A new Spanish-language Playbook is coming this fall. POLITICO has hired Angel Villarino and Enrique Andres-Pretel to lead its Madrid newsroom. The move signals a deeper focus on Spain’s political and policy landscape.
POLITICO is making a strategic move into the Spanish media market by appointing its first editorial leaders in Spain ahead of the launch of its Madrid Playbook. This expansion is designed to give political, policy, and business professionals in Spain access to POLITICO’s signature blend of original reporting, political intelligence, and transatlantic perspective-all delivered in Spanish for the first time.
Angel Villarino has been named senior editor and will oversee the editorial operation in Spain, shaping the voice of POLITICO in the local market and building the founding newsroom. Villarino, who previously served as deputy editor-in-chief at El Confidencial and has worked as a foreign correspondent in several global capitals, brings extensive experience in translating domestic politics for international audiences.
Enrique (Kike) Andres-Pretel joins as deputy editor, supporting the Madrid Playbook and broader Spanish-language coverage. He will contribute to reporting and writing for the newsletter, with a focus on policy areas central to POLITICO’s readership. Andres-Pretel, also from El Confidencial, has a background in defense and foreign affairs and has reported from Central and Latin America for Reuters.
The Madrid Playbook aims to provide essential daily briefings for Spain’s political and business leaders, offering insights into who is shaping decisions, how power is shifting, and what comes next. The launch follows POLITICO’s European Pulse Forum in Barcelona and builds on its growing coverage of Spanish politics and policy. Spain’s status as the fourth-largest economy in the European Union and its influence across sectors like energy, defense, finance, and technology make it a key market for POLITICO’s European growth strategy.
Kate Day, POLITICO’s senior executive editor for Europe, said the new team brings the local expertise and editorial judgment needed to make Madrid Playbook essential reading for Spanish decision-makers. Both Villarino and Andres-Pretel expressed enthusiasm about connecting Spain’s political conversation to the wider European and international agenda.
POLITICO Playbook is already established as a must-read briefing for political power players in other capitals, combining insider reporting, sharp analysis, and a distinctive voice tailored to each market. The Madrid edition will follow this model, adapted to Spain’s political culture and audience needs.
This editorial expansion reflects a broader trend among publishers to localize content and deepen engagement in key markets. For example, Forbes has recently experimented with creator-led video strategies to boost social reach and audience growth, as detailed in this report on Forbes’ off-platform initiatives.
POLITICO is a global news organization focused on politics and policy, with more than 1,000 journalists and publishing professionals across major cities including Washington, Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Sacramento, and New York. The company’s subscription service, POLITICO Pro, delivers in-depth coverage for policymakers and executives. POLITICO is a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, a transatlantic media company headquartered in Berlin and New York.
