The European Parliament's largest far-right bloc will hold its first summit in Madrid next week with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and France's Marine Le Pen in attendance, Spanish party

MADRID, LISBON - Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro reaffirmed their countries' commitment to spending 2% of GDP on defence by 2029, with the latter signalling that this could happen sooner than expected.

The newly created European Union far-right party the Patriots for Europe, home to populists like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and France’s Marine Le Pen, will hold a “Make Europe Great Again” rally in Madrid on Feb. 8, two officials told POLITICO.

Real Madrid have already secured their place in the next round of the UEFA Champions League, but they now face a crucial task — improving their current position to avoid a challenging Round of 16

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would propose to ban purchasers from outside the European Union from buying properties, as the government seeks to curb rising housing prices, which have become an increasing source of friction.

At present, Spain does not meet the minimum threshold of 2% of the national GDP recommended by the alliance, let alone the 5% demanded by Trump. It remains the lowest spender among the 32 NATO members, with just 1.28%.

Non-residents from outside the EU bought some 23,000 houses and flats in Spain in 2023. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Since 2004 the regional government has maintained a delegation just steps from the headquarters of the European Commission. During the past decade the space operated as a sort of embassy for the secessionist movement and promoted the pro-independence cause beyond Spain’s borders.

In Spain, an ‘unprecedented’ housing tax on foreign-owned properties  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said last Wednesday that his government would issue a 100% housing tax on properties bought by residents from outside the European Union.

Spain is planning a raft of measures to address its brewing housing crisis, including an up to 100% tax on properties bought by people who are neither citizens nor residents of the European Union.

Demonstrators in Madrid protested the arrival of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team ahead of their Euroleague game against Real Madrid.

A trade war is not in the interest [of either party] neither for the U.S., neither for the European Union,” Pedro Sanchez said.