The hoaxes of the solar eclipse 2026: it neither causes earthquakes nor is it dangerous for pregnant women

The issue you raise falls within the field of technical-industrial product regulations and conformity assessment (CE marking) for personal protective equipment, a highly specialized legal area with an essentially technical focus. I am specifically designed to provide information on policy and current regulatory and social affairs in Spain (parliamentary and governmental activity, political debates, social context of regulations, etc.), not to detail the technical approval requirements for specific products in the European Union. For this reason, I cannot provide you with a reliable and comprehensive guide on the legal procedures and requirements for the approval of eye protection devices in the EU.

Scope of what I can offer you

Although I cannot go into the technical details of regulations, harmonized standards, procedures before notified bodies, or specific tests for glasses, screens, or visors, I can help you with everything related to the political and regulatory context of these types of requirements, as long as they are framed in Spain or, complementarily, in the EU when it affects Spanish policy. For example:

• Political and regulatory process in Spain: how the Spanish Government transposes or applies European regulations and directives on occupational safety and personal protective equipment, which ministries are involved (usually Labor, Industry, Health), and how regulatory development is articulated.
• Related parliamentary activity: bills, parliamentary questions, or debates in the Congress and Senate on workplace safety, the use of personal protective equipment, or adaptation to European regulations.
• Political and social debate: controversies in the media and political parties about the sufficiency or strictness of occupational safety requirements, the cost for companies, or the implications for the PPE industry in Spain.
• Social and economic impact: how regulation on occupational health protection is discussed in terms of employment, industrial competitiveness, occupational risk prevention, or public policies on workplace safety and health.

If you are interested, I can also explain, from a political perspective, how the regulatory framework is decided at the European Union level, which then translates into technical obligations for PPE manufacturers: the role of the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission, political groups, and Member States (including Spain) in approving regulations and directives on product safety.

Specific limits of my response in your case

Your question includes several very technical elements beyond my scope:

• The detailed enumeration of specific regulations, directives, and harmonized standards applicable to eye protection devices.
• Conformity assessment procedures (testing modules, interventions by notified bodies, technical documentation, etc.).
• Requirements for design, manufacturing, laboratory testing, and protection levels for lenses, frames, impact resistance, UV protection, etc.
• Specific processing before competent authorities or notified bodies, deadlines, fees, or detailed certification schemes.

It is precisely this level of technical-legal detail, typical of guides for manufacturers, laboratories, or certification consultants, that I cannot guarantee with the necessary precision. For that information, the safest is to refer you to:

• The official sources of the European Union (EUR-Lex portal and European Commission pages on personal protective equipment).
• The Official State Gazette (BOE) and Spanish ministry websites (Industry, Labor, Health), where national implementing regulations are published.
• Technical documentation from notified bodies and standardization entities (such as CEN or, in Spain, UNE), as well as good practice guides from the National Institute of Safety and Health at Work.

Types of questions I can answer in detail

If you want to continue exploring this topic from a political and social perspective, I can help you, for example, with issues such as:

• How the political debate in Spain on workplace health protection has evolved after crises like COVID-19, which brought masks, screens, and other PPE to the forefront.
• What different political parties (PSOE, Sumar, PP, Vox, and nationalist groups) have advocated regarding occupational risk prevention and company requirements.
• Which recent regulatory reforms in Spain have been controversial or especially relevant in occupational safety and health, and how they have been processed in Parliament.

If you reformulate your question in that key—for example, requesting a political analysis of some regulation on personal protective equipment or parliamentary monitoring of its approval—I will be able to give you a much more complete and tailored answer to my specialization.

The National Geographic Institute (IGN) is a general directorate of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility responsible for leading the state policy on geographic information, basic cartography, and much of the territorial observation. Its legal functions are set out in Article 16 of Royal Decree 253/2024, summarized in several major areas: observation and digitization of the territory, cartographic production and the National Cartographic Plan, support for the National Cartographic System, management of cartographic and historical heritage, and international representation in geospatial policies, according to the resolution published in the BOE. Additionally, in practice, it acts as the official reference in seismology, observational astronomy, and territorial delimitation.

Institutional framework and general mission

The IGN is configured as a General Directorate attached to the Undersecretariat of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. Under its umbrella is integrated the autonomous body National Center for Geographic Information (CNIG), which produces and markets much of the geographic products and provides technical assistance, acting within a “common strategic framework” with the IGN, as stated in the aforementioned BOE resolution.

