Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the dissolution of parliament and the holding of early parliamentary elections on November 29, 2026, after a fragmented parliament blocked a number of key government initiatives, including measures to combat the housing crisis.
On October 5, Sánchez announced the convening of an extraordinary cabinet meeting to initiate the procedure for dissolving parliament. The early election will take place nearly a year ahead of schedule.
The decision was made following yet another escalation of the housing crisis in Spain. Last week, parliament rejected the government’s proposed housing measures, and on October 3, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protests across approximately 50 cities nationwide.
In Madrid alone, according to Reuters, about 70,000 people took part in the demonstrations. Protesters demanded tougher measures against rising rents, evictions, and the shortage of affordable housing. Protests also took place in Valencia and other major cities.
The housing crisis in Spain has worsened in recent years amid rapidly rising prices, insufficient supply of new housing, and high rental costs in major cities and tourist regions.
According to the latest Eurostat data, published on October 1, 2026, residential real estate prices in Spain rose by 12.1% in the second quarter compared to the second quarter of 2025. By comparison, housing prices across the European Union rose by an average of 4.7% during this period, and by 4% in the eurozone. Thus, the rate of price growth in Spain is more than double the European average.
Moreover, prices continue to rise on a quarterly basis: in the second quarter, prices in Spain rose by another 3.4% compared to the first quarter of 2026. In the first quarter, the annual growth rate was 12.8%.
High growth rates are also being seen in the resale market. According to indices published in early October by Spain’s largest real estate portals, the average price of resale housing continued to grow at double-digit rates in the third quarter. According to Idealista, prices rose by 11.8% year-over-year—to 2,930 euros per square meter—while Fotocasa estimates annual growth at 13.8% and the average price at approximately 3,140 euros per square meter.
At the same time, the situation is complicated by lending conditions. The Bank of Spain reported in July that in the second quarter of 2026, banks tightened lending conditions, and public demand for mortgage loans declined. Banks also expected lending conditions to tighten further in the third quarter.
Consequently, the housing issue has evolved from a primarily social and economic problem into one of the central factors on the Spanish political agenda. The rapid rise in real estate prices, the shortage of affordable housing, the situation in the rental market, and mass protests increased pressure on the government at a time when Sánchez’s cabinet was already struggling to pass bills in parliament.
Early parliamentary elections in Spain are scheduled for November 29, 2026.
According to the Serbian business media outlet Parametar, housing prices in the European Union rose by 4.7% in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, and by 4.0% in the eurozone, according to Eurostat data published on October 1.
Compared to the first quarter of this year, housing prices in the EU rose by another 1.2%, and in the eurozone by 1.1%.
Year-over-year price increases were recorded in 23 EU countries for which data is available. Prices fell in only three countries: Finland (by 2.7%), Luxembourg (by 2.2%), and France (by 0.8%).
Portugal led the EU in housing price growth, with prices rising 16.5% over the year. Bulgaria ranked second with a 15.5% increase, and Lithuania third with 14.3%.
High growth rates also persisted in Slovakia, where housing prices rose by 13.6%, Croatia—by 12.7%, and Spain and Romania—by 12.1% each.
In Latvia, the increase was 11.4%; in Hungary, 10.2%; in Denmark, 9.4%; in Slovenia, 9.1%; in the Czech Republic, 8.6%; and in Cyprus, 7.9%.
More moderate price growth was observed in Malta—6.9%, in Poland—6.3%, Ireland—6%, Estonia—5.8%, Austria—5.1%, Sweden—4.8%, the Netherlands—4.3%, and Italy—4%.
Some of the lowest positive figures were recorded in Belgium—2.1%—and Germany—just 0.6%.
Compared to housing prices in the first quarter of 2026, prices rose the fastest in Lithuania—by 5%, Bulgaria—by 4.5%, and Romania—by 4.4%. Quarterly declines were observed only in Hungary—by 1.4%—and France—by 0.8%.
Eurostat calculates the House Price Index based on the cost of residential real estate purchased by households, including both new construction and existing homes.
Potato production in Ukraine in 2026 is expected to reach about 12.5 million metric tons, which will be sufficient to meet domestic food needs, according to the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, citing Minister Taras Vysotsky.
“Potato production this year is expected to total about 12.5 million metric tons. The available volume is more than enough for the domestic market. The population consumes a maximum of 2–2.5 million metric tons per year. The rest of the harvest is traditionally used as seed potatoes and animal feed,” Vysotsky noted.
According to Vysotsky, potatoes are grown as a cash crop in Ukraine by about 400 specialized enterprises on a total area of approximately 60,000 hectares. A significant portion of the harvest is traditionally grown by households for their own consumption.
