Blog/Latest News - Madrid Expat Services

Brussels slashes Spain’s growth forecast, projecting slower recovery than EU neighbors

While France is expected to return to pre-pandemic GDP levels by this year, the Spanish economy may not bounce back until the third quarter of 2023 Spain is growing and coming out of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which saw gross domestic product (GDP) in the country fall by levels not seen since the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. But it is doing so at a slower rate than expected, and faces the risk of being left behind by other countries in the euro zone. [...]

Falling Covid cases in Spain’s schools lead experts to believe herd immunity is near

A month into the academic year, infection rates remain low even among unvaccinated children Fears that were rife in Spain a month ago ahead of the return to school of 5.2 million students under the age of 12 have now made way for optimism. A possible rise in infections among the only group of the population that has not been vaccinated against Covid-19 has not come to pass, and experts are starting to consider that the levels of protection reached – nearly 80% of the Spanish population has been fully [...]

New traffic law approved in Spain will see stiffer penalties for using cellphones while driving

The legislation, which is likely to come into force in a couple of months’ time, will also make helmets obligatory for scooter riders Spain’s lower house of parliament approved on Thursday the new Traffic, Circulation and Road Safety law, which includes the docking of six points from motorists’ driving licenses – compared to the current three – for anyone who is caught “holding cellphone devices while driving.” The final text that was passed by lawmakers in the Congress of Deputies does not, in the end, prohibit drivers from exceeding the [...]

Experts say worst of the pandemic is over in Spain, but warn coronavirus is here to stay

Spain will not have to wait for herd immunity before it can leave the coronavirus pandemic behind. With four out of every five citizens fully vaccinated, and a coverage level of 95% among the vulnerable population, the country is entering a new stage in which learning to live with the virus will become a part of everyday life. New, more-contagious variants of the virus and the percentage of the population that has not been vaccinated – 5.2 million under-12s in Spain, for whom no vaccine has yet been approved, and [...]

Highest coronavirus infection rate is now among children, but figures in Spain are falling for all ages

Experts consulted by EL PAÍS believe this is most likely due to this age group being the only one that is unvaccinated. Pfizer has this week announced good results from its vaccine trials for five- to 12-year-oldsViruses circulate among the population like lava on a hillside: they seek the best routes to continue on their journey, those where there are fewer obstacles in the way of their progress. The under-12s, the only group in Spain that is not included in the ongoing vaccination campaign, has now become the segment [...]

Opening of Madrid Expat Services

After Valencia, Barcelona and Javea-Denia, the relocation company established in Spain for almost 5 years now, is opening a branch in Madrid...It is another Frenchwoman who is at the head of this structure to provide advice and assistance to foreigners who settle in Spain. Marine Vanhagendoren has been living in the capital for several years and has decided to put her experience and knowledge to the service of expats... Whether they are future residents in Madrid or already settled, she knows that expats always need to carry out various [...]

Tourism industry bracing for economic impact of coronavirus

Published in https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-02-27/spain-bracing-for-economic-impact-of-coronavirus.html#?sma=newsletter_inenglish20200228m Businesses in Spain are eyeing events in Italy but say that it is too early to feel effects ahead of the Easter break Besides creating a public health crisis, the Covid-19 coronavirus is also having an impact on national economies. The Spanish stock market has retreated over 9% in six trading days as new cases of the disease have been confirmed. And the tourism industry is closely watching events unfold in Italy, where major cultural, trade and sports fixtures have been cancelled in a bid to halt the [...]

Spaniards still eager to study in British universities in spite of Brexit

Publié dans: https://english.elpais.com/brexit/2020-02-20/spaniards-still-eager-to-study-in-british-universities-despite-brexit.html Student applications have risen 30% since the 2016 referendum, but uncertainty remains over the future of the Erasmus exchange program An increasing number of Spanish students are interested in studying in British universities despite Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, in a process commonly known as “Brexit.” Britain’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has seen a 30% rise in student applications from Spain since 2016, when Britain voted to leave the EU. Requests from German and Bulgarian students, however, fell 10% this academic year. There are [...]

Spanish rail company wins €5.6 billion contract to operate high-speed network in the United States

Publié sur: https://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-02-21/spanish-rail-company-wins-56-billion-contract-to-operate-high-speed-network-in-the-united-states.html Renfe will be responsible for the line between Houston and Dallas in what will be the largest ever deal reached by a state-owned company outside of Spain Spain’s state-owned rail company Renfe has won a $6 billion (€5.56 billion) contract to operate a high-speed train line between the cities of Dallas and Houston in the United States – the biggest contract ever secured by a Spanish public company outside of Spain, according to a press release issued by the firm on Wednesday. The contract, details of which were published by Spanish [...]

Gibraltar, fishing and migrant rights: Spain’s post-Brexit red lines

https://english.elpais.com/brexit/2020-01-30/gibraltar-fishing-and-migrant-rights-spains-post-brexit-red-lines.html#?sma=newsletter_inenglish20200131m PM Pedro Sánchez is meeting on Thursday with the European Union’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, to discuss the future relationship between the UK and the bloc Spain has set down its red lines for the ambitious negotiation over the relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom after Britain leaves the 28-country bloc on Friday, a process commonly known as Brexit. The EU’s chief negotiator for the process, Michel Barnier, will visit Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday to discuss Spain’s priorities going into this new stage. Protecting [...]