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WHAT CHANGES IN SPAIN

KEY POINTS: What changes in Spain in December 2023?

Public holidays, Christmas events, airport strikes, big travel news for Murcia, the end of the rent freeze, water restrictions, ski resorts opening and plenty more, here's what to expect in December 2023 if you live in Spain or are visiting.

Published: 22 November 2023 09:15 CET
Updated: 1 December 2023 09:12 CET
KEY POINTS: What changes in Spain in December 2023?
Christmas, new rules for wine and rail strikes in December in Spain. Photos: olga brajnovic, Armands Brants and Christian Lendl / Unsplash

Public holidays

There are three public holidays in December. Wednesday, December 6th is the day of the Spanish Constitution and December 8th is the Day of the Immaculate Conception. This of course gives rise to the December Puente or bridge, also known as the Puente de la Constitución, with many Spaniards taking off Thursday the 7th as well and enjoying a five-day break with the weekend added on.

The third public holiday is of course Christmas Day on December 25th.

READ MORE: Why are December 6th and 8th public holidays in Spain?

Events in December

Spain will be gearing up for Christmas with lots of decorations, light-switching on ceremonies, Christmas markets and Belénes or nativity scenes set up in cities across the country.

Then after Christmas on December 28th, Spain celebrates the Día de los Santos Inocentes (Day of the Holy Innocents), its version of April Fools when people play pranks and jokes throughout the day.

New Year’s Eve or Noche Vieja is also a big deal in Spain, with plenty of parties, family dinners and the tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight to bring good luck for the year ahead.

December weather

After an abnormally hot year with heatwaves starting as early as April in some places and lasting well into September, Spain is finally cooling down and the cold weather is arriving. While it’s still a little early to tell exactly what the weather will be like in December, meteorologists are predicting a pretty typical start to the month with cold temperatures.

December is also the wettest month of the year in large areas of Spain. In Extremadura and Andalusia, as well as areas of Castilla y León and Galicia, this month provides between 15-20 percent of the annual rainfall, reaching almost 30 percent in areas of Andalusia. Let’s hope that next month sticks to the norm and provides much-needed rain to parts of the country experiencing a long-term drought.

Drought restrictions in Catalonia

The worst drought in a century in Spain’s Catalonia region is getting worse. Water usage restrictions are now in place and officials have warned it may be necessary to bring fresh water to Barcelona by boat in December.

Local officials have urged Catalonia’s roughly eight million residents to limit their water consumption, and late last year the region imposed reductions in water use for the irrigation of crops and industry.

Town halls have stopped filling public fountains, and using water to fill private swimming pools has been banned.

The regional government of Catalonia announced Tuesday that new restrictions will come into force in the most populated areas of the region, including a reduction in the distribution of water per inhabitant to 210 litres per day from 230 litres.

That would affect consumers with a higher than average water consumption.

Amnesty debate in Parliament

The Socialist-led government has proposed that the first debate in Parliament on the controversial amnesty be discussed on December 12th, so we can expect more right-wing protests to make headlines in December as Sánchez attempts to have the legislation passed which will pardon Catalan separatists.

December will also be the first whole month of the PSOE-Sumar coalition in power after a six month deadlock following July’s inconclusive general election, meaning that there will soon be news regarding possible new laws and changes implemented across the country. 

Rent cap ends

Currently, the limit for rental increases in Spain is set at two percent, but this was only a temporary measure with the objective of mitigating the effects of inflation, which reached 8.4 percent in 2022. This means that the rent cap is due to end on December 31st, 2023.

In April 2023 an agreement on the new Housing Law stated that there would be a three percent cap on annual renewals of rental contracts in 2024. In 2025 and onwards a new index will also be created that aims to be more stable and lower than the evolution of the CPI.

Spanish wine labels to change

From December 8th bottles of wine sold across Spain and the EU must start displaying the contents’ nutritional value. In practical terms, this means that labels on bottles of wine will, from that date, have to list any added sugars, preservatives and other stabilisers used in the manufacture of the wine.

