While Holy Week is celebrated around the globe by Christians, Spain is renowned for a particularly colorful tradition: the procession of the nazareno penitents. Looking for all the world like they’re wearing the getup of the …
Spain
Spain’s Corruption Scandals: The Crisis of the Royal Family
The king was once among the most admired people in the country but now his son-in-law has tarnished the crown. Can another royal lead the way out?
The E.U. Budget: Champions of Austerity Win a Big Battle–for the Most Part
Sleep-deprived EU leaders adopt a vastly reduced 2014-2020 budget that leading European parliamentarians vow to send back.
Why the Europeans Don’t Really Want an E.U. Budget Deal
Three months after failing to reach agreements on whether to slash or bolster the E.U. budget, leaders gather in Brussels to find their positions still far apart
Spain Is Disgusted With Corruption But Can Anything Be Done About It?
Spain’s economic boom bolstered corruption but such opaque practices have made all parties and a host of politicians targets for criticism and prosecution
50 Years After Landmark Treaty, Can France and Germany Save Europe?
Ceremonies marking the 1963 Franco-German partnership pale in comparison to U.S. presidential inaugurations, but they mark an alliance credited with driving the E.U. — and the euro — toward greater stability and prosperity
A Voice of Reason Falls Silent: Xavier Batalla, 1948-2012
A tribute to the great Catalan journalist by TIME’s Editor-at-Large
Catalonia Votes: Why the Region’s New Proindependence Majority Won’t Guarantee Separation from Spain
Two proindependence parties could form an alliance in the regional parliament and call for a referendum — if they can do a deal on economic policy
A Deeply Divided European Union Faces Its Own Budgetary Cliff
France, Germany and Britain become central antagonists in more general discord over a multiyear E.U. budget — and risk preventing Europe from fulfilling one of its most basic operational tasks
It’s Official: Eurozone Enters Second Recession In Three Years
Despite positive growth in France and Germany, official figures show the 17-nation euro bloc sinking into its second recession since 2009—with experts warning the worst is yet to come.
France ‘Biggest Problem’ in Euro Crisis, Say German Officials
France smarts at German comments despairing French economic response to the euro crisis, and media reports contending Berlin is preparing a To-Do reform list for sluggish leaders in Paris.
Is Gay Marriage Too Progressive for the French?
The leftist government of French President François Hollande tables legislation to legalize same-sex marriages and adoptions amid rising opposition and public hesitation
Why the Economic Outlook for Spain Is Positively Dismal
The country saw its first crisis-linked suicide in late October. And there is little good news to buoy the spirits of everyone else