Latest news with #SocialSecurityandMigration
Ya Biladi
2 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Spain's government challenges Jumilla's ban on Muslim celebrations over constitutional rights
The Spanish government in Madrid has issued an ultimatum to the city council of Jumilla (Murcia province) to repeal a recently approved measure backed by local People's Party officials. Proposed by the far-right Vox party, the motion bans the use of municipal facilities for Muslim religious celebrations, specifically Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice. If the ban is not revoked within a month, the government will take the matter to administrative court, Iberian media reported Monday, citing the socialist government of Pedro Sanchez. The government has condemned the measure as «racist», arguing that it «arbitrarily restricts» annual festivities and violates the constitutional right to religious freedom, including that of the Muslim community. Last week, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz stressed that her government would ensure «maximum respect for the Constitution». The Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with Parliament issued a similar statement and coordinated the revocation request with the Department of Territorial Policy. Minister Félix Bolaños also denounced the measure, calling it evidence of the «extremist drift» of the PP-Vox alliance. «We will put an end to their extreme measures, as we did against obstacles to abortion in Castilla-La Mancha or censorship in Murcia», he said. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) echoed this stance through its spokesperson, Montse Mínguez, who on Saturday accused the People's Party of aligning itself with the ideology of the far right. She warned that this alliance «institutionalizes racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia». Ban in Jumilla Targets Muslim Community While the PP continues to back the motion, the government has vowed to overturn it. Jumilla, a town of nearly 27,000 residents, is home to an estimated 1,500 Muslims. The city council defends its decision as a measure to protect «traditional religious values and practices». According to the government, however, the discriminatory intent is clear, both in the original text and in statements by the Vox spokesperson, who openly boasted about banning Muslim festivities. For Madrid, this is «yet another violation of fundamental rights and freedoms» by local and regional right-wing and far-right administrations, one in which the central government «must intervene to uphold the Constitution». The executive also argues that the justification for the ban is baseless, noting that the law allows municipal sports facilities to be used for «sociocultural activities». The government reaffirmed its «uncompromising commitment» to combating intolerance and defending «the Constitution, democratic values, and peaceful coexistence». It pledged to «politically and legally challenge any initiative aimed at undermining rights and freedoms and dragging Spain toward an authoritarian path, as seen in other countries governed by the far right». Criticism from the Catholic Church and Civil Society Beyond politics, the measure has drawn criticism from the Spanish Episcopal Conference, which cited the constitutional principle of freedom of worship, a position that Vox has rejected. In a province with a significant Moroccan community, civil society groups have also spoken out against the motion. Sabah Yacoubi, president of the Association of Moroccan Immigrant Workers (ATIM) in the region and national vice-president of the organization, told Yabiladi last week that the decision reflects a longstanding contradiction fueled by xenophobic and Islamophobic sentiment. She warned that the PP and Vox's rhetoric about «activities foreign to the people's identity» is «false and dangerous», especially given Spain's historical legacy under Muslim rule during the caliphate.
