Spanish authorities intend to regularize up to 300,000 migrants a year to make up for the country’s labor shortage due to an aging population, Spanish Social Security and Migration Minister Elma Sais said Tuesday.
“Spain has a choice between an open prosperous country or a closed poor country. We have chosen the second,” Western media quoted her as saying.
According to her, the policy involving migrants will last three years. She specified that Spain needs 250 – 300 thousand foreign workers a year, able to pay taxes, in order to preserve the welfare state.
The new measures of the authorities provides for simplification of procedures for issuing immigrants residence and work permits, which will contribute to the receipt of foreign workers guaranteed labor rights. In addition, newcomers seeking work will be able to extend their visa from three to 12 months. Foreigners with study visas will be allowed to work up to 30 hours per week.
The media notes that the economy of Spain – a country with a population of 48.9 million – is the fastest growing in the EU. This trend is also facilitated by the influx of skilled migrants from Latin American countries. Fitch Ratings Inc. estimates that more migrants will enter Spain in 2022 than in the entire previous decade at one time.
However, October opinion polls conducted by Spanish media showed that 57% of respondents believe the current level of migration into the country is too high. 54% believe that the real number of immigrants is higher than the authorities declare.
At least 64 people have died due to flooding caused by heavy rains in Spain, EFE news agency reported on Wednesday.
“The authorities of the autonomous community of Valencia, which was most affected by the floods, confirmed that 62 people died (…), while two victims were found in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha,” the agency reports.
In addition, several people went missing in both communities. Search and rescue operations continue in Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha. In Valencia, the floods caused power outages. Several flights were canceled at Valencia airport. In addition, rail and road connections in the region have been partially disrupted.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that dozens of cities were flooded and warned that the danger to the population was not over yet.
“For those who are looking for their loved ones: the whole of Spain feels your pain. Our priority is to help you. We are using all the necessary resources to recover from this tragedy,” Sanchez said in a televised address.
Spanish emergency response units have sent more than a thousand employees to the flood-affected areas of the country. In addition, the Spanish government has set up a crisis committee to coordinate rescue efforts.
The National Meteorological Service of Spain has introduced a “red”, the highest, level of weather danger in the region. According to forecasters, the rains will continue at least until Thursday.
The Spanish government opposes the establishment of migrant reception centers outside the European Union in third countries. A similar idea was put forward by the Italian government, which opened two such facilities in Albania. Migration is being actively discussed at the EU summit in Brussels.
Immigration is the main topic of the European Union summit in Brussels.
The government of Pedro Sanchez brought “no” votes in a suitcase to the capital of the bloc.
Spain unequivocally opposed the proposal to create migrant detention centers in third countries outside the EU to transfer people who have illegally entered the bloc.
The proposal put forward by the Italian government of Meloni, which is currently under consideration by the European Commission, enjoys the support of the majority of member states.
This is despite the fact that Spain, one of the countries on one of the main migration routes from Africa to Europe, has been experiencing a serious migration crisis for several months now, forcing the government to organize temporary refugee accommodation centers in hotels across the country.
According to the Center for Public Opinion Research (CIS), illegal migration has become the main issue of concern for Spaniards this summer. This was stated by every third respondent. Only two months ago, it was only in fourth place.
Nova Poshta, the largest logistics operator in Ukraine, is going to open two new offices in Spain – one in Barcelona and one in Benidorm, said Sergey Karputev, CEO of Nova Post in Spain.
“We are currently focusing on two areas of development: improving our services and developing our network. In the near future, we plan to open another branch in Barcelona and one in Benidorm,” he said.
According to the company’s press service, there are currently six Nova Poshta offices in Spain.
In Barcelona, the first branch was opened in September. It accepts shipments of up to 1 thousand kilograms.
The other five, in particular in Valencia, Alicante, Málaga and Torevieja, started operating in June-September. They accept parcels up to 30 kg.
In addition, Nova Poshta has started delivering parcels to post offices and pickup points. The company delivers prepaid parcels weighing up to 25 kg to 13.38 thousand InPost and GLS parcel delivery points, as well as to 1350 InPost post offices throughout Spain.
In this country, Nova Poshta customers can receive and send documents, parcels and cargo to/from Ukraine to other cities, as well as to 13 European countries where the company has offices. Delivery time: from Ukraine – from five business days, in Spain and between European countries – from one day, the press service said.
In addition, customers can order delivery or pickup by courier to any address in Spain.
Spain has received more than 200 thousand Ukrainians since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
“Spain has more than 200 thousand refugees who came from Ukraine, although we are at a great distance,” he said at the NATO Public Forum in Washington, where the NATO summit is taking place.
According to the prime minister, most Spaniards support the government’s efforts in Ukraine “because we understand what is at stake.”
“It is not only the defense of the territorial integrity, freedom, and the right to existence of a nation, but also respect for a world ruled by clear principles,” he said.
The Spanish government on Tuesday called for the recognition of the state of Palestine within the 1967 borders, according to the Spanish TV channel RTVE.
“Spain will join more than 140 countries that have already recognized Palestine as a state. This is a historic decision whose sole purpose is to contribute to peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said at a press conference following the government meeting. The press conference was broadcast by the Spanish TV channel RTVE.
He noted that “it is not directed against anyone, especially Israel”. According to Sanchez, Madrid recognizes Palestine within the 1967 borders. He specified that he hopes for the creation of a Palestine that includes the West Bank and Gaza Strip with its capital in East Jerusalem, governed by the Palestinian National Authority.
Spain recognized Palestine, along with Ireland and Norway, which sparked a serious political crisis in relations with Israel.
After it became known about the decision of these three countries to recognize the independence of the Palestinian state, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced the recall of ambassadors to Spain, Ireland and Norway for consultations and threatened these countries with “serious consequences.” The ambassadors of these countries were summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
