Conor Patrick Faulkner

United Kingdom

Freelance Contributor at Freelance

Featured in: Favicon

theguardian.com Favicon

independent.co.uk Favicon

aljazeera.com Favicon

thelocal.es Favicon

bylinetimes.com Favicon

thelocal.com Favicon

tribunemag.co.uk Favicon

theneweuropean.co.uk Favicon

jacobin.com

Articles

Aer Lingus launches new flight route from Ireland to Spain

6 days ago | thelocal.es | Conor Patrick Faulkner

Irish airline Aer Lingus this week launched a new route connecting Cork with Bilbao, the largest city in the Basque Country region of northern Spain. The service will fly three times per week, according to information from Cork Airport. It is a two hour direct flight into Bilbao, also providing easy access to other nearby cities across the region and northern Spain.
What you need to know about the planned Madrid to Lisbon high-speed train

6 days ago | thelocal.com | Conor Patrick Faulkner

A new high-speed rail project connecting Madrid and Lisbon that could cut travel time to just three hours has been backed by the EU, with hopes that the line could be ready as soon as 2030. "We’re working on a plan to strengthen high-speed connections between major European capitals - and Madrid–Lisbon is one of our top priorities," EU Commissioner for Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, said recently. The journey currently takes over nine hours and involves several changes.
What you need to know about the planned Madrid to Lisbon high-speed train

1 week ago | thelocal.es | Conor Patrick Faulkner

A new high-speed rail project connecting Madrid and Lisbon that could cut travel time to just three hours has been backed by the EU, with hopes that the line could be ready as soon as 2030. "We’re working on a plan to strengthen high-speed connections between major European capitals - and Madrid–Lisbon is one of our top priorities," EU Commissioner for Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, said recently. The journey currently takes over nine hours and involves several changes.
Spain's Balearics will allow building on rural land to address housing shortage

1 week ago | thelocal.es | Conor Patrick Faulkner

The Balearic Islands government this week passed a decree allowing for the reclassification of rural land in order to build more housing in Palma de Mallorca. The change could also soon be extended to other municipalities on the islands, according to local media reports. The governing centre-right Popular Party approved the bill with the support of far-right Vox, meaning the region's new housing decree can move forward in a bid to create more accessible and affordable for locals.
More foreigners moving to Balearics but not paying tax, Spain's tax agency says

1 week ago | thelocal.es | Conor Patrick Faulkner

The Spanish tax authorities are monitoring a growing number of foreigners moving to and living in the Balearic Islands without paying income tax as residents. This is according to Ana Julia Fernández, the agencia tributaria delegate on the islands, who has highlighted the renewed work carried out by tax inspectors to identify these sorts of fraudulent tax arrangements.
Why Spain's property prices are rising much faster than in the rest of Europe

1 week ago | thelocal.es | Conor Patrick Faulkner

New data has shown that property prices in Spain are rising faster than almost anywhere else in Europe. Spain was the second country in terms of price rises across the Eurozone in 2024 - 11.4 percent - behind only the 11.6 percent rise recorded in neighbouring Portugal. For context, in Italy the annual rise was 4.5 percent, in Germany 1.9 percent and in France prices decreased by -1.9 percent. The Eurozone average was 4.2 percent, while in the EU more widely prices grew by 4.9 percent.
¡Bro, qué cringe! How English now dominates teen talk in Spain

2 weeks ago | thelocal.es | Conor Patrick Faulkner

Some Spaniards have long bemoaned the creeping influence of English anglicismos in Spanish, but in recent years with social media this has become particularly pronounced. According to a recent study, more than half of Spaniards (52 percent) use between six and ten anglicismos per day. These might include words like 'team' or 'dream' or more business-oriented language like 'feedback' or 'review'.
Which foreigners are buying the most properties in Spain?

2 weeks ago | thelocal.es | Conor Patrick Faulkner

Whether it be the scrapping of the golden visa scheme, a possible supertax on non-resident non-EU property buyers or even completely preventing them from buying Spanish homes, in recent times the Spanish government has tried to find ways to discourage or outright stop foreigners buying so many properties in Spain. This is because, the reasoning goes, growing demand is outpacing supply, which in turns increases prices and locks many Spaniards out of the property market.
What is Spain's ‘Google tax’ and why does Trump wants it scrapped?

3 weeks ago | thelocal.es | Conor Patrick Faulkner

On April 2nd, US President Donald Trump escalated his tariff regime and risked a global trade war by introducing fresh measures on China and the EU on what he dubbed "Liberation Day" for Americans. The EU was hit with 20 percent tariffs while China faces 34 percent, and this follows a series of pre-existing customs taxes on steel and car parts in recent weeks.
Why won't it stop raining in Spain?

1 month ago | thelocal.es | Conor Patrick Faulkner

You've probably noticed that it’s been raining pretty much non-stop in Spain over at least the last three weeks. Whether it be the recent Storm Jana, then Storm Konrad hitting much of Spain with rain, strong winds and snow last week, or now Storm Laurence bringing further wet weather to large parts of the country from Monday, it’s been an unusually wet (and cold, in places) month so far.