NEW LAWS: What changes about life in Spain in May 2021
A new month often brings with it changes to daily living in Spain, but this May will see developments that affect the life of most of the country’s 47 million inhabitants.
Spain’s state of alarm ends
May 9th 2021 marks the end of Spain’s state of alarm and potentially a return to normality in many ways.
The country’s second state of alarm started in October 2020 and has given regional governments special powers to implement curfews, border closures and other restrictions without having to get the measures approved by a judge.
Many of the daily restrictions will no longer be in place on May 9th, the Spanish government has reiterated, although some regional authorities do intend to push for some of the measures to be reinstated through fears it will send Covid infections rising again, especially as the country is currently undergoing its fourth wave.
We’ve covered the end of Spain’s state of alarm in detail, so you can find out much more in the following articles.
- OPINION: Ending Spain’s state of alarm in May will be a strategic error
- The regions of Spain where restrictions are likely to remain after the state of alarm
- Spain’s government refuses to extend state of alarm even if it can’t limit mobility or gatherings
Millions of doses, millions more vaccinated?
Spain’s Health Ministry has said that it will receive 1.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine every week of May.
They’ve set the pace already after receiving 2 million doses on April 26th alone - a daily record for Spain - with 1.7 million from Pfizer, 188,000 Moderna doses and 103,000 AstraZeneca inoculations.
If deliveries by pharmaceutical companies go as planned and new hold-ups due to side effect concerns don’t put a spanner in the works of the vaccination machine again, Spanish health authorities believe they will be able to vaccinate with at least one dose all over 60s by the end of May, which number 12 million people.
For this to happen, 8.2 million doses would have to be administered over the 31-day period.
Photo: Jorge Guerrero/AFP
Due to side-effect concerns, the Spanish government has decided that the AstraZeneca vaccine is now only going to be given to those aged 60 to 69.
Health authorities have mainly given the Pfizer inoculation to over-70s, so around 2.6 million people are due to get their second dose in May.
Driving in Spain is about to get slower
On May 11th 2021, Spain’s new speed limits for urban roads come into effect across the whole country.
From that date, roads in Spain with one lane in each direction will go from having a general speed limit of 50km/hour to a maximum of 30km/h. Single lane roads with one-way traffic where the pavement is raised above the road will also have a new speed limit of 30km/h.
On single one-way lanes and double lane roads with two-way traffic where the pavement and the road are at the same level, the speed limit will be reduced even further, down to 20km/h.
Roads with two lanes or more of traffic in each direction (minimum four total) will keep the speed limit of 50km/h (except for vehicles carrying dangerous goods, for which the limit is 40km/h).
In essence, regardless of whether it’s a road inside a village, in the countryside or a road inside a big city where the limit is currently 50km/h, the new speed limits apply.
You can find out more about the reasons why this is happening, the fines for speeding and other useful traffic in the links below.
READ MORE:
- Why you will soon have to drive at 30km/h on most roads in Spain
- Penalties, speed limits and prohibitions: Spain’s tougher driving laws for 2021
New rules for overtaking cyclists
Spain’s traffic authority also has new rules for overtaking cyclists on Spanish roads which come into effect on May 11th 2021. Here's what you need to know and how to avoid fines of up to €200 for not overtaking properly.
If a driver in Spain wants to overtake a cyclist, they will now have to leave a space of 1.5 metres between their vehicle and the cyclist as well as reduce their speed by 20km/h.
For example, anyone wanting to overtake a cyclist on a 90km/h road will have to reduce their speed to 70km/h as well as abide by the pre-existing safety distance.
The head of Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic Pere Navarro justified the move by saying that when it comes to overtaking, many drivers tend to speed up rather than slow down, which increases the risk for cyclists. Find out more here.
The end of temporary unemployment benefits?
“The will of the Spanish government is to extend the Temporary Employment Regulation Files (ERTEs) until whenever necessary,” Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto, and her counterpart Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz have both said.
Despite this, the furlough scheme which allows employees who have been temporarily laid off due to the coronavirus crisis to get 70 percent of their wages is due to end on May 9th, after Díaz brought it forward from the initially scheduled May 30th enddate.