European institutions have agreed that only the energy value – in kilocalories or kilojoules (the metric measurement of calories) instead of a Nutri-Score will be displayed.

Possible baggage handler strikes for the December Puente

Spain’s General Union of Workers (UGT) has proposed walkouts at all Spanish airports for ground handlers, those who manage luggage, loading and unloading of planes and cleaning. They are striking due to the “constant non-compliance in labour matters by all companies” over the last seven years, explain the workers’ representatives.

It remains to be seen exactly which days the strikes will be carried out and if the rest of the unions will join the call to action or not.

Ski resorts opening

Some Spanish ski resorts will be opening next month, allowing for the first winter sports of the season. This means that you won’t have to wait long until you can hit the slopes of some of Spain’s best ski resorts. Baqueira-Beret and La Molina (Catalonia) will open a bit earlier November 25th until April 9th and 1st respectively.

Formigal-Panticosa (Aragón) will open on December 1st with the season running until March 31st, while the Sierra Nevada (Granada, Andalusia) will open on December 2nd and run until April 21st. Valdezcaray (La Rioja) will also open on December 2nd with the season lasting until April 7th.

READ ALSO: Eight amazing ski resorts in Spain

Regulated gas prices for buildings with a community of neighbours are ending

The regulated natural gas rate (TUR) that neighbouring communities have been able to contract for almost a year ends on December 31st, meaning that gas prices are set to skyrocket by up to 50 percent in 2024 for some.

This measure was originally on a temporary basis to try to alleviate the escalation in energy prices, but there were hopes that there would be an extension.

Vigo’s much-anticipated lift is due to open

The Galician city of Vigo is to inaugurate its new elevator in December. The Halo of Vigo is a new attraction, allowing people to ride up and down a giant see-through circle, affording spectacular panoramic views across the city. The lift measures 40 metres high and 90 metres across and costs a total of €15 million. 

After several issues and walkouts, however, the opening has been delayed. The local government has approved a budget modification of €2 million to finish the works and avoid more strikes. It is thought that it will finally be completed by December. 

New train and flight links for Murcia

On December 10th 2023, Avlo will begin operating its new train between Madrid and Murcia. 

It will take approximately three hours and a half to complete the journey.

The Avlo train departs from Madrid’s Chamartín and stops at six towns and cities before reaching Murcia. The stops are Cuenca, Albacete, Villena, Alicante, Elche and Orihuela. 

READ MORE: Spain’s new low-cost Avlo train between Madrid and Murcia

This is also coinciding with the launch of new flight between Madrid and Murcia on December 1st, through low-cost Spanish airline Volotea, with ticket prices starting at €19.

On Sunday December 3rd, Volotea will also start flying from Murcia to Barcelona. 

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PROPERTY

BBQs, nudity and plants: What are the balcony rules in Spain?

Though many people hang laundry, plants, and flags from their balcony, in Spain the rules on what you can and can't do on 'el balcón' are not well-known.

Published: 8 May 2024 17:13 CEST
Updated: 11 May 2024 08:31 CEST
BBQs, nudity and plants: What are the balcony rules in Spain?

Imagine the scene: you’ve just bought or signed the lease on your dream apartment. It’s bright and airy, with plenty of space, and even has a nice-sized balcony to get some fresh air on. You can do whatever you want there, right? 

Not exactly. In Spain the rules on what you can and can’t do on a balcony (even if it’s private) depend on a few factors, namely the regional and local rules, as well as getting the approval of the building’s homeowner’s association – known in Spain as la comunidad.

Some of them might just surprise you.

READ ALSO: ‘La comunidad’: What property owners in Spain need to know about homeowners’ associations

There are four main things or activities on balconies that could potentially put you on the wrong side of the local rules and even get you fined: barbecues, plants, laundry, and flags.

