The strength of the Spanish News Agency EFE is indisputable. And so is the need for it. The 2025 Annual Report reviews figures and data, in the finest journalistic style, but above all it reflects facts, those that marked the year we are now reviewing.
In Spain, EFE’s news teams covered remarkable events such as the major blackout in April; the important judicial proceedings that shaped the political agenda, such as the Ábalos case or the involvement of the State Attorney General; and the judicial investigation into the floods that took place in the valencian area (west of Spain-october 2024), which left a trail of more than 230 fatalities. A difficult landscape to manage, which put 2025 under strain at its halfway point and hindered the work of the government headed by Pedro Sánchez.
On the international stage, Donald Trump’s second term in the United States turned everything upside down. His great belligerence, which sheltered the Israeli massacre in Gaza and a new war in Lebanon; his aggressive tariff policy; and his constant criticism of his NATO partners brought the world to levels of tension not seen in recent decades.
EFE reported tirelessly from every location, paying particular attention to developments in Ibero-American politics, where the clear and progressive shift to the right stood out, occurring, among other places, with the arrival of the ultraconservative José Antonio Kast as president of Chile.
The Agency also chronicled the death of Pope Francis and the arrival of the new pontiff, Leo XIV; the farewell to a film legend such as Robert Redford; and the road to the Oscars of Sirat, Oliver Laxe’s striking film.
Regarding economic issues, in 2025 we reported on Spain’s growth amid international setbacks, particularly in Europe; the major global debate over tourism and its impact on housing prices and economic growth, with a new record number of international visitors to Spain.
It was a rainy year in winter, leading to historically high water reserve levels, and a scorching one in summer, with temperatures that contributed to the spread of fires across an unprecedented number of hectares in our country: almost 400,000, with eight fatalities. But there were also rays of hope, such as the consolidation of the Iberian lynx population and the recovery of wolf populations.
But there was one issue into which EFE put both its reporting and its heart. Allow me to mention it with particular affection. In October, one year after the flood in Valencia, and some parts of the south and southeast of Spain, we held the Tornem tournament -“We Return” in Valencian-. There, the municipal football grounds in Massanassa, in collaboration with the Valencian Football Federation and with the support of the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, became a symbol of recovery after the devastating natural disaster. What had been destroyed by water and mud once again became a place of recreation, play and happiness for hundreds of children and families from across Valencia. Without a doubt, it was a great day, and everyone won.
Obviously, in the field of sport, we highlighted the extraordinary tennis breakthrough of Carlos Alcaraz, with new titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and the worldwide recognition of F.C. Barcelona footballer Aitana Bonmatí. A new Ballon d’Or — her third — made her the first woman to achieve such a feat.
In 2025, EFE teams and professionals received a number of awards. From here, I would once again like to congratulate and thank all our colleagues who went above and beyond and gave everything to leave their mark. Once again, they succeeded. But I would particularly highlight the work of two bureaus, Valencia (Spain) and Jerusalem, for which no limits existed or were imposed in their formidable coverage of the terrible events they witnessed. In Valencia, the difficult months of reconstruction following the disaster of 2024, and in Jerusalem, the coverage of the war in Gaza, which left more than 70,000 people dead, a “genocide” committed by the Israeli army, as it was described by the UN special mission to the area.
The King and Queen witnessed all this journalistic work, particularly its Latin American dimension, when they presided over the presentation of the awards at the 42nd edition of the King of Spain International Journalism Awards, held once again at Casa de América (Madrid). By now, there can be no doubt that King Felipe and Queen Letizia are admirers of the finest journalism, as they demonstrated through their presence alongside EFE, one of the organizers with the Spanish Agency for International Development and Cooperation (AECID)
In addition to the awards, EFE celebrated many other things in 2025. Among all the celebrations, I would highlight the 60th anniversary of EFEs office in Buenos Aires, which became the Agency’s first bureau abroad. Shortly afterwards, it expanded throughout the Americas and Europe, shaping what is today its renowned public service, which for decades has made it a leading journalistic force, with 1,400 professionals deployed throughout Spain and around the world. EFE is and always will be an information powerhouse, a tool for Spain’s international image and its internal cohesion, and a fabulous vehicle for the Spanish language, shared by 600 million people.
As regards our service, it was a year of change and hope. 2025 was the year in which vertical video production was launched and our strategy of opening up and diversifying formats was consolidated. The journalistic expression of our teams through new narratives deployed across channels and social media is both a necessity and a guarantee for the future. Like hunters on the prairies, our news, like arrows, must reach new audiences wherever they may be. And we are already there.
And we are there with a double guarantee. EFE is in itself a vast verification army. Quite simply because, in our organisation, it is unacceptable to offer a news story that has not been rigorously gathered, processed and disseminated. In addition, for years EFE Verifica, a pioneering current-affairs fact-checking and verification service, has made it possible to add a further element of trust to our service. In 2025, it took a step forward by launching a major journalistic project: “Fake News, Real Victims”, in collaboration with the Innovation areas and other news departments, such as International, National and Audiovisual.
Efeminista consolidated its role during 2025 as a feminist news platform specialising in human rights, equality and the fight against gender-based violence. Along these lines, the company’s management and the Intercentre Committee approved new measures to guarantee equality and non-discrimination for LGBTI employees.
Meanwhile, in the field of Artificial Intelligence, a Guide to Good Practices in the Use of AI was published alongside the rollout of an in-house assistant for all company employees, who have since had this new tool to carry out their daily work in a more efficient way. The development and implementation of projects to generate and exploit content were also accelerated. For example, through the metadata tagging and vectorisation of photographs and video, and the creation of a secure space for the internal exchange of these new technologies in order to facilitate knowledge of them and their proper use within the company.
Another major milestone of 2025 was the signing of an agreement between RTVE (Spanish Radio and Television Corporation) and Agencia EFE to develop joint news projects. Since then, the commitment of the country’s two major public news organisations has been to jointly promote new content, audiovisual formats and verification projects, with the aim of strengthening their brands and making better use of their resources, particularly at the international level.
All of this, and what is still to come, is the result of the tireless work of a great team, made up of men and women who are moving towards effective parity in almost every area. Agencia EFE has achieved gender parity in management positions, while in the news area, 47% are women compared with 53% men, and in the management area, 42% are women compared with 58% men.
Together, we face the news, corporate and financial challenges inherent in the world in which we live and the profession we practise. They are many and serious. On numerous occasions I have maintained, and I do so again, that Agencia EFE is not a market product, but rather a tool of the State. As a public service, EFE goes where others do not. And it does so to guarantee the right to truthful information, established in Article 20 of the Spanish Constitution; to disseminate and defend the image of Spain, its democracy and its institutions; to safeguard and promote the Spanish language; and to serve as a bulwark against disinformation and a democratic safeguard.
The very existence of our Agency can be understood as evidence of self-regulation and institutional responsibility, making EFE a vigilant mirror of our democracy, which needs to look at itself in order to improve.
That is why, as a public service, its public information work is compensated by the State that entrusts it with that task, through sufficient and foreseeable funding. It is only right to acknowledge and thank those who, within the Government of Spain, yesterday, today and in the future, guarantee the Agency’s financial viability. In a world where dystopias sometimes become reality, under the constant threat of lies and manipulation, serious agency journalism is more necessary than ever. We are deeply grateful to this country, Spain, for making it possible.