The government has so far extended the scheme four times. Companies that take part in the scheme are banned from making layoffs in the six months after it ends.
Photo: Gabriel BOUYS / AFP
The latest State bulletin (BOE) from April 13th suggests that even if ERTEs aren’t extended again at the last minute, complementary measures will be adopted to help businesses that aren’t ready yet to bring their staff back full-time yet.
If this is the case with your business, you are advised to contact Spain’s State Public Employment Service (SEPE) before May 9th.
Similarly, Spain’s Plan Mecuida, which helps employees who care for dependants at home to adapt their work timetable, ends on May 30th 2021.
Important tax dates to remember
In terms of important tax return dates, these are the ones to keep in mind in May 2021 in Spain:
May 4th: The date by which you can request an appointment to be attended by telephone.
May 6th: From this date, you can submit your tax return by phone.
May 27th: The deadline by which you can request to submit your tax return in person.
For self-employed people in Spain, May 20th marks the last day to declare intra-community operations (model 349) from April.
READ MORE:
- Who needs to file an income tax return in Spain in 2020-2021?
- EXPLAINED: The changes to Spain’s annual income tax return in 2021
Labelling for new wheels in May
Another change for drivers in Spain in May is the introduction of a new labelling system for tyres across the EU.
The labelling features a new design with more information for drivers, including their energy efficiency (fuel consumption, emissions), noise pollution or safety on wet surfaces, and their grip on snow or ice.
Overall, it’s good news for drivers as they’ll have a better idea of the quality of any tyres they buy for their vehicle in future.
Public and regional holidays in May
May 1st, which marks Workers’ Day in Spain as it does in other countries, falls on a Saturday this year and won’t count as a day off work.
However, Madrid will make May 3rd a regional holiday as May 2nd - Day of the Madrid Region, falls on Sunday.
A number of Spanish municipalities will also make May 3rd a local holiday to mark El Día de la Cruz (The Day of the Cross), including Alhaurín el Grande, Barbate, Caravaca de la Cruz, Cieza, Coín, Figueres, Hellín, Jávea/Xàbia, Melilla, Motril, Puente Genil, Pulianas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Villacarrillo.
Mother’s Day in Spain also falls on May 2nd this year.
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Spain’s state of alarm ends
May 9th 2021 marks the end of Spain’s state of alarm and potentially a return to normality in many ways.
The country’s second state of alarm started in October 2020 and has given regional governments special powers to implement curfews, border closures and other restrictions without having to get the measures approved by a judge.
Many of the daily restrictions will no longer be in place on May 9th, the Spanish government has reiterated, although some regional authorities do intend to push for some of the measures to be reinstated through fears it will send Covid infections rising again, especially as the country is currently undergoing its fourth wave.
We’ve covered the end of Spain’s state of alarm in detail, so you can find out much more in the following articles.
- OPINION: Ending Spain’s state of alarm in May will be a strategic error
- The regions of Spain where restrictions are likely to remain after the state of alarm
- Spain’s government refuses to extend state of alarm even if it can’t limit mobility or gatherings
Millions of doses, millions more vaccinated?
Spain’s Health Ministry has said that it will receive 1.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine every week of May.
They’ve set the pace already after receiving 2 million doses on April 26th alone - a daily record for Spain - with 1.7 million from Pfizer, 188,000 Moderna doses and 103,000 AstraZeneca inoculations.
If deliveries by pharmaceutical companies go as planned and new hold-ups due to side effect concerns don’t put a spanner in the works of the vaccination machine again, Spanish health authorities believe they will be able to vaccinate with at least one dose all over 60s by the end of May, which number 12 million people.
For this to happen, 8.2 million doses would have to be administered over the 31-day period.
Photo: Jorge Guerrero/AFP
Due to side-effect concerns, the Spanish government has decided that the AstraZeneca vaccine is now only going to be given to those aged 60 to 69.
Health authorities have mainly given the Pfizer inoculation to over-70s, so around 2.6 million people are due to get their second dose in May.
Driving in Spain is about to get slower
On May 11th 2021, Spain’s new speed limits for urban roads come into effect across the whole country.
