Spain will scrap 'golden visas' that allow wealthy non-EU residents to stay if they buy real estate
The Spanish government says it will scrap so-called โgolden visasโ that allow wealthy people from outside the European Union to obtain residency permits on investing more than half a million euros (dollars) in real estate.
Catalan separatists reject amnesty bill, highlighting the fragility of Spain's minority government
Catalan separatist lawmakers have dealt Spainโs government a blow by voting against a hugely divisive amnesty law that was aimed at helping hundreds of their supporters involved in Cataloniaโs unsuccessful 2017 independence bid.
Why Spain's acting leader is offering a politically explosive amnesty for Catalan separatists
Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchezโs chances of forming a new coalition minority government following an inconclusive election in July have been greatly boosted by a deal with a tiny party he surely hoped he would never have to rely on.
Spain's Socialists will grant amnesty to Catalan separatists in return for support of new government
Spainโs Socialist Party has struck a deal with a fringe Catalan separatist party to grant an amnesty for potentially thousands of people involved in the regionโs failed secession bid in exchange for its key backing of acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez to form a new government.
Protests turn ugly as pressure mounts on Spain's acting government for amnesty talks with Catalans
Clashes have erupted in Spain for a second night between police and protesters who oppose the acting government's negotiations with Catalan separatist parties over a possible amnesty for thousands of secessionists in the northeastern region.
Leader of Spain's conservatives expected to lose on his first chance to become prime minister
Barring a last-minute surprise, the leader of Spainโs conservatives will miss on his first shot to become the countryโs next prime minister when the parliament votes on his petition to form a government.
A Spanish soccer officialโs kiss unleashed fury, soul-searching over sexism, and a hunger strike
Spainโs victory at the Womenโs World Cup was a momentous occasion for the soccer-crazed country, but the joy on and off the field was soon sullied by the leader of the countryโs soccer federation when he planted an unwanted kiss on the lips of a star player during the medal ceremony.
Spain's acting prime minister criticizes federation head for kissing player from World Cup champs
Spainโs acting prime minister has greeted the country's Womenโs World Cup champions at the presidential palace in Madrid and slammed the head of the Spanish soccer federation for kissing a team member on the lips without her consent.
Socialist wins key Spanish parliament vote that could pave way for new center-left government
Spainโs newly elected Parliament has voted by a majority to elect a Socialist candidate as chamber speaker, breathing some life into acting Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchezยดs aspirations to form another leftist government.
Spain's political escape artist Pedro Sรกnchez has odds against him yet again in national election
After seeing his Socialists take a drubbing in local and regional elections in May, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez stunned his buoyant rivals by bringing forward general elections from December to this Sunday.
Sรกnchez visits Kyiv on the day Spain starts EU presidency to underline bloc's support for Ukraine
Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez has started Spainโs six-month presidency of the European Union with a lightning visit to Kyiv to underline the blocโs support of Ukraine in the face of the invasion by Russia.
Spain's Socialists have won the Barcelona mayor's office after getting help from conservative rivals
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez's Socialists have received an unexpected boost from its main rival in next monthโs national elections after his party won the mayorโs office of Barcelona following a tight vote at city hall.
Small leftist parties in Spain unite before July election in pact that could help Sรกnchez
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchezโs chances of getting reelected after a July election have received a potentially important boost following an agreement between more than a dozen small leftist parties to run on a joint ticket.
US, Spain collaboration on migration looms large as Biden, Sรกnchez hold talks at White House
President Joe Biden and Spain's Pedro Sรกnchez are set to hold talks as their countries are collaborating along with Canada to establish migration hubs in Latin America where asylum seekers fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries can go to apply for protection.
Spain's leader apologizes to victims of sexual consent law
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez has apologized to the victims of a government-sponsored sexual freedom law passed last October that was aimed at increasing protection for women, but inadvertently allowed hundreds of convicted sex offenders to have their sentences reduced.
EU energy ministers seek way forward for more energy unity
European Union energy ministers are seeking some common ground to flesh out the barest of tentative agreements that their leaders could find last week to soften the blow of the energy crisis while maintaining a united front during Russiaโs war in Ukraine.
