Spain one of only EU countries where pensions high enough to cover living costs, Spanish government wants cold callers’ numbers to start with 400 and more news on Friday February 6th.
Spain one of only EU countries where pensions high enough to cover living costs
There are only four EU countries where pensions exceed the average expenses of people over 65, according to a new report by German think-tank DataPulse Research.
DataPulse ranks Romania as the country where retirees can live most comfortably, with pensions exceeding the average expenses of the population over 65 by 21 percent.
Next on the list is the Czech Republic , with a surplus of 18 percent. Poland (+4 percent) and Spain (+3 percent) also show positive figures, though with more moderate differences.
In the remaining EU Member States, pensions are lower than the average annual expenses of the senior population.
In October 2025, the average pension in Spain reached €1,315 per month, 4.4 higher than a year earlier.
Spanish government wants cold callers’ numbers to start with 400
The Spanish government has proposed a new numbering system to facilitate the identification of commercial and customer service calls in the country.
Specifically, it wants these numbers to have nine digits and begin with the prefix 400, allowing users to recognise these types of calls and decide whether or not to answer them. Many spam callers now use regular mobile numbers to get people to pick up the phone.
Spain’s Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration published two resolutions on Wednesday to initiate a public consultation process.
This comes after previous laws to prevent people in Spain from getting cold calls have proven relatively unsuccesful.
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EU court backs Catalan separatist leader in immunity case
The European Union’s top court handed a symbolic victory to Catalan separatist figurehead Carles Puigdemont on Thursday, cancelling the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of Spain’s most-wanted fugitive.
Puigdemont led the northeastern Catalonia region when it held a banned independence referendum and attempted to secede from Spain in 2017, the country’s worst political crisis in decades.
He and two other leading figures in the Catalan independence movement, Antoni Comin and Clara Ponsati, fled Spain as they faced arrest and were elected to the European Parliament in 2019.
But their political immunity as EU lawmakers was lifted by the parliament in 2021 after a request by Spain’s Supreme Court, confirmed on appeal by the General Court of the European Union.
They appealed to the Court of Justice of the European Union, which ruled that “the appointment of the rapporteur responsible for the requests for waiver of immunity was contrary to the requirement of impartiality”.
The rapporteur belonged to the same EU parliament group as Spain’s far-right party Vox, which challenged the immunity alongside the Spanish state.
“The court sets aside the judgement of the General Court and annuls the three decisions of the parliament,” a statement by the Luxembourg-based institution added.
The decision makes little immediate difference for Puigdemont, who has lived in Belgium since fleeing.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez agreed to an amnesty for those involved in the independence bid in exchange for Catalan separatist parties’ support to secure a new term in office after 2023 elections produced a hung parliament.
But Puigdemont continues to face arrest in Spain, accused of a separate charge of embezzlement that does not come under the amnesty’s remit.
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BBVA posts record profit after failed Sabadell takeover
Spanish banking giant BBVA on Thursday reported a record annual profit, shrugging off the rollercoaster ride of its failed hostile takeover bid for its biggest national rival Sabadell.
The €10.5 billion ($12.4 billion) of profit last year, an increase of 4.5 percent on 2024, comes after Santander also achieved record earnings in a moment of rude health for the sector.
BBVA, a major player also in Turkey and Latin America, said banking activity and customer growth drove its earnings, with a record 11.5 million new clients joining in 2025.
Lending increased by 16.2 percent, supported by gains in market share in Spain, Mexico and Turkey.
“This outstanding performance has resulted in an excellent value creation, which allows us to significantly accelerate shareholder remuneration, with a record dividend and the largest share buyback programme to date,” BBVA chairman Carlos Torres Vila said in a statement.
After more than a year of navigating regulatory requirements and misgivings from Spain’s leftist government, BBVA failed to win over Sabadell shareholders to create a European banking behemoth capable of rivalling HSBC or BNP Paribas.
Markets have seemingly welcomed the outcome, with BBVA’s share price climbing 40 percent on the Madrid stock market since the bid was dropped in October.
With additional reporting by AFP.
