Where have all the Pesetas Gone?

SPAIN must urgently change its rules on how much British pensioners need to earn to live there or its economy will suffer badly, a leading ex-pat said to The Express. Speaking from the Expat Centre in Costa Blanca South, Moira Carmenate said she was “surprised” that Spain hadn’t dropped its requirement for pensioners to prove an annual earning of more than £21,000 (€24,697). Spain is a second home to many criminal groups, in particular the Italian mafia. The recent arrests of two mafia bosses highlight this trend. At the beginning of August, Domenico Paviglianiti, a high-ranking member of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia group, was arrested in Madrid, where he had been hiding after being wrongly released from prison in Italy. Forgotten, lost or collected: Spaniards hang on to peseta coins and banknotes worth €1.6 billion The deadline to exchange the former currency for euros has now passed, but unlike in countries such as France or Portugal, a surprisingly large amount has not been returned.