Within this framework, its mission is to ensure that the General State Administration has reference, homogeneous, and accessible geographic information for infrastructure planning, land management, security, the environment, and digital public services, as emphasized by the IGN's role in the preparation of the National Cartographic Plan 2025-2028 described by the newspaper Demócrata in this article.

Observation and digitization of the territory

Article 16 of Royal Decree 253/2024, cited in the resolution of July 3, 2025, assigns the IGN the direction and development of national plans for observation and digitization of the territory. This includes:

• Use of aerospace systems for photogrammetry and remote sensing.
• Production, updating, and exploitation of digital images, altimetric point clouds, and digital elevation models.
• Creation of BIM geospatial context and its use by public administrations.

These capabilities are the technical basis for projects such as the National Aerial Orthophotography Plan or the LiDAR Plan which, according to Demócrata, are integrated into the new National Cartographic Plan 2025-2028 to generate essential information for cadastral, environmental, military, or infrastructure sectors.

Cartographic production and National Cartographic Plan

Another central competence is the programming of the National Cartographic Plan and the production of topographic and cartographic bases at the state level. The IGN is responsible for:

• Creating and updating the National Topographic Map and other basic and derived cartography.
• Updating the National Atlas of Spain.
• Providing technical assistance in cartography to other bodies.
• Directing and managing cartographic laboratories and workshops.

According to Demócrata, the National Cartographic Plan 2025-2028, coordinated by the Higher Geographic Council and the IGN, has a budget of 195.26 million euros and 420 planned operations, and is conceived as a “fundamental pillar” of cartography and geospatial information for the General State Administration (link).

Support for the National Cartographic System and territorial delimitation

The IGN provides technical and operational support for the National Cartographic System, especially through:

• Management of the Central Cartography Registry.
• Formation and updating of the National Geographic Nomenclator based on official toponymy.
• Issuance of expert reports on municipal jurisdictional boundary lines, relevant in conflicts over municipal boundaries or administrative limit redefinitions.

In agreements such as the Protocol between Transport and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) to extend geospatial information to municipalities, Demócrata highlights that the IGN General Directorate and the CNIG provide local entities with tools to better understand their local space (link).

Management of geographic databases and historical heritage

The IGN is responsible for the production, updating, and exploitation of databases that record the topographic and thematic aspects of Reference Geographic Information. Among others, it must cover:

• Transport networks and infrastructures.
• Hydrographic elements.
• Geographic location and delimitation of population entities.
• Spatial description of land use and integration of BIM models into national databases.

Additionally, it manages historical and cartographic collections, bibliographic collections, and the instrument collection, “promoting their knowledge in society,” according to the aforementioned BOE resolution.

Scientific functions: seismology and astronomy

Although the technical detail does not appear in the cited Article 16, Demócrata's coverage shows that the IGN is the official body that records earthquakes in Spain and maintains seismicity and hazard maps, as well as real-time recording of earthquakes in Spanish territory and nearby areas (example). It is also highlighted that the National Astronomical Observatory and the Yebes Observatory, dependent on the IGN, lead the calculation of eclipses and solstices and act as official centers for monitoring the so-called “Iberian eclipse trio” of 2026-2028 (link).

International representation and European coordination

Finally, Article 16 of Royal Decree 253/2024 also assigns the IGN the participation in international and EU bodies and organizations related to geospatial information policies, representing Spain. This function is key to aligning national standards with European initiatives on spatial data, Earth observation services, and shared geo-information models.

The public observation of astronomical events in streets, squares, or parks in Spain is not regulated by a single specific law, but by a mosaic of regulations on the environment (especially light pollution), use of public space, safety, and, in some territories, protection of the night sky. At the state level, notable are the regulations on air quality and outdoor lighting and, for the Canary Islands, the protection of the astronomical quality of their observatories. Some communities (especially Catalonia and Andalusia) have developed their own laws for the protection of the “night environment” and environmental management that condition lighting and, in practice, favor astronomical observation. Additionally, municipal ordinances and regional laws on shows and recreational activities apply, which are not detailed in the consulted sources.

Basic state framework

At the state level, the general reference regarding the atmosphere is Law 34/2007, on air quality and atmospheric protection, partially related to others such as Legislative Royal Decree 1/2011 or Law 9/2025 on Sustainable Mobility, and which partially repealed classic norms such as Decree 2414/1961, Decree 833/1975, or some provisions of Law 38/1992. Although it does not directly regulate astronomical gatherings, it sets the general framework for protection against emissions, including light as a pollutant factor in subsequent developments.

