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WHAT CHANGES IN SPAIN

KEY POINTS: The changes to life in Spain in March 2023

From clock changes to Valencia's Las Fallas festival as well as new train routes and laws, here's everything you can expect to happen in March in Spain.

KEY POINTS: The changes to life in Spain in March 2023
Everything that changes in Spain in March 2023. Photos: Pàtrocle R. M. i Santos / Pixabay, Jan Vašek / Pixabay and LLUIS GENE / AFP.

Clocks change

The next clock change will be on March 26th 2023. Specifically, this will happen in the early hours of the morning at 2am, when the clocks will be moved forward one hour, so that it will become 3am instead.  This means that the night will have one hour less and the day will last 23 hours instead of 24 hours.

In the case of the Canary Islands, which are one hour behind mainland Spain, the change will occur on the same date but one hour beforehand at 1am, changing it to 2am instead.  

READ ALSO: When do the clocks change in Spain in 2023?

Valencia’s Las Fallas and other events taking place

Valencia’s fire-cracking Las Fallas festival takes place in March. Although officially on from March 1st until March 19th, the main days of the festival are from March 15th to 19th when all the big events take place. Las Fallas is Valencia’s most important festival and during this crazy fiery event, huge elaborate paper mâché sculptures called fallas are set up across the city. On the last night, they are ceremoniously burned during the Nit de la Cremà during a crazy fiery display. 

There are also smaller Fallas events taking place in towns such as Alzira and Sagunto.

Other events taking place in Spain in March are the Cherry Blossom Festival in Jerte, Cáceres, which begins on March 17th and the historic celebrations of the Fiesta de la Arribada de la Carabela La Pinta de Baiona on March 1st and the Reconquista da Vila de Vigo on March 28th.

New Iryo train routes

From March 31st, the low-cost train company Iryo will be launching several routes to Andalusia, specifically to Málaga, Córdoba and Seville. Prices start at €35 for the Madrid to Córdoba connection, €47.50 for the Madrid-Seville connection and €60 for the Madrid-Málaga connection. All you need to do is to opt for flexible rates, and choose the options that flag the ‘low cost’ journey.

By June 2023, Iryo plans to add two extra destinations to its train services: Albacete in east-central Spain and Alicante in the coastal Valencia region.

READ ALSO – Iryo: What to know about Spain’s newest high-speed low-cost trains

Spain’s whistle-blower protection law comes into force

Spain’s whistle-blower protection law was published in the Official State Journal on February 21st, 2023 and enters into force on March 13th.

Its aim is to protect those who report on breaches of EU law. It is intended to protect citizens who report possible irregularities and corruption in public administration as well as in private companies. Intermediaries, colleagues and family members are also protected.

It also covers serious and very serious criminal and administrative offences under Spanish law.

Gag and squatting laws could be passed

Several important laws could be voted on by the Spanish government this March, including the changes to the ‘Gag Law’ and the anti-squatting law.

Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE-led coalition government is trying to reform the 2015 gag law by changing the rules on recording and sharing images of police officers, organising spontaneous protests, and the use of rubber bullets by police, among others. Among the proposed changes, the recording or sharing of images of police officers will no longer constitute a serious infringement of the new law, except when the images pose a direct threat to the safety of the police officers.

READ ALSO: What are the proposed changes to Spain’s controversial ‘gag law’?

The proposed changes to the Law of Criminal Procedure or anti-okupas law are to speed up evictions of squatters within a maximum period of 48 hours. However, the new speedy evictions relate only to “trespassing or usurpation of real estate” and not those pre-existing tenants who simply stop paying rent and refuse to leave the property. 

 READ ALSO: What are the laws on squatting in Spain?

New streaming platform available in Spain

As of February 28th, the new SkyShowtime streaming service will be available in Spain, after already being launched in more than twenty countries.

The starting price will be €5.99 per month, although, for a limited time up until April 25th 2023 new customers may receive a 50 percent discount. It offers all its users the possibility of creating up to five profiles and downloading unlimited content from three simultaneous devices. It also allows for the use of shared accounts.     

Local holidays in Madrid and the Balearics

Both the Balearic Islands and Madrid will enjoy public holidays in March. The Balearics will celebrate Balearics Day on Wednesday March 1st, while Madrid will celebrate San José Day on Monday, March 20th. Generally, San José Day falls on the 19th, but because it falls on a Sunday, it will be moved to the Monday instead.

READ ALSO – Spain’s public and regional holidays in 2023: How to make the most of them

UK driving licences: will the wait end?

More than 300 days have passed since the UK driving licences of Spanish residents ceased to be valid in Spain, after months of failed negotiations and a deadline which was pushed back four times.

On February 23rd,  affected drivers saw a very familiar message posted on the UK Embassy in Madrid’s social media channels: “You will be able to drive again very shortly after approval by the Consejo de Ministros which, to repeat, we expect to take place within the next few weeks”.

The British Embassy has posted similar messages since June 2022, but these “in weeks” and “soon” promises haven’t materialised.

Will March 2023 finally bring an end to the fiasco?

READ ALSO – UK driving licences: Will approval by Spain’s Council of Ministers be the final step?

