The Government will present this Friday in the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council (CPFF) its proposal for the reform of regional financing, which faces rejection from several autonomous communities, except for Catalonia and the Canary Islands.
The Ministry of Finance, led by Arcadi España, has summoned the common regime autonomous communities to vote on its plan. However, the communities governed by the PP and the socialist regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Asturias have expressed their opposition, as they believe the plan has been previously negotiated bilaterally with ERC, which has generated rejection from many of them.
Before the CPFF meeting, the Community of Madrid announced that it would not attend, justifying its absence due to the bilateral nature of the proposal. Ayuso’s Government has communicated its stance to the national PP and other party communities, suggesting that the lack of quorum could prevent the agreement from moving forward. Despite this situation, several PP communities have confirmed their attendance at the council, which had been postponed since July due to the fire crisis.
The Ministry of Finance lamented the Community of Madrid’s decision not to participate, calling its call for a boycott irresponsible. Regarding the two socialist communities, Emiliano García-Page’s Government has reiterated its rejection of the model, arguing that it undermines the principle of equality and has only been agreed upon with one party.
Asturias has also expressed its opposition, considering it an unjust model and not in accordance with the previous agreements adopted by the General Board in 2020 and the Santiago Declaration in 2021. They also criticize that the proposal does not adequately consider factors such as aging and topography when calculating the adjusted population.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the PP, has stated his opposition to the proposal, calling it an attempt to ensure the political survival of Pedro Sánchez. According to him, the Government does not have the necessary resources to implement the new system and claims it has been designed by an independent party from Catalonia.
In contrast, both Catalonia and the Canary Islands seem inclined to support the new model, which will allow the Government to take it to the Council of Ministers. The Catalan Government has defended that this model is not harmful and can benefit all communities, while the Canary Islands have conditioned their support on certain specific conditions.
The CPFF meeting will represent a preliminary step towards the possible approval of the plan by the Council of Ministers and subsequent submission to the Congress of Deputies. The Government is expected to obtain approval in this council, given that it holds 50% of the votes and only needs the backing of one autonomous community to move forward.
Source: www.infobae.com
