The law to restrict housing purchases in Catalonia continues its processing in the Parliament with a relevant new development: the PSC and ERC propose to limit its application only to large holders (five or more homes) and to companies (legal entities). This is reflected in the amendments that socialists and republicans have introduced on their own and to which La Vanguardia has had access.
The capital city effect explains part of why the State invested more than twice as much in Madrid as in Catalonia last year. The other part is because the actual spending on works is lower in the Catalan community than in the one that hosts the capital.
Returns in Central and Northern Europe the susceptibility to the ‘well-being’ of the South
The European Commission has today imposed a fine of 550 million euros on AliExpress for the Chinese platform’s failure to control risks related to the sale in the European Union of illegal, unsafe, or counterfeit products on its electronic marketplace. This includes everything from toys to dangerous cosmetics that circulated freely on the platform and, in many cases, remained online for weeks after being detected until they were removed. The company intends to appeal what it calls a “disproportionate” sanction, Reuters reports.
Purchases from Chinese platforms in Spain cause a revenue shortfall of 1.058 billion euros in the trade and distribution sector. Whether Shein, Temu, or Alibaba, behind cheap purchases there is a greater impact than consumers imagine, blindly guided by price. The truth is that their packages usually pay VAT on less than their real value; social security contributions and personal income tax are lost by avoiding setting up a chain of stores, workers, and local suppliers; and companies do not face corporate tax like local ones, as these are brands with a foreign base and minimal presence in Spain.
The housing market has entered a new cycle after more than a year of accelerated growth. The first sign was the cooling of sales in practically all of Spain, with 3.4% fewer transactions between January and May. Now, the slowdown in transactions is followed by a slowdown in mortgage signings.
The Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Agenda, David Lucas, who suspended his schedule three weeks ago to undergo oncological treatment, has passed away this Monday, July 20, at the age of 58, according to sources from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda.
The World Cup final has prompted several major chains to change their hours for this Sunday to allow their employees to watch the match between Spain and Argentina. El Corte Inglés, Inditex stores, and Carrefour will be some of those that will close their open stores earlier on a day that could be historic.
Madrid has climbed 11 places in the global quality of life ranking featured in the Mapping the World’s Prices 2026 report prepared by Deutsche Bank Research Institute.
In the last 25 years of the history of the Cambra de Comerç de Barcelona, it had never happened that a decision of the plenary had to be decided by the vote of its president. Josep Santacreu (Guisssona, 1958) has faced this week the most intense disagreement of his term, with the opposition of half of the body to expanding the so-called silver seats to give more weight to large companies.