Spanish PM Sanchez backs EU candidacy for Bosnia
Spainโs prime minister has expressed support for Bosnia to become a candidate country for European Union membership amid fears that uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine could fuel instability in the ethnically torn Balkan nation that went through a devastating conflict in the 1990sโ.
The AP Interview: Spanish PM says NATO summit to show unity
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez says the NATO summit in Madrid this week aims to showcase the Western allies' united front in defense of democratic values in the face of Russiaโs invasion of Ukraine, while providing a platform to increase the blocโs deterrence capabilities.
Spain's govt steps in to halt record rise in power prices
Spainโs Socialist-led coalition government is slashing energy taxes and imposing a temporary windfall tax on the gains of energy companies in an attempt to drive down household electricity bills, which have surged to record highs and triggered an outcry.
Brutal attack prompts Spanish PM to hold hate crime meeting
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez is convening an urgent meeting of a committee that oversees efforts to fight hate crime after hooded attackers beat a 20-year-old man in Madrid and used a knife to carve a profanity on one of his buttocks.
Fighter jets scramble, interrupt leaders in Lithuania
A news conference at a NATO air base in Lithuania featuring Lithuaniaโs president and Spainโs prime minister got abruptly cut off when the pair of Spanish fighter jets serving as the backdrop were scrambled to monitor errant military aircraft in the Baltic skies.
Catalan separatists eye freedom after Spain's Cabinet pardon
Nine Catalan separatist leaders jailed for sedition are eyeing freedom, after Spainโs Cabinet pardoned them in the hope of starting what Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez called a much-needed reconciliation in the countryโs restive northeast.
EU moves toward stricter export controls for COVID-19 shots
Spain resumed the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)BRUSSELS โ The European Union moved Wednesday toward stricter export controls for coronavirus vaccines, seeking to make sure its 27 nations have more COVID-19 shots to boost the bloc's flagging vaccine campaign amid a surge in new infections. AdโI mention specifically the U.K.,โ said EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis. That was heading to Australia, which has a very limited coronavirus outbreak compared to the third surge of infections now facing many EU nations. The EU has been feuding with AstraZeneca for months over exactly how many vaccine doses would be delivered by certain dates.
Madrid region to face early election after coalition split
Spains central region of Madrid will face snap elections after regional vice president Ignacio Aguado announced Wednesday, March 10, 2021 that its right-wing coalition government has dissolved. Aguado, of the liberal Citizens party, told Spanish media in an impromptu televised appearance that regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso had decided to break up their coalition. (Kiko Huesca/Pool via AP, File)MADRID โ Spainโs powerful central region of Madrid will face an early election after infighting between two right-wing parties caused the capitalโs coalition government to collapse on Wednesday. Regional president Isabel Dรญaz Ayuso, one of the rising stars of Spainโs conservative Popular Party, dissolved the regional legislature after breaking with her governmentโs junior party, the liberal Citizens party. If successful, that would give Citizens the regional presidency of the rural region that the Popular Party has ruled for over 25 years.
EU leaders weigh sanctions over Turkey's Med drilling work
European Council President Charles Michel, center, arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. European Union leaders meet for a year-end summit that will address anything from climate, sanctions against Turkey to budget and virus recovery plans. From left, Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. โAny decision to impose sanctions against Turkey wonโt be of great concern to Turkey,โ Erdogan told reporters. Turkey also plays a military role in Libya, a main jumping-off point in Africa for migrants hoping to reach Europe.
Spain orders nationwide curfew to stem worsening outbreak
FILE - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a parliamentary session in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday Oct. 21, 2020. โThe reality is that Europe and Spain are immersed in a second wave of the pandemic,โ Sรกnchez said during a nationwide address after meeting with his Cabinet. With the mainland curfew, Spain is following the example of neighboring France, where the government ordered a 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew for major cities and large swaths of the country this week. Several regional leaders, who run Spain's decentralized health care system, had asked in recent days for the national government to declare a national state of emergency. Under the first state of emergency, Spainโs military battalions were deployed to disinfect retirement homes and set up field hospitals.