Demonstrations planned for International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day takes place on March 8th and several demonstrations campaigning for women’s rights are to take place across the country. This will be the first time since the pandemic that there haven’t been any restrictions in place. In Madrid, there will be two marches taking place from Atocha station.

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WHAT CHANGES IN SPAIN

KEY POINTS: Everything that changes about life in Spain in June 2024

Whether it be tax deadlines, price increases, school ending, European elections, fire-themed celebrations or anti-mass tourism protests, there's a lot going on in Spain this June.

KEY POINTS: Everything that changes about life in Spain in June 2024

Last day to file your tax return online

Wednesday 26th June is the last day to file your yearly income tax return online in Spain, known as la declaración de renta. Declarations by phone and in person will continue until July 1st.

READ ALSO: How to complete Spain’s Declaración de la Renta tax return in 2024

European elections

The European elections will take place in Spain on June 9th. Spanish citizens residing in Spain or abroad, as well as citizens of other EU countries residing in Spain, can vote.

A new Catalan government

June 10th is the day when the Catalan government will likely vote on and form its new government, following regional polls in the northern region earlier in the month. It is expected that the Socialist (PSC) candidate Salvador Illa will have enough votes to become regional president after winning a solid victory and denying separatist parties a pro-independence majority for the first time in decades.

READ ALSO: Politics in Spain: 8 things we learnt from the Catalan elections

Málaga anti-tourism protest

Anti-tourist sentiment is bubbling in Spain, and will hit the Málaga streets in June. A growing number of Malagueños have had enough and will take to the streets on June 29th under the slogan ‘for decent housing and against the processes of touristification and precariousness of life’.

READ MORE: ‘It’s become unliveable – Spain’s Málaga plans protests against mass tourism

New EU AI law comes into force

June will also see the world’s first comprehensive AI law come into force. The law, approved at the EU level, will impose certain obligations depending on the risk level of each AI systems. You can read more of The Local’s coverage here.

School’s out for summer

Of course, June also sees the end of the school year at schools across Spain. Most regions will have their last day on Friday June 21st, but some will continue onto the 24th, depending on the type of school.

It’s always better to check with your local authority for exact term dates.

Cheap train tickets in north-east Spain

Train travel between regions in the north-east of Spain will discounts of up to 70 percent throughout June. However, you must purchase the tickets beforehand, between 20th May-26th May.

Offers include offers journeys between Barcelona and Logroño or Pamplona for €19.02, between Barcelona and Vitoria for €19.95, or between the Catalan capital and San Sebastián or Bilbao for €20.95.

Madrid water prices go up

The price of water in Madrid will increase for many from June 1st, affecting around a third (29 percent) of domestic customers in the city. This ends a decade of frozen tariffs, sanitation and reuse services managed by Canal de Isabel II.

Teachers protests in Madrid

Teachers in the capital will take to the streets and demand better conditions on Monday 3rd June in front of the Regional Ministry of Economy and Finance. On Saturday 15th June, teachers will protest again, marching from Plaza de Neptuno to Puerta del Sol.

Seasonal Tenerife-New York flights become permanent

The popular connection between Newark Liberty International Airport (technically New Jersey) and Tenerife South, which will have three weekly frequencies in each direction, is set to become permanent and will begin operating from 1st June and will last at least until the end of March 2025. It will offer a total of 23,400 seats during this period.

VAT price reduction on food and electricity could be scrapped

The Spanish government is considering scrapping the VAT price cut on food and electricity in June, meaning bills and food shops could get more expensive.

It doesn’t seem to be confirmed yet but the cuts are likely to be brought in to keep Spain’s fiscal planning in line with EU Commission rules.

Festivos/local events

Corpus Christi celebrations take place 

The Corpus Christi festival commemorates the body of Christ and occurs nine weeks after Easter. It is celebrated very differently depending on where you are in the country. In the Catalan town of Sitges, Elche de la Sierra in Albacete, and some places in Tenerife, the locals make brightly-coloured patterned carpets on the streets, made of either flower petals or sawdust.

In Granada, they have elaborate processions and lots of festivities, while in Barcelona they decorate the city’s fountains with flowers and place an egg to ‘dance’ in the water. 

Noche de San Juan

June sees much of Spain celebrating the Night of Sant Juan. Saint John’s Eve occurs on the night of June 23rd and sees Spaniards across the country celebrating with bonfires and fireworks. It marks St John the Baptist’s birth as well as one of the shortest nights of the year.

It is celebrated slightly differently depending on where you are in the country. In Galicia, Pagan traditions of scaring away evil mix with religious ones as bonfires are set up on the beaches. In Catalonia, towns and cities go all out to celebrate Sant Joan with firecrackers, fireworks, and traditional sweet coca bread.

Finally, in Alicante Las Hogueras or Les Fogueres take place, similar to Valencia’s Las Fallas festival where large papier-mâché sculptures are burnt. 

Batalla del Vino

In the Riojan town Haro, locals celebrate the region’s wine heritage in a very unusual way, by having a giant wine fight and throwing the ruby red drink all over each other. It takes place on June 29th and during the event, everyone meets on a hillside outside the town dressed in white. By the time the fight is over, everyone’s clothes have turned to shades of red and purple.

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