Spain to plant 3.5 million trees, new tourism record in July, Russia demands proof from Sánchez of alleged involvement in Ceuta crisis and more news from Spain on Wednesday September 2nd.
Spain to plant 3.5 million trees
Spain will plant a total of 3.5 million trees to contribute to the European goal of planting an additional 3 billion trees, according to a draft National Nature Restoration Plan, presented by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).
The plan details the measures and actions necessary to help restore ecosystems and meet targets set out in the European Nature Restoration Regulation. As well as planting trees, it includes environmental interventions covering an area of 288 km² by 2030, as well as 12.3 km² of marine ecosystems suitable for the restoration of seagrass habitats.
The plan will be reviewed by the EU Commission and then a final version must be submitted before September 1st, 2027.
Spain increases purchases of Russian gas by 42 percent
Spain increased its purchases of Russian gas by 42 percent during the first half of 2026, reaching 37,172 GWh. This comes at a time when the European Union is moving towards a ban on imports from Russia.
The amount, however, decreased again in July, according to Enagás records, suggesting a shift, meaning that Spain is not permanently dependent on Russian gas.
The EU timetable requires member states to adapt their contracts and supply sources to the new restrictions. Spain will have to do the same. Its network allows it to receive liquefied natural gas from various countries and convert it back into gas for use in the general grid.
Spain registers new tourism records in July
According to data published recently by the National Statistics Institute (INE), Spain received 11.5 million foreign tourists in July, that is 4.6 percent more than in the same month in 2025, which was also a record-breaking July with 11 million visitors.
In the first seven months of 2026, the number of tourists visiting Spain increased by 4.6 percent to exceed 58.1 million, also setting a record high for the first half of the year, surpassing the 55.5 million recorded during the same period in 2025.
The majority of these tourists were from the UK with nearly 2.2 million tourists and a year-on-year increase of 5.6 percent.
This growth in visitor arrivals also had an impact on tourism spending. In July, expenditure rose by 10.9 percent compared to the same month in 2025. Average spending per tourist for the month was €1,579, a year-on-year increase of 5.9 percent.
Russia demands proof from Sánchez of alleged involvement in the Ceuta migrant crisis
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has demanded that Spain provide evidence of their alleged involvement in a disinformation campaign that supposedly triggered the influx of thousands of migrants into Ceuta last month. This comes after Isreal accused Sánchez of “blatantly lying” by linking Tel Aviv to the mass influx of migrants as well.
“When there are accusations, there must be concrete facts that then require verification. Only after this can an accusation be taken seriously,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a press conference, according to the Interfax news agency. Zakharova added that, “without facts, without materials backed by figures, dates, and names, there is simply nothing to talk about”.
