Yzabelle Bostyn
BRITISH newspaper The Guardian has praised Spain as a ‘progressive beacon in dark times.’
They have branded Spain as an ‘outlier’ from the ‘dismal trend’ of other European countries experiencing economic downturns and shifts towards far right sentiments.
“Last year, Spain recorded the highest growth of any major country, at 3.2%,” they write in the anonymous opinion piece.
“This was achieved under a Socialist-led coalition government that has welcomed high levels of immigration as a driver of economic prosperity.
They refer to government plans to offer residency and work permits to up to 900,000 undocumented migrants.
It follows that over 400,000 vacancies were filled by migrants and dual nationals in 2024, contributing to the lowest unemployment figures since the 2008 crash.
The move to welcome migrants is also backed by Spain’s low birthrate, one of the lowest in the EU.
At the same time, government spending has reached an all-time high, backed by EU post-pandemic recovery funds.
Most of this has to do with upgrading infrastructure and investment in environmentally friendly projects.
Within the EU, Spain is also ‘blazing a progressive trail’, claimed the paper.
“As crucial negotiations over future EU spending begin, Madrid has proposed a doubling of the next seven-year budget, financed by joint borrowing mechanisms pioneered after Covid. In an era in which spending on defence risks diverting resources away from other public goods and the green transition, Mr Sanchez is right to argue that more Europe, not less, should be part of the solution,” they said.
The Guardian also recognised the importance of tourism to Spain’s economy despite rising tensions between visitors and locals.
They highlighted the need to ‘urgently’ address the housing crisis and the disconnect between GDP figures and the population’s general wellbeing.
“Nevertheless, at a time when much of the mainstream centre-left appears to have lost faith in progressive political solutions, the Sanchez government’s achievements deserve to be celebrated,” they said.
“A robustly social democratic approach to economic renewal, and a recognition of what migrants can offer aging societies, remains the best response to the rise of nationalist, xenophobic politics.”
President Sanchez highlighted his belief in the benefits of migration last year, when he said:
“Throughout history, migration has been one of the great drivers of the development of nations, while hatred and xenophobia have been – and continue to be – the greatest destroyer of nations. The key is in managing it well.”
The Guardian called Sanchez a ‘vanishingly rare’ example of a politician willing to make and act on such statements.
“This may be a moment of maximum hubris for the Trumpian right across the west. But Spain continues to show that there is another way,” they concluded.