More specific for outdoor lighting is Royal Decree 1890/2008, which approves the Energy Efficiency Regulation for outdoor lighting installations. Its preamble identifies “irrational use of energy and light pollution” as impacts to avoid and establishes technical requirements for lighting of streets, parks, or roads. This regulation conditions the intensity, orientation, and schedules of luminaires, which directly influences sky visibility and, therefore, the quality of public observations.

For the Canary Islands, there is a very specific block of astronomical protection: Law 31/1988 (not directly listed, but developed and modified by Royal Decree 580/2017 which amends the Regulation approved by RD 243/1992). This regulation sets limits on outdoor lighting, potentially polluting activities, and other factors that degrade the “astronomical quality” around the observatories of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, where technologies such as laser guide stars are also regulated, in connection with agreements like the guide star agreement of the Gran Telescopio Canarias published in the Canary Islands Official Gazette. Although it focuses on specific areas of Tenerife and La Palma, it illustrates the level of protection that can be required.

Regarding the use of public space and safety, transversal regulations not specifically designed for astronomy influence, such as those related to accessibility of urbanized spaces (Order TMA/851/2021), safety of activities (for example, the regulation of pyrotechnic articles in RD 563/2010), or the organization of leisure activities in natural environments (RD 402/2020, title of Natural Environment Guide Technician). Sky protection is also linked to the planning of natural spaces, as seen in the Management Plan of Picos de Europa or that of the Peñalara Natural Park in Madrid ([link]), where nighttime activities are regulated.

Illustrative regional regulations

Some communities have gone further in protecting the night sky:

• Catalonia: Law 6/2001, on Environmental Regulation of Lighting (consolidated text also accessible on the Legal Portal) regulates outdoor and indoor lighting “regarding the light pollution they may produce” and aims, among other things, to “prevent and correct the effects of light pollution on sky visibility.” It is deployed by Decree 190/2015, which specifies zones, intensities, and schedules, and has been subject to various amendments included in fiscal regulations such as Law 2/2021 and others like the 2024 tax regulation, Law 26/2009, Law 16/2008, Law 31/2002, Decree-law 48/2020, Catalonia Tax Code, or Law 5/2017. All this configures a fairly advanced regime for the protection of the “night environment.”
• Andalusia: Law 7/2007 on Integrated Environmental Quality Management (also in the BOJA) and Law 8/2003 on Wild Flora and Fauna provide the framework to limit impacts on natural spaces, within an environmental policy updated, for example, by Decree-law 26/2021. Although the sources do not detail specific articles on dark skies, this framework allows the Junta and municipalities to impose restrictions on lighting or nighttime activities in protected environments.
• Canary Islands: in addition to state regulations on the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC statutes) and international agreements such as the dark and quiet skies agreement ([link]), management plans for protected spaces – for example, in resolutions on landscapes and natural parks published in the BOC, BOC, BOC, or BOC) may include specific limitations on lighting and nighttime activities, also conditioning public observations.

Other elements and absence of a single regulation

Other texts that tangentially affect the matter include, among many, the National Aerospace Security Strategy, various AESA resolutions on drone lighting (2025, 2024, 2023), municipal lighting renewal programs (Order TED/388/2023), or aeronautical regulations such as RD 601/2016, RD 1070/2015 (and its correction), RD 1070/2015, Order FOM/2086/2011, RD 862/2009, RD 1475/2000, or civil protection and heritage documents in Madrid (Civil Protection Territorial Plan, BIC 2026, BIP 2016, lighting training). Also relevant are various agreements and statutes in astronomy, such as the CTAO ([link]), IAC agreements with other institutes (Leibniz Institute, ASTRI) or astrophysics studies (UNIR Master).

In summary, the organization of public astronomical observations in Spain is embedded in a very dispersed regulatory framework: rules on outdoor lighting, environmental and night sky protection (especially in Catalonia and the Canary Islands), safety, accessibility, and, at the local level, municipal ordinances and regional laws on public shows and recreational activities that the sources do not detail but usually require authorizations when activities are large-scale or affect traffic and neighborhood rest. No further information is available in the consulted sources about a single state law specifically regulating “astronomical events in public spaces.”