The barrel of oil reached 110 dollars this Friday, while diesel prices in the United States hit another record by rising above six dollars as an effect of the Iran war unleashed by President Donald Trump, impacting the wallets of Americans.
The Secretary of State for Industry has assured today that “we do not have on the table” entering the capital of Seat as demanded today by the president of the works council, Matías Carnero, in an interview in La Vanguardia. The number two of the Ministry of Industry has indeed explained within the framework of the Fórum Europa Tribuna Catalunya held in Barcelona that in relation to the issue of “strategic autonomy we have to rethink public intervention and the entry into the capital of key companies.”
Cristóbal Colón, founder and soul of La Fageda, passed away this Thursday leaving behind one of the most unique business and social initiatives in Catalonia and Spain. A psychologist by training, he created in 1982 together with his wife, Carme Jordà, a project that was born to restore dignity to people with mental disorders and intellectual disabilities through work. More than four decades later, that idea that many considered nonsense has become an organization that serves more than 600 people and a widely recognized and profitable food brand.
The European Central Bank followed the script this Thursday and raised interest rates by a quarter of a point, to 2.50% on the general rate. It is the second increase of the year, reaching highs not seen since March 2025, and the main question in the markets is whether there will be another hike before the end of the year. Affected by the Iran conflict, “inflation will remain well above the target (2%) for a prolonged period,” the entity warned in the decision statement. Higher prices, for longer.
That the Spanish regional economies advance at different speeds is no secret. But the convergence between them –and the ranking of the autonomous communities that accelerate the most in per capita GDP growth– has been changing recently. A report published yesterday by the Bank of Spain confirms that Aragón has displaced Catalonia among the most dynamic regions in Europe and places its capacity to convert resources into economic growth at a level similar to that of the Community of Madrid and the Basque Country.
Matías Carnero (Barcelona, 1968) assures that he will vote against the disappearance of the Seat brand if it is brought to the Supervisory Board of the Volkswagen group, of which he is a part. The president of the Seat works council maintains that the Spanish industry cannot afford to lose a historic emblem for the automotive sector due to the consequences for employment and the economy.
It had been an open secret for several years that there were no plans to electrify Seat models. All public and private resources allocated to the technology shift (from combustion to electric) were going to the Cupra brand, which had higher margins. What was not clear was how long Seat models would continue to be sold. And although combustion cars can be assembled in Europe until 2035, from 2030 it will be complex to manage – due to costs – the production of 100% diesel or gasoline cars in Martorell. In that scenario, the end of the historic Spanish automotive brand would be inevitable. The shock caused last week when Volkswagen set a date for the possible end of the brand triggered all alarms, despite being a problem known for years. There is still a lot of employment at stake if there are no alternatives.
The European Commission continues to take action to tackle the housing crisis in the European continent. In addition to proposing a legal framework to protect public administrations that want to limit temporary tourist rentals and second homes, Brussels accompanies this regulation with a series of non-binding recommendations to member states when fighting against this problem that affects a large part of the cities in the bloc and to increase supply in areas under residential pressure.
The Ministry of Finance will allow eight autonomous communities that recorded a surplus in 2025 to use it to invest in housing or other matters considered “sustainable.” Today’s Council of Ministers has approved a royal decree-law that rewards these territories that did their fiscal homework. It is not the first time that such a measure has been activated, although previously it was done mainly to cover expenses associated with disasters. Previously, municipalities had also been authorized to use their positive balance.
The European Commission opens the door to allowing municipalities to impose restrictions on second homes and tourist rentals in the areas most threatened by the housing crisis sweeping the continent. The regulation does not prohibit second homes in any case, but according to a draft of the proposal accessed by this newspaper, it would provide legal coverage to municipalities and governments so that they can limit the purchase of housing for non-regular use in areas of greatest housing tension, provided they present evidence with data justifying the measure and demonstrate that there are no less restrictive alternatives to solve the problem.
