Liquid limits at airports

People in Spain were just beginning to look forward to being able to bring more liquids in their hand luggage, with some airports already having spent millions on new high-tech scanners, but now it looks like this won’t be the case for a while. The European Commission (EC) recently announced that it will temporarily reintroduce limits to liquids carried in hand luggage at some airports around Europe. Following the EC decision, in certain airports the 100ml limit will now be reintroduced on liquids, aerosols, and gels. 

Baby seat ban 

From September 1st, 2024, those with small children should be aware that a new law is being introduced to regulate the standards of child seats in cars. Companies will now be prohibited from manufacturing child seats that fit the R44 model (which only adapt to the height and weight of kids). Only R129 (with increased protection) ones will be allowed. The sale of these products, whether first-hand or second-hand, will also be prohibited. For people who already have an R44 model chair, you can continue using it, although it’s not recommended.

Hotel prices to remain high

Hotel prices in Spain are becoming increasingly more expensive and it looks like they’ll stay that way after the summer too. Hotel Commerce platform SiteMinder has revealed what the accommodation booking trends will be like in Spain for September and have predicted, “it will continue to be solid, exceeding 2023 levels”. There has been an increase in the price per room, which on average has gone up by approximately 8.5 percent nationwide, going from 223 to 242 in one year. Accommodation prices have increased by an average of 8.5 percent in Barcelona: €303 compared to €279 in 2023. The same data shows that travellers are also staying longer slightly longer in Spain and that they’re booking further in advance.

Euribor drop to affect mortgages in Spain

In Spain, Euribor is the interest rate most often used to work out mortgage payments and to calculate both variable and fixed rates. It is anchored to the interest rate set by the European Central Bank. There have been mixed forecasts by analysts, with some saying the Euribor would go up in September and others suggesting it would drop. As things stand on August 27th, the Euribor looks set to close August at its lowest level since December 2022, the biggest drop in this indicator compared to the previous month in the last 15 years. This means that people with a variable mortgage of €150,000 to be paid over 25 years(with an annual review and a difference of one point over the Euribor) stand to save €76.54 per month (€919 per year), if the Euribor doesn’t go up again that is.

School year starts

School starts back up in September, but the exact date will depend on where you live in the country. It could be anywhere from the 6th to the 11th, with most regions choosing either the 9th or the 11th. The earliest to go back will be those in the Basque Country and Castilla y León​​ on the 6th, and the latest to go back will be Galicia, Extremadura and the Balearic Islands on the 11th. Dates may change slightly for specific schools, particularly if they are international or private.

Regional holidays
There are no national holidays in Spain in September, but there will be a number of regional holidays across the country throughout the month.
These include:
September 11th La Diada (Catalonia Day)
15th September (Cantabria’s Día de La Bien Aparecida)
8th September (Asturias Day)
8th September (Extremadura Day)
2nd September (Ceuta Day)
Various island holidays in the Canary Islands:
8th September (Día de Nuestra Señora del Pino, Gran Canaria)
15th September (Día de Nuestra Señora de Los Volcanes: Lanzarote, La Graciosa and Fuerteventura)
25th September (Día de Nuestra Señora de los Reyes, El Hierro)

Festivals

September brings with it plenty of festivals, even after all the ferias this summer. As it’s harvest time, many of the festivals will be linked to this theme. The Rioja Wine Harvest Festival or San Mateo festival will take place in Logroño towards the end of the month and the Grape Harvest Festival in Jerez will take place during the first two weeks of the month. There are also events such as the Feria de Albacete, and various historical events and re-enactments like the Fiestas de Carthagineses y Romanos and the Fiestas del Motín in Aranjuez. Barcelona will also be hosting its biggest celebration of the year – La Mercè – with lots of concerts, street theatre, dancing giants and fireworks. It’s on from September 20th – 24th.

Hacienda will allow autónomos to correct VAT mistakes

For the first time, the Tax Agency will allow self-employed workers and small companies to easily and quickly correct errors in VAT settlements starting from September. The Ministry of Finance will soon approve a new VAT self-assessment form – Modelo 303, in which to submit rectifications.

Deadline in September to decide over shorter work week proposal

Last January, Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz said her ministry would soon reduce the working week by two and a half hours (half an hour less a day), a decision aimed at improving the work-life balance of 12 million employees across the country. The plan was for it to go from the current 40 hours per week to 38.5 hours by September 2024. But the government has not been able to reach an agreement from the unions and employers before the summer holidays. Talks will resume on September 9th to reduce the maximum limit on the working day to 38.5 hours this year and to 37.5 hours from 2025.

A decision is to be made on Catalonia managing its own finances

Catalan separatists have been pushing for ‘financiación singular’ to gain greater fiscal autonomy from the Spanish state, but the proposals were tied up with politics at a national level. Pedro Sánchez decided to leave the debate on Catalan financing until September, due to the new Catalan government being sworn in just before the holidays. “We are resolving the greatest institutional crisis that the history of our democracy has experienced,” he said. The government know that finances and a unique Catalan taxation model will be the next top-level political struggle it must face in the coming month.

New flights from Seville and Granada

Starting in September, Seville will have a new air link with Istanbul through direct flights operated by the Turkish airline Pegasus Airlines. Granada will also have another connection as the Dutch company Transavia announced a new flight from Granada’s Federico García Lorca airport to Amsterdam starting in September.