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Madrid boycott targets Spain regional funding vote

Responsible for this content: Frank Menze

Spain’s regional funding vote faces a boycott on Friday, 4 September, after Madrid says it will not attend the meeting in Madrid. Isabel Díaz Ayuso’s regional government is urging regions run by the Partido Popular (PP) to stay away as well. The Finance Ministry will put its proposed overhaul before the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council, the body that brings central and regional governments together on funding.

Archivo - (i-d) El ministro de Hacienda, Arcadi España, y el ministro de Política Territorial y Memoria Democrática, Ángel Víctor Torres, durante una reunión del Consejo de Política Fiscal y Financiera (CPFF) en el Ministerio de Hacienda, a 6 de julio de
Europa Press

Madrid says the plan was agreed bilaterally with ERC before it reached the other regions. Ayuso’s government argues that keeping the meeting from reaching a quorum is the only way to stop an agreement there. The Finance Ministry has called the appeal to boycott the session irresponsible.

Opposition remains, even among those attending

Several PP-led regions still plan to attend the council despite opposing the proposal. They had pressed for the meeting for months; it was moved from July to September at the PP’s request because of the wildfire situation.

Castilla-La Mancha and Asturias, both governed by socialists, also intend to vote against the plan. Castilla-La Mancha says a deal shaped with one party and one autonomous region does not protect equality. Asturias calls the model unfair and says it gives too little weight to ageing and terrain when calculating the adjusted population used for public-service costs.

PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has also rejected the proposal, saying it is designed for Pedro Sánchez’s political survival. He argues that the government has no state budget and cannot distribute money it does not have.

Catalonia and the Canaries could carry the plan

Catalonia and the Canary Islands are expected to support the new system. Salvador Illa’s Catalan government says the agreement with ERC is not aimed against any region and could benefit all of them.

The Canary Islands says its backing depends on two conditions: the plan must recognise the islands’ particular circumstances and deliver the funding promised. The central government holds 50% of the votes on the council, meaning support from one autonomous region would be enough to approve the proposal.

A favourable council vote would allow the Finance Ministry to send the draft to the Council of Ministers and then on to the Congress of Deputies.

Topics: Fires · Politics · Economy

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com