El Pais, 1 February 2010

"Along with the Dutch, the Spanish will be the first Europeans to retire at age 67," reports El País. Along with plans to cut public spending by 50 billion euros, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's government has also announced that it will resolve the issue of Spain's aging population – the country currently has "8.6 million pensioners, but this figure will increase to 15.6 million by 2040" — with a scheme that "is guaranteed to annoy both the unions and the opposition." Starting in 2013, the retirement age will be advanced by two months every year until 2025. "The government has been forced to present a credible medium-term strategy for sorting out its finances," remarks the daily in its editorial — which also warns about criticism of Spain's fiscal deficit expressed at the World Economic Forum in Davos.