Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Which foreigners lead way in buying property in Spain – analysis

In Spain, foreign property buyers have slowed down a bit, but they’re still the main drivers of the market – especially folks from the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.

According to the Spanish property registry, foreigners purchased nearly 23,700 residential properties in the third quarter of 2025, which is 4% less than in the same period in 2024. The share of transactions involving non-residents fell to 13.6% from 14.9% a year earlier, but is still about 36% higher than the average for the last ten years.

Who is buying: top nations in the Spanish housing market

In the third quarter of 2025, the largest groups of foreign buyers were:

  • United Kingdom – 1,871 purchases per quarter, about 8% of all foreign transactions. British demand fell by about 11% year-on-year, but they still hold first place.
  • Germany – 1,539 transactions (-3% compared to last year), second place.
  • The Netherlands – 1,416 purchases, 14% more than a year earlier. Dutch demand became the “star” of the quarter, showing the fastest growth among the major markets.

Among other important buyers in the third quarter, moderate growth was recorded from Romania and Morocco, while demand from France, Italy, Belgium, and Poland declined slightly. Interest from buyers in the US and Morocco remained close to last year’s level. Demand from the Russian Federation and China fell significantly, by approximately 34% and 23%, respectively.

The full picture for 2024

According to the summary data for 2024, foreigners bought about 93,000 residential properties in Spain, accounting for about 14.6% of all transactions on the market. This is one of the highest figures in the history of observations.

According to the results for 2024, the main national groups are as follows:

  • British – almost 8,000 purchases, the largest group of foreigners.
  • Germans – over 6,100 transactions.
  • Moroccans – about 5,200 properties, one of the most dynamic groups.
  • The Dutch – approximately 4,900 purchases, with stable growth in interest.
  • Romanians and Italians – approximately 4,700 transactions each.
  • The French – slightly less than 5,000 purchases, with a slight downward trend.
  • Poles – over 4,200 transactions, a sharp increase over the last two years.
  • Chinese – about 3,000 purchases.
  • Ukrainians – almost 2,900 purchases, a significant increase compared to the pre-war period.
  • Russians – approximately 2,270 transactions, with a clear downward trend.
  • Americans – over 1,500 properties, but with a slight decrease in activity.

Thus, the top ten in terms of purchase volume is primarily made up of Europeans – British, Germans, Moroccans, Dutch, Romanians, Italians, French, and Poles, supplemented by buyers from China and Ukraine.

Regions that attract foreigners

The most popular regions among foreign buyers remain the Mediterranean coast and islands: the Valencian Community, Andalusia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands. They account for the vast majority of foreign purchases, and in some provinces, such as Alicante and Malaga, the share of foreigners in the total volume of transactions reaches 30-40%.

What does the correction in demand mean?

Experts view the slight decline in the number of transactions in the third quarter of 2025 as a technical correction after a record-breaking 2024 rather than a reversal of the trend.

The share of foreigners remains significantly higher than the pre-crisis average, and Spain continues to attract buyers with its combination of climate, relatively affordable prices, and developed infrastructure.

At the same time, the structure of demand is gradually changing: the positions of the British and Germans remain strong, but buyers from the Netherlands, Central and Eastern Europe, and North Africa are playing an increasingly prominent role. For the local market, this means that the high proportion of foreign buyers will remain, but with greater diversity in terms of nationalities and sources of capital.

Source: https://open4business.com.ua/hto-z-inozemcziv-lidyruye-z-pokupky-zhytla-v-ispaniyi-analiz/

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Spain and Germany are leaders in issuing first residence permits

According to the project Relocation.com.ua, Spain has become the largest “issuer” of first residence permits (first residence permits) in the European Union in 2024, followed by Germany and Poland, according to Eurostat data.

According to statistics, Spain issued 561.64 thousand first residence permits, Germany – 544.987 thousand, Poland – 488.846 thousand, Italy – 346.411 thousand, France – 342.208 thousand. European Commission

These five countries together accounted for 65.1% of all first residence permits issued in the EU in 2024. In total, EU countries issued 3.5 million first residence permits to non-EU citizens in 2024, 8.3% less than in 2023.

http://relocation.com.ua/spain-and-germany-lead-the-way-in-issuing-the-first-npi/

 

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Spain became largest buyer of Ukrainian eggs

In January-November 2025, Ukraine exported 118.62 thousand tons of eggs in shells, which is 66.6% more than in the same period of 2024, according to the State Customs Service.

According to published statistics, in monetary terms, egg exports increased 2.7 times, to $183.37 million, compared to $67.14 million a year ago.

The top three buyers of Ukrainian eggs were Spain, which accounted for 17.9% of exports of this product, or $32.76 million in monetary terms, the United Kingdom – 14% and $25.69 million, respectively, and the Czech Republic – 11.6% and $21.19 million. Last year, Israel led the way in purchasing Ukrainian eggs, accounting for 14.8% of exports worth $9.91 million, followed by Poland with 11.9% worth $8 million and Italy with 11.1% worth $7.46 million.

Ukraine’s egg imports during the reporting period increased by 18.4% to 9.53 thousand tons, bringing in $54.36 million in monetary terms, which is 48.3% more than in the same period last year.
The leaders in egg supplies to Ukraine during the reporting period of 2025, as in 2024, were the Netherlands (41.4% and 46.3% of imported volumes, respectively), the Czech Republic (28.9% and 24.2%), and Germany (13.9% and 18.5%).

