Spanish Government Criticizes PP for Electoral Strategy Regarding Catalonia
Vice President María Jesús Montero condemns the PP's use of Catalonia to gain electoral advantage, arguing it obstructs financial benefits for regions.
The Spanish government alleges that the People's Party (PP) is leveraging perceived grievances related to Catalonia purely for electoral gain.
Vice President María Jesús Montero made these comments during a forum in Seville, asserting that the PP, under the leadership of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has no electoral prospects in Catalonia and thus exploits the region to garner votes elsewhere.
Montero described this tactic as 'politically petty,' emphasizing that it hinders potential financial benefits for autonomous communities in Spain.
Montero, who also leads the Socialist Party (PSOE) in Andalusia, criticized regional PP leaders, including Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, for propagating a narrative of grievance that she contends does not reflect the actual situation or data.
A significant point of contention has been the debt relief agreed upon by the government with the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), which involves a total cancellation of €17.1 billion in debt.
Montero argued that extending this relief to all autonomous communities could mitigate Andalucía's debt by €18.8 billion, saving the region approximately €1.4 billion in interest payments.
The vice president asserted that this financial relief would restore the financial autonomy that Andalucía lost due to earlier cuts implemented during Mariano Rajoy's administration, highlighting the connection between financial autonomy and political autonomy.
Montero emphasized that the debt relief should not substitute for the overdue update of Spain's autonomous financing model.
She noted the PP's refusal to engage in negotiations on the financing model reform proposed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the Moncloa.
Montero accused the PP of using debt relief as a diversionary tactic, asserting that it is incapable of uniting the territories it governs under a coherent strategy for financial matters.
She pointed out the differing positions within the PP itself, contrasting the views of Isabel Díaz Ayuso from Madrid with those of Moreno Bonilla and Alfonso Rueda from Andalusia and Galicia, respectively.
The refusal of the PP to address the financing debate, Montero warned, would continue to obstruct any progress on financial agreements vital for regional administrations.
While she acknowledged the possibility of finding common ground with the PP on financial reforms, she reiterated that such agreements need to be legislatively codified and voted on in Parliament.
In an additional statement, Montero clarified that the government’s extension of the State General Budget does not diminish resources available to communities, highlighting that fund disbursements had already been decoupled from the budgetary frameworks.
She pointed out the PP's opposition to a recent decree aimed at updating these fund allocations, which was meant to provide greater financial resources to both communities and local governments.
Furthermore, Montero announced forthcoming measures aimed at providing economic relief to municipalities facing financial difficulties.
The economic affairs committee is set to approve an extension of the loan amortization period from 10 years to 20 years for municipalities with a property tax rate exceeding 0.8%.
This initiative is intended to acknowledge the added efforts required from local governments to stabilize their public finances.
Vice President María Jesús Montero made these comments during a forum in Seville, asserting that the PP, under the leadership of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has no electoral prospects in Catalonia and thus exploits the region to garner votes elsewhere.
Montero described this tactic as 'politically petty,' emphasizing that it hinders potential financial benefits for autonomous communities in Spain.
Montero, who also leads the Socialist Party (PSOE) in Andalusia, criticized regional PP leaders, including Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, for propagating a narrative of grievance that she contends does not reflect the actual situation or data.
A significant point of contention has been the debt relief agreed upon by the government with the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), which involves a total cancellation of €17.1 billion in debt.
Montero argued that extending this relief to all autonomous communities could mitigate Andalucía's debt by €18.8 billion, saving the region approximately €1.4 billion in interest payments.
The vice president asserted that this financial relief would restore the financial autonomy that Andalucía lost due to earlier cuts implemented during Mariano Rajoy's administration, highlighting the connection between financial autonomy and political autonomy.
Montero emphasized that the debt relief should not substitute for the overdue update of Spain's autonomous financing model.
She noted the PP's refusal to engage in negotiations on the financing model reform proposed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the Moncloa.
Montero accused the PP of using debt relief as a diversionary tactic, asserting that it is incapable of uniting the territories it governs under a coherent strategy for financial matters.
She pointed out the differing positions within the PP itself, contrasting the views of Isabel Díaz Ayuso from Madrid with those of Moreno Bonilla and Alfonso Rueda from Andalusia and Galicia, respectively.
The refusal of the PP to address the financing debate, Montero warned, would continue to obstruct any progress on financial agreements vital for regional administrations.
While she acknowledged the possibility of finding common ground with the PP on financial reforms, she reiterated that such agreements need to be legislatively codified and voted on in Parliament.
In an additional statement, Montero clarified that the government’s extension of the State General Budget does not diminish resources available to communities, highlighting that fund disbursements had already been decoupled from the budgetary frameworks.
She pointed out the PP's opposition to a recent decree aimed at updating these fund allocations, which was meant to provide greater financial resources to both communities and local governments.
Furthermore, Montero announced forthcoming measures aimed at providing economic relief to municipalities facing financial difficulties.
The economic affairs committee is set to approve an extension of the loan amortization period from 10 years to 20 years for municipalities with a property tax rate exceeding 0.8%.
This initiative is intended to acknowledge the added efforts required from local governments to stabilize their public finances.
Translation:
Translated by AI
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