From that date, roads in Spain with one lane in each direction will go from having a general speed limit of 50km/hour to a maximum of 30km/h. Single lane roads with one-way traffic where the pavement is raised above the road will also have a new speed limit of 30km/h.
On single one-way lanes and double lane roads with two-way traffic where the pavement and the road are at the same level, the speed limit will be reduced even further, down to 20km/h.
Roads with two lanes or more of traffic in each direction (minimum four total) will keep the speed limit of 50km/h (except for vehicles carrying dangerous goods, for which the limit is 40km/h).
In essence, regardless of whether it’s a road inside a village, in the countryside or a road inside a big city where the limit is currently 50km/h, the new speed limits apply.
You can find out more about the reasons why this is happening, the fines for speeding and other useful traffic in the links below.
READ MORE:
- Why you will soon have to drive at 30km/h on most roads in Spain
- Penalties, speed limits and prohibitions: Spain’s tougher driving laws for 2021
New rules for overtaking cyclists
Spain’s traffic authority also has new rules for overtaking cyclists on Spanish roads which come into effect on May 11th 2021. Here's what you need to know and how to avoid fines of up to €200 for not overtaking properly.
If a driver in Spain wants to overtake a cyclist, they will now have to leave a space of 1.5 metres between their vehicle and the cyclist as well as reduce their speed by 20km/h.
For example, anyone wanting to overtake a cyclist on a 90km/h road will have to reduce their speed to 70km/h as well as abide by the pre-existing safety distance.
The head of Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic Pere Navarro justified the move by saying that when it comes to overtaking, many drivers tend to speed up rather than slow down, which increases the risk for cyclists. Find out more here.
The end of temporary unemployment benefits?
“The will of the Spanish government is to extend the Temporary Employment Regulation Files (ERTEs) until whenever necessary,” Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto, and her counterpart Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz have both said.
Despite this, the furlough scheme which allows employees who have been temporarily laid off due to the coronavirus crisis to get 70 percent of their wages is due to end on May 9th, after Díaz brought it forward from the initially scheduled May 30th enddate.
The government has so far extended the scheme four times. Companies that take part in the scheme are banned from making layoffs in the six months after it ends.
Photo: Gabriel BOUYS / AFP
The latest State bulletin (BOE) from April 13th suggests that even if ERTEs aren’t extended again at the last minute, complementary measures will be adopted to help businesses that aren’t ready yet to bring their staff back full-time yet.
If this is the case with your business, you are advised to contact Spain’s State Public Employment Service (SEPE) before May 9th.
Similarly, Spain’s Plan Mecuida, which helps employees who care for dependants at home to adapt their work timetable, ends on May 30th 2021.
Important tax dates to remember
In terms of important tax return dates, these are the ones to keep in mind in May 2021 in Spain:
May 4th: The date by which you can request an appointment to be attended by telephone.
May 6th: From this date, you can submit your tax return by phone.
May 27th: The deadline by which you can request to submit your tax return in person.
For self-employed people in Spain, May 20th marks the last day to declare intra-community operations (model 349) from April.
READ MORE:
- Who needs to file an income tax return in Spain in 2020-2021?
- EXPLAINED: The changes to Spain’s annual income tax return in 2021
Labelling for new wheels in May
Another change for drivers in Spain in May is the introduction of a new labelling system for tyres across the EU.
The labelling features a new design with more information for drivers, including their energy efficiency (fuel consumption, emissions), noise pollution or safety on wet surfaces, and their grip on snow or ice.
Overall, it’s good news for drivers as they’ll have a better idea of the quality of any tyres they buy for their vehicle in future.
Public and regional holidays in May
May 1st, which marks Workers’ Day in Spain as it does in other countries, falls on a Saturday this year and won’t count as a day off work.
However, Madrid will make May 3rd a regional holiday as May 2nd - Day of the Madrid Region, falls on Sunday.
A number of Spanish municipalities will also make May 3rd a local holiday to mark El Día de la Cruz (The Day of the Cross), including Alhaurín el Grande, Barbate, Caravaca de la Cruz, Cieza, Coín, Figueres, Hellín, Jávea/Xàbia, Melilla, Motril, Puente Genil, Pulianas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Villacarrillo.
Mother’s Day in Spain also falls on May 2nd this year.
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