Exports of shelled eggs in the first 11 months of this year decreased by 5.3% to 6.64 thousand tons, while cash proceeds from their sale increased by 26.5% compared to the same period in 2024, to $38.54 million. The main buyers of domestic egg products were Italy (32.5%), Poland (29%), and Denmark (16.8%).
Imports of this product in January-November 2025 amounted to 58 tons, compared to 105 tons a year ago. Suppliers of shelled eggs this year included France (80.7%), Sweden (18.8%), and Poland (0.6%), while in 2024 they were France (85.2%), Sweden (10.9%), and Austria (3.7%).

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Over 326,000 Ukrainians legally reside in Spain

According to data from the Permanent Immigration Monitoring Center (OPI) under the Spanish Ministry of Social Policy and Migration, as of September 30, 2025, 7,426,481 foreign citizens had valid residence permits in the country. This is 4.5% more than a year earlier.

Of this number, 54% (about 4 million people) are citizens of EU, EFTA, and UK countries who have an EU citizen registration certificate or a TIE foreigner card under the UK’s withdrawal agreement from the EU. The most numerous nationalities in this group are Romanians, Italians, and British: they account for 51% of all European residents.

The Ukrainian community stands out as a separate block in the statistics. According to data based on official statistics from the Spanish Ministry of Social Policy and Migration, as of September 2025, more than 326,000 Ukrainian citizens have a valid residence permit in the country. A significant portion of this number are people who received protection under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, introduced after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022.

The growth of the Ukrainian diaspora was particularly sharp in 2022–2023, but slowed significantly in 2024–2025: while the annual increase at the height of the war was measured in triple digits, by the fall of 2025 it had fallen to single digits.

After Brexit, the British remain one of the three largest European communities in Spain, alongside the Romanians and Italians. The official OPI report does not provide the exact number of British citizens in its public summary, but emphasizes that these three nationalities account for more than half of all residents from the EU/EFTA and the UK.

A characteristic detail is the age profile of the British diaspora. The average age of British residents is significantly higher than the average among foreigners and is around 57, reflecting Spain’s popularity as a country for retirees and a “second home” for British citizens.

Thus, by the end of 2025, Spain will remain one of the key EU countries in terms of the number of permanent foreign residents, and the structure of migration will gradually shift: European communities will continue to dominate, but citizens of Ukraine and Latin American countries will play an increasingly important role.

http://relocation.com.ua/more-than-326000-ukrainian-citizens-have-a-valid-residence-permit-in-spain/

 

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Ukrainian flour is already being sold in Germany, Czech Republic, Spain, and Italy

For the first time in 2025, a separate annual quota for the supply of 30,000 tons of Ukrainian flour to the European Union has been granted, which opens up opportunities for long-term planning for the domestic flour milling business, said Rodion Rybchinsky, director of the Ukrainian Flour Millers Association.

“The top 10 export-oriented companies have already invested around EUR 17 million in modernization and now understand that these investments will have prospects,” he said at the “Agribusiness in Ukraine” conference in Kyiv on Thursday.

He recalled that until 2022, flour was exported within the joint quota with wheat. Flour millers usually did not have time to deliver their products to the EU, as grain traders were the first to choose the quota. Only after the opening of trade preferences in 2022 did Ukrainian flour begin to actively enter the EU market, and in 2023, flour exports to EU countries amounted to 73,000 tons.

“These volumes became an argument in the negotiations: if 73,000 tons were successfully delivered to the EU, the question of Ukrainian flour’s non-compliance with European quality requirements would be moot,” said Rybchynskyi.

According to him, Ukrainian flour is now available in Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Italy, which is clear proof of the high quality of Ukrainian products.

Rybchynskyi noted that during the 11 months of 2025, Ukraine supplied 26,000 tons of this product to the EU, so by the end of the year, domestic producers will be able to fully use the quota. At the same time, the biggest problem for flour millers in 2026, if we assess the prospects of the industry, will be the labor shortage.

He named the European Millers’ Congress in France as one of the most anticipated events in the industry next year, during which the Ukrainian side will try to find arguments and establish contact, in particular, with the Romanian Association of Flour Producers, as well as try to lay the groundwork for a review of quotas in 2028. According to Rybchynsky’s estimates, Ukraine is capable of supplying 300,000 tons of flour to the EU market.

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Ukrainian Unity Hub to open in Torrevieja, Spain

The Ukrainian Unity Hub in Spain will open in the city of Torrevieja in the province of Alicante, according to the Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity.

“We are grateful to the Spanish side for supporting our citizens, as well as for the decision to transfer premises for the Ukrainian Unity Hub in Torrevieja,” the press service quoted Deputy Minister of Social Policy Ilona Gavronska as saying following a working visit to Spain.

It is noted that during this visit, she met with the Ukrainian community, where the concept of the Unity Network was presented and discussed with the participants of the event.

The ministry noted that almost a quarter of all Ukrainians with temporary protection status in Spain live in the province of Alicante.

As reported, on January 24, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the creation of the Agency for National Unity, a structure that will help implement initiatives for interaction with the Ukrainian community and public organizations in the countries of residence. It was noted that the Agency will open departments in key countries of residence of Ukrainians, primarily in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, and Unity Hubs will be created in the capitals of these countries. The Unity Hub’s functions and capabilities include: an educational and cultural space, language courses, a return consultant, consular services (as an external service), banking services, postal services, an economic opportunities coordinator, DP “Document,” opinion leader meetings, programs for children and youth, a Ukrainian coffee shop, a business hub and coworking space, and a UA Job Center.

In February, a joint declaration of intent was signed to open the first Ukrainian Unity Hub in Berlin. There are plans to open such hubs in Munich and Düsseldorf.

In March, joint declarations of intent were signed to open Ukrainian Unity Hubs in France and Spain.

In early November, the Ministry of Social Policy announced that Ukrainian Unity Hubs would open in Spain, Germany, and the Czech Republic in 2025.

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