News
Pretender dies
Digital nomads eye new law
A 66-year-old man who has long-claimed to be an illegitimate son of King Juan Carlos , father of King Felipe , has died suddenly in Girona . Albert Sola used a DNA test to show a 99 % match with the King Emeritus , but his paternity lawsuit and subsequent appeal were both thrown out by the courts . He had joined forces with a Belgian woman who claims her mother has admitted a one-night stand with Juan Carlos in 1966 .
Aid rejected
Vélez-Málaga Town Hall is reported to have turned down a € 1 million grant to create jobs for 115 young people in the town . Mayor Antonio Moreno Ferrer said the project was unfeasible because the municipality would have had to top up the grant with € 712,000 to provide decent wages . Previous similar grants from the Next Generation funds of the European Union have paid for 100 % of the costs , he added .
Quality concerns
Ecologists have lodged a complaint about earthworks on land above the source of the River Maro which they claim has potential problems for water quality . The group GENA has claimed that the work was not properly licenced and has illegally closed a road . The area has also been pasture but its conversion to agricultural use , they explained , threatens contamination through the leakage of insecticides and fertilizers into the water .
See Jottings on page 24
Spain ’ s new Start Up Law will be passed by parliament before the next General Election . Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said last month that the new legislation , which would allow remote workers to live in Spain , will be in place before December 2023 , the last date on which the next national vote must he held .
The law will offer visas to people who can work remotely for businesses outside Spain and for those who derive a maximum of 20 per cent of their income from Spanish firms . Initially , the visa will be valid for a year , but it is planned to be extendable for up to five years and will include the applicant ’ s close relatives .
Potential “ digital work nomads ” must come from outside the European Economic Area ( EU member states , plus Iceland , Liechtenstein , and Norway ), must be able to demonstrate
Spain ’ s Democratic Memory Law came into force on October 21 , aiming to uncover , “ the historical truth about the violence and terror imposed by the Franco regime , as well as the values and acts of democratic resistance .” The text of the legislation , published in the Official State Gazette , adds that “ citizens have an unalienable right to understand .”
The new law states that , from the same date , the Valley of The Fallen near Madrid , a huge mausoleum to Francisco Franco until his remains were removed in 2019 , is to be known as the Valley of Cuelgamuros . The law also requires anyone other than victims of Spain ’ s Civil War to be exhumed from the memorial .
Importantly , the new legislation obliges the government to create a map of the estimated 140,000 civilians who disappeared during the four-year conflict between 1936 and 1939 . A employment for at least a year for a company outside Spain , and must have an employment contract or provide evidence of freelance work for at least a year . Applicants will also have to show they will earn enough to be selfsufficient and that they have a permanent address in Spain . They may also be subjected to a criminal record check .
Spain hopes to make the visa especially attractive by promising income tax for the first four years at just 15 per cent , rather than the country ’ s standard 25 per cent base rate .
The Start Up Law , which has a broad aim of boosting the digital economy and attracting foreign talent , still has a few hurdles to overcome before passing into law . However , specialist law firms are reported to have received dozens of enquiries from potential beneficiaries , including many from the UK .
Democratic Memory Law in force national DNA bank will help to identify bodies unearthed from mass graves .
The country ’ s opposition Partido Popular group in Parliament has vowed to repeal the law which is being regarded as a milestone achievement by Spain ’ s socialist coalition government . It is also opposed by the Francisco Franco National Foundation which was created in 1976 to protect the dictator ’ s legacy and which says that any attempts to shut it down will be met with a strong legal campaign .
Málaga aid
Two of the city ’ s municipal transport buses were expected to leave Málaga late last month en route to Ukraine via Poland . Their cargo was € 30,000 of goods aimed at mitigating effects of the present conflict . The material was donated by the Starlite Foundation and the Marbella Rotary Club , with travel costs paid for by the city of Málaga .
12