25/09/25 A Spanish friend and colleague has sent me his comment:

To add something else, I think we should mention the growing political confrontation, with tension and insults, in which Spanish politics is embroiled. This confrontation, sometimes involving insults, makes effective government action practically impossible, as there is a fragmented parliament in which the interests of each party are very much at odds, which facilitates positions of strength for minority sectors and makes it difficult to reach agreements. If we add to this the fact that the two main parties – especially the PP – are unwilling to tone down their rhetoric and reach agreements, and that some of the parties that could hold the key to agreements are pro-independence and only want benefits for their region and the achievement of independence, we have a very difficult cocktail to mix.

Introduction:

In the meeting of EN-RE's Steering Committee on September 2 2025, it was agreed that the representatives of each of the member groups and writers of each editorial would sign the editorials individually to save time in obtaining the approvals of our individual member groups. So you will only see my name at the bottom of this editorial. It was also agreed to limit the extent of each editorial to 500 words. I hope you enjoy this short discussion about Spain today from my personal viewpoint:

Spain, the second largest country in Europe is a largely decentralised State with 17 autonomous communities, each one with its parliament and executive. The majority of them, are, at present, governed by the PP (Popular Party, centre right) with support from Vox (extreme right populist)

The Central Government, presided by the Socialist Party (PSOE), governs in coalition with

 left wing parties (Sumar and Podemos) and with centre right and left wing nationalist parties.

The opposition is centred in the PP, a conservative party with historical links to the Francoist regime and which promotes the privatisation of public services and tax reductions which especially favour high income voters. Since PP lacks a majority, it has to rely on Vox which promotes racist policies. Both PP and Vox have demonstrated their incapacity to manage the interests of the population, as evidenced by the natural distasters like the major forest fires and the Valencian Dana floods, that ocurred in the autonomous communities where they govern.

Nearly all Spanish political parties, including PSOE, suffer from the corruption of a minority of their members and this can lead the citizens to lose interest in politics.

The Spanish economy has, at present, the highest growth rate in Europe, partly due, to its growing population of young immigrants from Latin America and Africa, which compensate the low birth rate of Spanish families. Tourism, exports and foreign investment generate important income for the GNP but there is a growing inequality, due, partly, to the absence of an efficient fiscal reform for sharing the wealth.

The Central Government follows policies of maximising public social services whilst the opposition, in the Autonomous Communities where it governs, favour tax reductions and the privatisation of social services.

With respect to international policies, the Spanish Government favours a greater European integration, accepted by the majority of the population, the defence of the Ukraine without compromising budget resources and an independence to the measures obligated by Trump. On the other hand, Spain maintains a strong posture against Israel, recognising the Palestinian State and pressuring its allies to do likewise. Spain does all it can to put an end to genocide in Gaza and the Occupied Territories and the application of the policy of Two States.

The Catholic Church still benefits from a special relationship with the State, created immediately after the end of the Civil War, although the State applies the secular recommendations of the Council of Europe. Some reactionary bishops still support PP and Vox but, in the main, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church follows the recommendations of Popes Francis and Leon XIV in promoting the equalitarian rights of all citizens whatever their ethnic and social origins or their religious beliefs. Spanish youth, in the main, does not practice religious beliefs but follows the ideals of searching for social justice and human rights. (481 words)

Hugo Charles Castelli Eyre, Representative of Redes Cristianas, Spain