Inflation dips

Betty Henderson

able to apply for permanent residency with the added bonus that you can then legally work in Spain if you want to.

For 2023 you must be able to show that the main person applying can show that they will have an annual income of €28,800 and that any dependent will also receive €7,200 and this may be from pensions, investments, rental income or even royalties.

In theory, if you own a property in Spain or intend to purchase one then that should assist in the application, although it tends to depend upon whichever officer is reviewing the application.

So, if you want to move away from the UK or indeed any other non ­ EU country to somewhere where it is warm, welcoming, friendly and much cheaper, Spain is certainly a really good option.

IN a remarkable twist, the tide has turned in favour of consumers as Spain’s inflation rate drops below the 2 per cent mark, becoming the first nation in the Eurozone to do so.

The latest data shows that June’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) is at a low of 1.9 per cent compared to the previous year. This is the first time since March 2021 that inflation has been this low.

The decrease in inflation is due to smaller increases in fuel, electricity, and food prices compared to last year. Although prices still went up by 0.6 per cent in June compared to May, it is much lower than the 1.9 per cent increase seen in June last year.

While the underlying inflation remained at 5.9 per cent during June, it shows progress in controlling price increases.

IN the midst of his campaign for re­election, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez visited the Ukraine capital, Kyiv on Saturday July 1.

The timing is significant in that it will also serve to inaugurate the rotating presidency of the European Union, which fell to Spain on July 1.

The objective of the visit was to ‘make visible’ the Union's support for Ukraine led by President Zelensky.

President Sánchez made his first trip to Ukraine only a few weeks after the start of the invasion. This time he travelled ‘alone, together with his team’ and was expected to make a statement with Zelensky at the Kyiv presidential palace.

Sánchez’s last trip to Kyiv was made on the anniversary of the start of the war, in February of this year. At the time he promised to send up to 10 Leopard main battle tanks, six of which are already on Ukrainian soil.

In a further show of solidarity, sources close to President Sánchez pointed out that his presence there this time aimed to show the