In all cases (even if you don’t think you’re breaking any rules) you’ll generally need to consider two things: firstly, does this affect or change the building’s façade? And secondly: will la comunidad allow it?

Barbecues

In Spain there is no national law prohibiting barbecues on private property, so in principle it is legal as long as the barbecue is lit in a private space such as your own balcony, garden or terrace, and not a shared space.

Often in Spain, the roof (usually referred to as la terrazza) is a shared space people use for storage and hanging their laundry, so be sure to check with the comunidad.

In terms of your own balcony, however, although there’s no law saying outright you can’t have a barbecue, you’ll need to take into account the rules and regulations in force in each locality or region. There may also be specific rules within the building that long-term homeowners have developed over the years.

As we will see, many of these low-level regulations are delegated to local governments and town halls in Spain, so the answer to these sorts of questions is usually: it depends where you are.

However, according to Article 7 of Spain’s Horizontal Property Law, “the owner and the occupant of the flat or premises are not allowed to carry out in it or in the rest of the property activities prohibited in bylaws, which are harmful to the property or which contravene the general provisions on annoying, unhealthy, harmful, dangerous or illegal activities.”

This basically gives your neighbours the right to complain about noise, smells, smoke and any possible fire risk in or around their building, which barbecues could plausibly fall under.

As with co-living anywhere in the world, regardless of the regional or local rules, employ some common sense: be reasonable, listen to neighbour’s concerns and take up any disputes with the President of la comunidad.

READ ALSO: What you need to know before having a barbecue in Spain

Plants

Again, with plants the responsibility falls on each local authority to set the rules. In Spain, most regions and town halls state that, as long as the architectural or structural elements of the building are not changed or weakened in any way, putting plants on your balcony is permitted.

However, note that many terraces and balconies do have maximum weight regulations that must be respected in order to guarantee their safety, which is 200kg per square metre. If this figure is exceeded (and it can be proved) you could theoretically be fined.

Laundry

Laundry lines criss-crossing the streets might be one of the more picturesque images of Spanish life, but the people doing it might actually be breaking the rules.

How do you know? You guessed it, it depends where you. You’ll need to check with your local authority on this one, though municipal regulations in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia all regulate hanging laundry from your balcony, which is again outlined in the Horizontal Property Law.

This principally seems to be because it affects the façade of the building (a common theme when it comes to balcony rules in Spain).

In places with rules about hanging laundry from balconies, you could be fined up to 750 euros if you don’t comply with the rules.

However, according to Foto Casa, even if you live in an area where there are no bans or penalties against hanging laundry on the balcony, you’ll still likely need the permission of la comunidad.

READ MORE: Spain’s weirdest laws that foreigners should know about

What about flags?

Whether it be the Spanish flag, the Catalan, Valencian or Andalusian flags, or LGBT, trade union or football team flags, flags proudly hanging from balconies is another mainstay of Spanish life.

It’s also one of the more controversial ones too, especially within comunidad meetings. Hanging flags on the balcony, as well as allegedly altering the aesthetics and security of the building (the same concern as with laundry) often has ideological connotations that can cause conflict.

Again, as with laundry, hanging flags on the balcony will require the approval of all the owners within the community, something that must be agreed at a meeting, as per the Horizontal Property Law.

However, if the flag is placed inside the property, as it is a private property, fellow homeowners cannot oppose it, even if it is visible from the street, according to Foto Casa.

Nudity 

Article of 185 of Spain’s Penal Code only considers being naked at home to be obscene exhibitionism and sexual provocation if it affects minors, in which case it is punishable with a fine or up to a year in prison.

Therefore, you could technically sunbathe shirtless or naked on your balcony in most cases without getting into trouble, although it won’t necessarily go down well with your neighbours and/or flatmates and you be reprimanded for it.

READ ALSO: Can you go shirtless or wear a bikini in the street in Spain?

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