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ECONOMY

Spain approves record 2022 budget

Spain's fragmented parliament gave final approval Tuesday to the biggest budget in the country's history, with billions of euros from EU's huge Covid-19 recovery fund.

Published: 29 December 2021 10:35 CET
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez
Photo: Gabriel BOUYS / AFP

Passage of the 2022 spending plan boosts the chances that Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority government will survive until the end of its mandate in late 2023.

Lawmakers voted 281-62 in favour of the budget, which calls for a record €240 billion  ($269 billion) in spending next year as the government seeks to spur activity in an economy badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

It includes €26.3 billion from the European Union’s economic recovery fund.

Spain is one of the main beneficiaries of the fund, with the country set to collect a total of €140 billion in grants and loans from it over six years.

Sánchez’s Socialists and its junior coalition partners, hard left party Podemos, hold only 155 of the 350 seats in Spain’s highly fragmentented parliament.

But the government struck deals with smaller leftist and regional parties to get their support for the budget, including one with Catalan separatist party ERC that sets a quota for regional languages on streaming platforms.

In a tweet sent just after the budget was approved, Sánchez said the budget is “key to consolidating a fair and inclusive recovery”.

“Hopefully this will be the prologue to many more agreements. We will be working on that,” he added.

Sánchez is betting the expansive budget will stoke an economic rebound from the Covid pandemic that has lost some momentum due to weak domestic consumption and a slower than expected recovery in its key tourism sector.

READ ALSO: Politics in Spain: Seven predictions for 2022

Among the measures financed by the budget is a payment of €400 to all those who turn 18 to spend on cultural activities, and a monthly rent subsidy of €250 for low-income youths.

Civil servants will get a 2.0 percent pay increase while old-age pensions will be increased in line with inflation.

The budget sees Spain’s public deficit to fall to the equivalent of 5.0 percent of Spain’s economic output next year, down from 8.4 percent in 2021.

But it is based on a prediction that Spain’s gross domestic product (GDP) will expand by 7.0 percent next year, a forecast many analysts say is unrealistic.

Spain’s economy contracted 10.8 percent in 2020, one of the worst results among industrialised countries, as pandemic travel restrictions crippled its tourism sector.

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PADRON

When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón document you get when registering at your local town hall in Spain must be renewed periodically. Find out when and the steps on how to do it.

Published: 22 April 2024 13:09 CEST
When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón certificate is used to show proof of where you live. Your town hall – or ayuntamiento – uses it to find how many people are living in the area and what their ages are.

The number of people living in each area will depend on how much money they will receive from the government. They use this money for local services such as schools, health centres, parks and police officers.

If you are a non-EU citizen with temporary residence (less than 5 years) in Spain, then you will need to renew your padrón certificate every two years.

You will also need to renew your padrón each time you move house, as it should have your current address. 

For some bureaucratic processes in Spain, you will also need to be able to show you have a padrón certificate that’s no older than three months. 

Depending on where you live, there are different ways you can renew it. This could be in person, online or by post.

READ ALSO – Padrón: 16 things you should know about Spain’s town hall registration

Generally, in order to renew your certificate, you will need:

  • A recent gas, water or electricity bill in your name
  • Your rental contract and receipt of your last rental payment
  • If you own your own property, you will need to show evidence that you own it, such as the property deeds

You will also need to show:

  • A valid residence card such as TIE
  • A valid passport
  • In addition, it is also advisable to bring your previous padrón certificate

For children you will also need the following:

  • Records of your digitised family book (libro de família)
  • A valid passport or residence permit of the minor
  • A passport of one of the parents which also contains the identification data of the minor
  • Birth certificate of your child

If you do not live in the same household as your child, you will also need:

  • A delegation for registration form, signed by the parent who lives with the minor.
  • Photocopy of the valid identification document of the parent who lives with the child.
  • In the case of minors under 14 years of age, it will not be mandatory for them to have an NIE, passport or identification document from their country of origin.

Remember that all your documents should be officially translated into Spanish or another local language such as Catalan, if they aren’t already.

READ ALSO: Can I get my padrón online in Spain?

In person

If you are applying in person, you will need to make an appointment at your local Ayuntamiento or town hall.

When the date for your appointment arrives you will need to complete the renewal form, which will most like look something like this, but may change depending on where you live. 

You will also need to bring originals and photocopies of all the documents above.

Online

If you have a digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN you are able to renew your padrón online. You will need to do this via your local government website.

First, you’ll need to identify yourself digitally with your digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN.

Next you will have to complete the renewal form and then attach digital copies of all the above documentation that’s required.

Then you’ll need to submit and sign it digitally.

By post

Although this is not the most common way to renew your certificate, some town halls may let you apply by post and will have details of the relevant address to send your documents and forms to online. 

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