21st century edit
| 2001 | Reign of King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Sophia Queen of Spain, Princess of Greece |
Obligatory military service ended, social service substituted. Start of es:Wikipedia in Spanish. Official opening of the Upper Paleolithic Cave paintings reproductions within a replica of the Cave of Altamira. | |
| 2002 | January 1st: The ∈uro substituted for the Spanish peseta. Spain takes the presidency of the EU. Salamanca elected European Capital of Culture. Tenerife freezes. The Information Services Act (LSSI). General strike ( 20-J) .Perejil Island crisis. Political arm of ETA outlawed for first time. Ecological disaster following the sinking of the Prestige. | ||
| 2003 | Azores summit: [[José María Aznar|Aznar] supports the 2003 invasion of Iraq provoking mass protests. Film director Almodóvar has second Óscar for Talk to Her. Regional and municipal Elections sees Esperanza Aguirre elected first female president of the Community of Madrid | ||
| 2004 | 2004 Madrid train bombings on March 11th killed one hundred and ninety-one and injured over two thousand. Prime Minister José María Aznar blamed the Basque terrorists [ETA].
Spanish general election, 2004 sees the POSE, led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero take power. Mariano Rajoy of the leads the opposition PP. Spain withdraws troops from Iraq. Crown Prince Felipe, Prince of Asturias marries a commoner, now Letizia, Princess of Asturias Spanish politician Rodrigo Rato, appointed director general of the [International Monetary Fund|IMF]]. Barcelona hosts the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures. | ||
| 2005 | Spain approves the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe by referendum. homosexual marriage legalized. [[Windsor Tower (Madrid)
]] burned to ground. Hurricane in Canary Isles. "[[the Sea Inside ]]" directed by Alejandro Amenábar awarder an Oscar. Birth of princess royal, the Infanta Leonor of Spain. | ||
| 2006 | Initial Smoking in public places law takes effect, but often bypassed in bars and restaurants. General education legislation revised. New laws about citizenship enrages orthodox Catholic opinion. Endesa power company takeover. Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia causes controversy over use of the word Nation. Accident in the Metro of Valencia. Suspension of Air Madrid. 2006 Madrid-Barajas Airport bombing by ETA. Pope Benedict XVI attends Fifth Meeting of Families in Valencia. | ||
| 2007 | Contraversial new Law concerning dependent persons introduced. Tenerife Tram and Murcia Tram systems inaugurated. Spanish local and regional elections, 2007. Madrid hosts Europride 2007 . | ||
| 2008 | [[Spanish general election, 2008| Zapatero re-elected] with reduced majority Carme Chacón, appointed (first female) defence minister Major air accident at Barajas airport. 2008 Transport strike. Expo 2008 held at Zaragoza. Javier Bardem elected best actor and awarded an Oscar. Moroccan national Jamal Zougam was found guilty of the 2004 Madrid train bombings.Spain national football team wins Eurocup for second time. The Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line incorporated int oth AVE network.Garzón was charged with criminal conduct in three cases, causing an international scandal and protests. | Late-2000s recession bites, Real estate value plummets, IBEX 35 shares index value falls 39.43% in one year. | |
| 2009 | Tornado in Málaga. Inauguration of Seville Metro. [[Patxi López] elected Lehendakari (President) of the Basque Region. Gürtel case indicates serious political corruption. Alarm about a possible 2009 flu pandemic. Tuna fishing vessel Alakrana hijacked by Piracy in Somalia|Somali pirates]]. Penélope Cruz elected best actor and awarded an Oscar. | Economic recession -unemployment reaches 4 million. Emergency es:Plan E implemented with little success. | |
| 2010 | Forth Spanish presidency of EU. Spanish national broadcaster eliminates commercial advertising.Transmission of analog television in Spain ceases. Sàin wins the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spanish air traffic controllers strike. The Madrid–Levante high-speed rail line added to AVE network. | Labor law reform provokes General strike 29-Sept.. Garzón was granted leave to work as a consultant to the International Criminal Court at The Hague. | |
| 2011 | Smoking law revised, controversially, smoking in bars and restaurants is now forbidden. Spain participates in Libia. There is a serious earthquake in the Region of Murcia. There are Spanish local and regional elections, 2011. President of the Generalitat Valenciana is forced from office. Madrid hosts the Catholic World Youth Day 2011]]. There is a major sub-sea Eruption near El Hierro in the Canary Islands. ETA anounced a definite end to armed activity. Spanish general election, 2011: PP wins overall majority. Mariano Rajoy assumes presidency of the government of Spain. Ana Botella (The wife of a former prime minister elected first female mayor of Madrid. | Popular indignation sparks the 2011 Spanish protests. There is extensive restructuring and deep cuts in public spending. Unemployment reaches 5 millions. The premium on public borrowing reaches 5.25%. | |
| 2012 | Garzón trial begins. | ||