Spain: Political Developments and Data in 2022: Implementing the Next Generation EU Plan in the Shadow of Political Turmoil

The year 2022 was marked by the implementation of the Spanish Recovery and Resilience Plan approved by the European Commission in June 2021. Without a general election or changes in the Cabinet, only the main opposition party, the People's Party, experienced a change in leadership, when Pablo Casado resigned and was replaced by Alberto Núñez Feijóo. The political agenda was dominated by the approval of the Law on the Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom, better known as the law of “only yes means yes,” the reform of the Criminal Code to remove the crime of sedition and reduce the penalties for embezzlement, and the change of the majority required for the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary. In the international arena, the consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the celebration of the 30th NATO Summit in Madrid were the main issues.