Politics shouldn't be all about pronouncements and grand gestures. Pragmatism is also essential. In short, it's about being practical so that citizens, those governed, feel they aren't being abandoned when times get tough. And this seems to be the path the Spanish government has taken with the package of measures designed to mitigate the effects of the war in the Middle East. The conflict, whose end appears far off, has driven up gas and oil prices and, consequently, the prices of everything related to them, such as fuel and electricity. That's why the measures announced by Pedro Sánchez will amount to around 5 billion euros, far less than the more than 20 billion mobilized in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine—but we are still in the early stages and don't know how long the war might last. The first decree focuses on reducing energy taxes, one of the services most affected by the impact of the Middle East crisis, and one that could have ripple effects throughout the economy. In addition to lowering the VAT on electricity and gas from the current 21% to 10%, as well as on biomass raw materials such as pellets and firewood, the energy production tax, currently at 7%, is temporarily eliminated and reduced from 5.5% to a special rate of 0.5%. Maximum retail prices for butane and propane are also frozen. The VAT on gasoline and diesel is also reduced, which, according to the Prime Minister's office, will result in a savings of approximately 30 cents per liter when filling up. Consumer organizations estimate that the reduction will be around 17 cents for diesel, which has seen the largest price increase. A key point, also included in the decree, is granting the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) new supervisory and sanctioning powers to prevent operators from exploiting the tax cut to increase their profit margins and enrich themselves. This is essential to prevent the tax reduction from benefiting certain companies more than citizens and, therefore, taxpayers.

The price war at gas stations has erupted. At least temporarily, and with greater savings the more contracts and service agreements signed with the companies. This comes after fuel prices soared the day after the outbreak of war in the Middle East and the surge in oil prices, which reinforced the situation. from the control of abuses by the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC)The major companies have entered into a price war ahead of Easter. In any case, the biggest discounts are obtained if other services related to electricity or gas are contracted.

Catalan households allocate 43.5 out of every 100 euros of their income to basic expenses, such as housing, groceries, and energy consumption (electricity, water, and fuel). This amount, which represents an average of 1,342 euros per month, is part of the third Planeta Propietario Barometer. The analysis, prepared by the Mutual Association of Property Owners, reveals the highest figure since the study began. It shows that household bills, which consume a significant portion of the minimum wage (SMI) – €1,184 per month last year – mean that 3 out of 10 Catalans have difficulty paying for these basic expenses. Households where the family depends on a single minimum wage earner must allocate more than their entire net income to basic expenses, leaving no room for savings or unexpected costs. However, Catalonia is not the autonomous community where basic expenses consume the largest share of income. Ahead of them are the Balearic Islands, with 50.1%, Andalusia (49%), the Canary Islands (47.9%), and the Community of Madrid (46.2%), according to the same study, based on interviews and questions posed to 2,339 men and women over 18 years of age, distributed across autonomous communities according to their weight in the total. Housing, which limits rents in high-demand areas, is a key factor.

Endesa has resolved the problem of blackouts and power outages for customers in the city of Barcelona. The company announced at 1:00 p.m. that "the three medium-voltage outages associated with last night's incidents have been resolved." One of them was resolved with a generator in the area between General Mitre and Muntaner and the repair of the damaged distribution center.

This Monday's historic blackout suddenly disrupted the routines of citizens and businesses, also causing millions in losses. For individuals, home insurance offers some useful coverage to address damage caused by this type of malfunction. One of the most important is protection against electrical damage caused by a power outage, a coverage that includes food and medicine stored in refrigerators. Unlike the DANA (National Insurance Plan), the Insurance Compensation Consortium—which replaces insurance companies—does not come into play in this case, as it would only be activated if the blackout was the result of an atmospheric phenomenon, a matter that has not yet been confirmed. An essential element is knowing the cause of the blackout, which helps determine who to claim against, explain Endesa sources.

We don't know when we'll know the technical causes of the blackout; we've seen the political consequences from the very beginning. The PP undoubtedly has the authority to demand immediate explanations from Sánchez, because when they've governed, they've never lacked explanations for important events. Thus, many of us still remember Rajoy's pedagogy and the plasticine steaks during the crisis. PrestigeWhen Spain entered an illegal war against Iraq, Aznar emphatically demanded that we believe him, that that country possessed weapons of mass destruction that had to be intercepted. ETA committed. When the relatives of the soldiers killed in the Yak-42 tragedy asked for the repatriation of the bodies, they were promptly responded to: pieces of corpses were collected and transported to Spain, all mixed up on television and public schools. Recently, when Ayuso was criticized for her anti-COVID protocols (known as the protocols of shame) causing the deaths of 7,241 elderly people in Madrid nursing homes, she also had an explanation: they would have died in a way that citizens would not. Perhaps it can be made clear to them that misinformation, a word that now peppers They use it left and right, it's not about not giving explanations, but about giving them knowing that they are false.

When the lights went out, the cell phones lost coverage, and word began to spread like wildfire that it was theirs, because the blackout was in Spain, Portugal, Mecca, and the valleys of Andorra, and that there were people trapped on the subway and on the trains, and that it wasn't Rodal's fault, it was Rodal's fault, putting two and two together: that must be the cyberattack that the Brussels commissioner was talking about, so elegant and so fun, she who made the video with a bag from which she took out a battery-powered radio, some candles, banknotes, and some cans of sardines, perfect for three days. Ah, the sweetness of analog life!

The electricity supply has suffered a general outage affecting at least the entire Iberian Peninsula. The outage affects electricity, but also mobile and landline telephone services. The blackout occurred at 12:40 p.m. this Monday, and problems have been reported from the outset in Catalonia, the rest of Spain, and also in Portugal. In fact, several witnesses told ARA that the outage also affects towns such as Viseu, Guarda, and Porto.

The Council of Ministers gave the green light to a series of measures to counter the economic shock, especially the upward spiral of energy prices – electricity and fuels – which the war in Ukraine has fuelled. However, the problem of rising prices had been dragging on for a long time because of the base effect – a year ago the scenario was completely different – as well as bottlenecks and problems with the supply chain.