What to expect from Spain in 2023
Spain was Spain again. 2022 saw the return of fiestas, festivals, and ferias — such profound economic and emotional stimulants for Spanish society — return in their full capacities, filling the country’s streets and squares with colour, vigour, and alegría. However, no sooner had the battle with an invisible enemy in Covid-19 begun to wane than Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine. Spaniards quickly learned the meaning of cost-push inflation — in July, it hit a 38-year high of 10.8%. As Spain enters a bumper election year, attention will move away from the ideological debates that fill the airwaves and column inches here toward a subject we can all understand: the money in our pockets.
2023 looks set to be another tempestuous year. There’ll be high points and low blows. Joy and drama — Spain being very Spain.
Here is just a flavour of what’s to come:
1. All eyes on Spain
Spain will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the fifth time during the second half of 2023. Coinciding with the run-in to the general election, there will be lots of nice opportunities for handshakes and soundbites for prime minister Pedro Sánchez when Charles Michel, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, and company visit Madrid. Like the French president, Sánchez feels more loved in Brussels than at home, and…