Ya Biladi
2 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Spain's government challenges Jumilla's ban on Muslim celebrations over constitutional rights
The Spanish government in Madrid has issued an ultimatum to the city council of Jumilla (Murcia province) to repeal a recently approved measure backed by local People's Party officials. Proposed by the far-right Vox party, the motion bans the use of municipal facilities for Muslim religious celebrations, specifically Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice. If the ban is not revoked within a month, the government will take the matter to administrative court, Iberian media reported Monday, citing the socialist government of Pedro Sanchez. The government has condemned the measure as «racist», arguing that it «arbitrarily restricts» annual festivities and violates the constitutional right to religious freedom, including that of the Muslim community. Last week, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz stressed that her government would ensure «maximum respect for the Constitution». The Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with Parliament issued a similar statement and coordinated the revocation request with the Department of Territorial Policy. Minister Félix Bolaños also denounced the measure, calling it evidence of the «extremist drift» of the PP-Vox alliance. «We will put an end to their extreme measures, as we did against obstacles to abortion in Castilla-La Mancha or censorship in Murcia», he said. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) echoed this stance through its spokesperson, Montse Mínguez, who on Saturday accused the People's Party of aligning itself with the ideology of the far right. She warned that this alliance «institutionalizes racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia». Ban in Jumilla Targets Muslim Community While the PP continues to back the motion, the government has vowed to overturn it. Jumilla, a town of nearly 27,000 residents, is home to an estimated 1,500 Muslims. The city council defends its decision as a measure to protect «traditional religious values and practices». According to the government, however, the discriminatory intent is clear, both in the original text and in statements by the Vox spokesperson, who openly boasted about banning Muslim festivities. For Madrid, this is «yet another violation of fundamental rights and freedoms» by local and regional right-wing and far-right administrations, one in which the central government «must intervene to uphold the Constitution». The executive also argues that the justification for the ban is baseless, noting that the law allows municipal sports facilities to be used for «sociocultural activities». The government reaffirmed its «uncompromising commitment» to combating intolerance and defending «the Constitution, democratic values, and peaceful coexistence». It pledged to «politically and legally challenge any initiative aimed at undermining rights and freedoms and dragging Spain toward an authoritarian path, as seen in other countries governed by the far right». Criticism from the Catholic Church and Civil Society Beyond politics, the measure has drawn criticism from the Spanish Episcopal Conference, which cited the constitutional principle of freedom of worship, a position that Vox has rejected. In a province with a significant Moroccan community, civil society groups have also spoken out against the motion. Sabah Yacoubi, president of the Association of Moroccan Immigrant Workers (ATIM) in the region and national vice-president of the organization, told Yabiladi last week that the decision reflects a longstanding contradiction fueled by xenophobic and Islamophobic sentiment. She warned that the PP and Vox's rhetoric about «activities foreign to the people's identity» is «false and dangerous», especially given Spain's historical legacy under Muslim rule during the caliphate.
Local Spain
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Residency permits for 'integrated' irregular migrants in Spain soar
New figures have revealed that the number of arraigo permits, a type of residency permit given out to formerly undocumented immigrants in Spain, has increased by 500 percent in just a decade. In 2013 there were just 43,858 foreigners with one of Spain's four types of arraigo (social, educational, labour and family) but by 2023 that figure had increased to 239,084, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. This was the headline figure highlighted by Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz, in the presentation of a report of the Strategic Framework for Citizenship and Inclusion against Racism and Xenophobia 2023-2027. Spanish residency can be awarded to non-EU foreigners who have even arrived or lived illegally in the country for providing evidence of social integration and making roots in the country. This is known as permiso de residencia por arraigo in Spanish. Furthermore, in the space of a year, processing times for the arraigo procedure were reduced by 35 percent. This follows further changes by the government to cut the time period necessary to receive an arraigo. The required time in Spain used to be three years, but the government recently reduced it to two years, a modification will come into force on May 20th 2025. Spain is now home to seven million foreign residents, equal to 14 percent of the population. However, despite the growing foreign population and streamlining of residency processes, many still live with social divides compared to native Spaniards. Though Saiz stated that the growth was positive, she also recognised that there are still several 'persistent challenges' for Spain's foreign population. The difference in salary, for example, is €10,000 per year on average. There's also a 20 percent difference in school dropout rates and homelessness affects migrants 7.5 times more than Spaniards. The arraigo is applicable to all those who have been living without the proper residency documents in Spain for two years or more. It is one of the easiest ways to legalise migration status without facing harsh consequences of overstaying or having to leave Spain and re-enter again on a different visa. In order to get one, you must have a genuine connection to Spain. This could be either socially, economically or through familial ties. You must have proof of this such as a job contract, library card, membership to an organisation here, birth certificates of family members, and so on. The main requirements are that you must have been in the country for a period of at least two years and can't have left the country for more than 120 days in that period.