According to the State Statistics Service, the average selling price of potatoes currently stands at about 14 UAH per kilogram. Over the past week, it has fallen by 5%, and over the past month—by 15%; in some places, purchase prices have dropped to 12 UAH per kilogram.
Final figures on potato production will be available after the harvest campaign is complete, the ministry noted.
The purchase price of sunflower seeds for domestic processing in Ukraine rose by $23 over the week—to $483 per metric ton on a CPT mill basis—while rapeseed prices rose by $5, to $485 per metric ton, according to brokerage firm Spike Brokers in its weekly market review.
According to the brokers, the rise in the purchase price of sunflower seeds was the strongest movement in the Ukrainian oilseed market. Over the week, the price of sunflower seeds on a CPT mill basis increased by 5%. The review does not contain data on changes in the export price of sunflower seeds.
Export prices for rapeseed remained unchanged over the week. On a CPT port basis, they stood at $520 per metric ton, and on an FCA Chop basis, at $555 per metric ton. The review did not provide data on changes in export prices for sunflower seeds.
Soybean prices at major Ukrainian delivery points remained unchanged. GMO soybeans were priced at $410 per metric ton CPT port, $450 FCA Chop, and $400 CPT mill; non-GMO soybeans were priced at $430 CPT port and $475 FCA Chop.
In August, Ukraine exported 147.1 thousand metric tons of sunflower oil, 110 thousand metric tons of sunflower meal, and 0.7 thousand metric tons of sunflower seeds.
Exports of rapeseed in August totaled 292.6 thousand metric tons, while rapeseed oil exports totaled 95.4 thousand metric tons. Rapeseed accounted for about 75% of the total tonnage of these two items.
During the month, Ukraine also exported 29.1 thousand metric tons of soybeans, 36.6 thousand metric tons of soybean oil, and 77.2 thousand metric tons of soybean meal. Oil and meal accounted for nearly 80% of the total export volume of these three soybean products.
Disruptions in grain supplies from the Black Sea region and hot weather, which worsened harvest forecasts in a number of countries, led to a 2.2% increase in global grain prices in August compared to July. Prices reached their highest level since May 2024, according to the monthly review by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
According to the report, international prices for all major grain crops rose in August. “This was driven by strong demand resulting from deteriorating harvest prospects in key producing regions due to adverse weather conditions, as well as ongoing uncertainty regarding exports from the Black Sea region,” the report states.
Global wheat prices rose by 2.6% in August compared to July, with a year-over-year increase of 15%. Among the reasons, FAO experts also cite “protracted disruptions to exports from the Black Sea region, downward revisions to production forecasts in some European regions experiencing hot and dry weather, and the weakening of the U.S. dollar, which has made export shipments more competitive.”
Corn prices rose by 2.5% compared to July, driven by growing concerns about harvest prospects in some regions of the U.S. Corn Belt and worsening production forecasts in the EU. At the same time, demand from ethanol producers and the animal feed industry remains high.
“Fears regarding food supply following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz provided additional support to corn prices,” the review notes.
Global prices for sorghum and barley rose by 3.9% and 2.6%, respectively, in August compared with July, “which generally reflects a more stable situation in the feed grain markets,” the review states.
Rice prices rose by 0.5% in August. “The rise in prices for Indian rice varieties was driven by factors such as exchange rate fluctuations, purchases by Asian and African countries, and an expected reduction in supplies,” the report states.
Over the next two weeks, domestic prices for gasoline and diesel may rise by 4.5–5 UAH per liter due to a price surge on global markets to levels close to April’s highs; specifically, the price of diesel fuel in London rising above $1,400 per metric ton, according to Serhiy Kuyun, director of the “A-95” consulting group.
“We are expecting domestic prices to rise. Currently, this increase translates to an additional 4.5–5.0 UAH per liter of gasoline and diesel fuel (their current average prices are 80 and 91 UAH per liter, respectively). This could happen within a couple of weeks if current prices stabilize at their current levels,” he wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
According to the expert, on September 1 and 2, some Ukrainian retail chains had already raised prices by 1 UAH per liter.
“There are no fuel availability issues, neither here nor in Europe. Therefore, the issue is solely about price. The much-discussed 100 UAH per liter mark hasn’t been reached yet, but it’s starting to loom on the horizon again,” Kuyun noted.
As reported by “Energoreforma,” fuel prices in Ukraine showed both slight decreases and increases throughout August.
According to “A-95,” as of September 2, the average retail price in Ukraine for A-95 gasoline is 80.7 UAH/liter, and for diesel fuel, 91.31 UAH/liter.
