, my parents would cross to Gibraltar to get some funds from the bank there. Then in 1969, Franco closed the frontier, so then they then had to go via Tangiers. See how easy it is now? 

…...

Europe: 

‘Costa del Poles: how Brexit changed the face of expats in Spain’, says The Times here. ‘British expats balk at the cost of sidestepping EU residency rules and wealthy Europeans have stepped in to buy property and set up business’. Quote: “I remember in the mid to late-Nineties, nearly 80 per cent of all our sales were British,” says Marc Pritchard from Taylor Wimpey Spain. “Now, that figure is 8 per cent.” 

…...

Crime and Punishment:

From El País here: ‘La Fiscalía accuses Judge Peinado of orchestrating a "conspiracy" to confiscate Begoña Gómez's passport. The public prosecutor, who criticizes the magistrate for his "lack of rigor and restraint," reproaches him for arguing that the police escort could aid her escape’. (The function of La Fiscalía - Office of the Public Prosecutor: represents the state, brings criminal charges, and evaluates evidence against suspects says Google AI). At all events, Peinado went for his hols while Begoña wanted to go to London to see her daughter’s graduation, a permission which was granted by a substitute judge. Now Peinado wants her to show proof that she didn’t go anywhere else says Cadena Ser here. ‘The Moncloa denounces “persecution” and “public harassment” of Begoña Gómez, following Peinado's doubts about her trip’ says Electomanía here. 

For all Pedro Sánchez insists he has faith in the Spanish justice system, not many citizens do. Certainly, the sentence declared against Pedro’s brother David Sánchez, who got a job as music director in Badajoz before Pedro became secretary of the PSOE, must have dissuaded him. David has just been handed down nine years inhabilitation for any public office. From elDiario.es here: ‘The court has sentenced Pedro Sánchez's brother to nine years of disqualification from public office for malfeasance but acquitted him of influence peddling’. (Malfeasance is an intentional wrongful or unlawful act, particularly one committed by a public official, corporate officer, or person in a position of authority. It involves a deliberate decision to do something that is illegal, deeply unethical, or a clear abuse of power). 

Reuters has: ‘Spain's High Court widens graft inquiry to include PM's close ally’. We read… ‘Juan ​Manuel Serrano served as one of Sánchez's top aides within his party between 2014 and 2018. When Sánchez became premier in July 2018, he named Serrano to head the ​postal service, keeping him in the job until 2023. The writ showed Serrano ​is implicated in a suspected plot to destabilise judicial and police investigations affecting the PSOE. ‌The ⁠focus is on text messages exchanged with Leire Diez, the group's alleged ringleader who served in a senior position in the postal service during Serrano's tenure…’ 

From Spain in English here: ‘Spain’s National Court has ordered banking giant BBVA, its former chairman Francisco González and 14 other defendants to stand trial over alleged bribery and corporate espionage linked to the long-running ‘Villarejo case’, marking the first time senior corporate figures have been brought to trial as part of the investigation’. 

‘There's no beating them when it comes to patriotism, as long as it doesn't consist of contributing to the public coffers instead of plundering them. infoLibre, Mediapart's publishing partner in Spain, reveals the names of the most prominent among the 1,558 Spaniards or figures linked to Spain who control companies registered in Luxembourg’. Some links from infoLibre are here. 

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Media: 

‘Double standards? Why hasn't the Political Parties Act been applied to the neo-Nazis of Noviembre Nacional yet?’ asks Público here. It’s a fair question, after all Herri Batasuna and Euskal Herritarrok were both illegalised in 2003 by the Supreme Court, as were Acción Nacionalista Vasca and Partido Comunista de las Tierras Vascas in 2008, Askatasuna in 2009 and Sortu in 2011 (all of them Basque and connected to the ETA) – Wiki has the full list here. 

Mariano Rajoy writes about the World Cup in the hopelessly far-right El Debate, where he notes that the French team are all foreigners. Because they’re black, see? The French are understandably offended, and Sánchez has publicly answered Rajoy’s unfortunate remark with ‘May the best team win, and racism lose’. 

…...

Ecology: 

From the ABC here: ‘Prime Minister Sánchez has called for a national pact to address the climate emergency following the forest fire in Los Gallardos (Almería) that has claimed 13 lives. He also warned of the dangers of misinformation in emergency situations and cautioned that this will be a difficult summer in terms of wildfires…’ With video. 

From Futurism here: ‘Climate Scientists Aghast at How Bad Things Are Getting, and So Fast. "Extreme events are so far outside anything we have expected."’. 

‘The AEMET says it bluntly: in the Mediterranean it no longer makes sense to talk about a "tropical night" because almost all nights are tropical’. Headline from Xataca here. 

A honey-wagon in El Campello (Alicante) has been caught on video pumping effluent into the sea at las playas de L'Almadrava says Alicante Plaza here. 

…...

Various: 

From Información here ‘Spain (the journalist endearingly calls it La Roja) is also winning off the field: Spain is now the twelfth most reputable country in the world. Spain ranks twelfth in global reputation, ahead of Germany and Portugal, in a year marked by a loss of trust worldwide, according to the RepCore Nations indicator’. The same indicator puts the USA at 47 and Israel at 57. The top country is Japan. 

From Público here: ‘What is Alcolock, the mandatory Breathalyzer in newly registered cars? The regulations require that all vehicles leave the factory prepared to install this safety system’. Excuse me mate, would you mind blowing into this tube for me? My stupid car won’t start.  

The Government celebrated fifty years without the Caudillo with a fake show for an invented fashion house shot in las Cortes called Dmocracia. All very jolly. Now Vox has sneakily gone and registered the trademark! A quote from 20Minutos: "Vox is leading the frontal opposition to Pedro Sánchez in the streets, in parliaments, and at the Patent and Trademark Office," declared the spokesperson for the third-largest party, who called the government "inept" for not registering the trademark. "It's a demonstration of how badly the Spanish Socialists do things!"

Spain is through to the World Cup Final to be played at the New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. From Sport here: ‘FIFA breaks the rules for the World Cup final: there will be an unprecedented 30-minute halftime break that doesn't favour Spain! They're organizing an unbelievable spectacle with Justin Bieber, Shakira, Madonna, BTS, Burna Boy, and Coldplay, which will disrupt the normal flow of the match’. ¡Ay, los americanos! 

The attempted kidnapping of Queen Isabel II of Spain took place on the night of October 7, 1841, at the Royal Palace in Madrid. The plan was carried out by General Diego de León along with other moderate military officers. The objective was to abduct the 10-year-old queen and her sister in order to overthrow the regency of the progressive General Baldomero Espartero. From El Reto Histórico here: ‘The guards who saved the Royal Palace in 1841. A ten-year-old queen, a ladder, and the battle that changed the history of Spain’. Isabel became queen at the age of three following the death of her father (Wiki). 

…...

Finally: 

Rozalén - El Día Que Yo Me Muera (Versión Acústica- Lengua de Signos) on YouTube here. My late wife worked with sign-language students. We once persuaded Miguel Ríos to give a brief concert in Mojácar with a choir signing along on the stage with him.