Local Spain
13-02-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Nearly 1 million self-employed owe €400 to Spain's social security
New data has revealed that almost a million of Spain's self-employed workers owe hundreds of euros to the country's Social Security ministry. However, a further million 'autónomos' are due for a refund of around €600. Up to one million self-employed workers in Spain will have to pay hundreds of euros to the government in backlogged social security payments, new tax data has revealed. Equally, one million more could be due a refund. The discrepancies correspond to the 2023 income tax return (known as la d eclaración de la renta in Spanish) which Spain's tax authorities are now in the process of finalising. The campaign for that year ushered in a new contributions system which meant anyone registered as autónomo made social security payments based on real earnings rather than one flat fee for everyone. According to new data from Spain's Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, of the total of 3.7 million autónomos affected by the quota regularisation process, around half (1.83 million) do not have to make any changes, while the rest will either receive a refund or be forced to fork up payments owed for 2023. This is because around one in four self-employed workers, some 889,553, paid contributions in 2023 below the bracket that corresponded to them according to their overall net income. They will now have to pay the difference, with reports in the Spanish media suggesting this is €400 to €450 on average. The figure is considerably lower than that estimated by the Spanish Association of Self-Employed Workers (ATA), which last year calculated that between 25 and 30 percent of autónomos hadn't been paying the right amount of social security since the new system came into force in 2023, and would have to cough up an extra €1,000 to €1,200. Tax data shows that 23.85 percent made social security contributions below their tax base, according to data from the General Treasury of the Social Security (TGSS). The remaining 26.85 percent, just over one million workers, paid above the required amount and can therefore opt for a refund, which on average is around €600, or maintain their chosen tax base. Spanish online outlet 20 Minutos reports that so far some 430,000 autónomos have decided to forego the refund and maintain their contribution base, something the tax authorities interpret as opting for better social benefits rather than cash compensation. Secretary of State for Social Security and Pensions, Borja Suárez, confirmed in a press conference when presenting the 2023 figures that: 'The average amount of refunds is below €600 and that of regularisations is slightly above €400.' Those self-employed workers who underpaid will begin to receive notifications from the tax authorities informing them of their situation from March onwards. The deadline for paying off the debt will be extended to the last day of the month following the date of notification. As is often the case with Social Security and tax debts more generally in Spain, those affected may request deferrals and pay in instalments. The new contribution model, which allows up to six bracket changes per year, seeks a gradual transition to a system of contributions based on real income. Previously, Social Security had to carry out a contribution regularisation process every year to check that the bases have been adjusted to net income and proceed to repay or claim the resulting amounts.
Euronews
12-02-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Spain to grant residency and work permits to as many as 25,000 immigrants hit by Valencia floods
The Spanish government will grant one-year residency and work permits to as many as 25,000 foreigners affected by catastrophic flash floods that hit an eastern area of the country last October. The measure, which was approved by the Spanish cabinet yesterday, will facilitate paperwork for those now left homeless in dozens of towns affected by the floods, principally in the Valencia region. The government has embarked on a major recovery and reconstruction effort after the 29 October disaster, which killed 227 people and destroyed countless homes and businesses. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration said the chaos that resulted from the flooding, which was caused by torrential rains, left many immigrants unable to meet the requirements for living, studying and working in Spain legally. Many employers have also been left unable to comply with the bureaucracy required to hire foreign workers. The ministry said that new one-year permits will be granted due to the "unexpected exceptional circumstances", but noted they can and will be denied where there are concerns over public order, security or health. In addition, foreigners who lost relatives in the floods will be permitted five years' residency in Spain. While governments across Europe are toughening their migration policies, Spain has been swimming against the tide and crediting migrant workers' contribution to a year of economic growth and job creation. Foreigners currently represent some 15.9% of the country's registered employed population, though many more are working in the underground economy, whether picking fruits, cleaning homes or caring for the elderly. Spain is facing a declining birth rate, and has said it needs more migrants working legally and contributing to its social security and pensions for the state to cope with the demographic shift. While Spain has shut down several partnerships with African countries in an effort to stop irregular migration to its territory, including via dangerous Mediterranean routes, it is passing measures to legalise the status of immigrants already living in the country without permission. The majority of this population have flown into Spain legally from Latin America and overstayed their visas.
