One of the great obstacles for the coalition Executive lies in the fact that a good part of the commitments announced by Pedro Sánchez in the November investiture debate are of regional competence in a territorial map dominated by the right.
And the first steps of the Government's action are already beginning to encounter the harmonized resistance of the PP.
A coordinated offensive that the Popular Party expressed in the conclusions of its 26th interparliamentary meeting.
“From our autonomous governments we will strengthen collaboration and coordination between regions to improve the quality of public services and the defense of citizens' interests,” indicates the text prepared after the PP conclave held in Ourense last weekend.
Regarding the resources to pay for these services, some PP leaders have in recent days toughened their demands regarding regional financing, taking advantage of their attendance at Fitur.
At the tourism fair, the popular presidents of the three communities that are considered underfinanced found a powerful ally in the president of Castilla-La Mancha, the socialist Emiliano García-Page.
The common complaints led to the political image of the day: the regional presidents of the PP of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno;
from the Region of Murcia, Fernando López Miras;
and from the Valencian Community, Carlos Mazón, staged their union with Page on Wednesday to denounce the “underfinancing” suffered by their territories.
One day after the high-profile meeting at the tourism fair, López Miras announced in the same forum that an
ad hoc
summit will soon be held with Mazón and Moreno to address in depth the issue and the demands to be made to the Government.
The predisposition of the popular people is for Page to participate.
“Of course we will invite him,” said the Murcian president.
But sources close to the socialist leader assure that he will not attend.
Emiliano García-Page, Fernando López Miras, Carlos Mazón and Jun Manuel Moreno, during the meeting at Fitur, on Wednesday.. (EFE)
The four presidents agree on the diagnosis and on the need to reform the regional financing model, which has expired for a decade.
But, in their case, the criticisms have their own characteristics: their communities have below-average adjusted financing per inhabitant.
For this reason, while the general change in the system is being resolved, they demand that the Government pay the debt with its four territories “immediately.”
Although he also shares this position, Page withdraws from the conclave prepared by his popular counterparts.
The leadership of the PSOE came out in force against the president of Castilla-La Mancha after the socialist leader declared on the same day in Fitur, and before the media, that his party is located in “the outskirts of the Constitution” due to the amnesty processing.
PP funnel
Aside from financing, the funnel that the PP exerts from the territories against the central government narrows as the legislature progresses, and becomes tougher.
This week, the popular have landed a joint action that goes beyond the mere verbal confrontation of the 11 regional presidents with Pedro Sánchez: the proposal to apply a single EBAU (formerly known as selectivity) where they govern.
The formation led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo thus goes from words to actions driven by the Education powers of the communities, the majority in the hands of the conservatives.
But it will not be the only initiative nor the last.
In Genoa they are thinking about how to intensify the offensive from the dozen fronts spread throughout the geography, taking into account the room for maneuver that the delegation of autonomous powers allows.
“We have the vocation for coordinated policies with our governments,” say sources from Feijóo's cabinet.
In recent weeks, the PP has held several sectoral meetings at the Génova party headquarters in Madrid, attended by branch councilors from the 11 popular communities.
As an example, Feijóo met on Tuesday with the territorial officials of Education one day before announcing the proposal for the single EBAU.
Furthermore, during the 26th interparliamentary concentration - in which the main lines to be followed by the public officials of the formation were drawn - a special effort was made visible by the popular people to respond with all the battering rams available to their communities to the activity. legislative action of the Council of Ministers.
Private interests
The problem within the PP is that not all autonomous communities share common interests or opinions on regional financing.
The presidents of La Rioja, Gonzalo Capellán, and that of Extremadura, María Guardiola, were excluded from Wednesday's photo, although they were present at the time the photo was taken.
They do agree with respect to other matters, such as the tax reductions that they have been applying in their respective territories after 28-M.
In contrast, and at the same time, the central government designs a policy of progressive fiscal pressure for the entire country.
They also propose a common position regarding the Housing Law - which requires the transposition of the communities - since they are opposed to restricting the increase in prices by landlords.
Some of the territories with the most stressed prices are precisely Madrid or the Valencian Community, governed by the PP.
Regarding the rental reference price index that will allow caps on rents, it will be ready in February.
The minister of the sector, Isabel Rodríguez, asked on Thursday during her appearance in Congress “for a great country alliance to solve a problem that affects the majority of Spaniards.”
An agreement that is complicated
a priori
with the popular administrations.
Both in these matters and in other matters, the PP thus counteracts the decisions of La Moncloa from the territories with its “own executive autonomy,” sources from Genoa warn.
Feijóo's team assures, however, that the particularities of each community will be addressed: there will be strategies that are not shared by the 11 presidents, but only by those affected by specific issues, along with the rest of the policies that are transversal to all of them.
Meanwhile, in their territorial offensive, the PP mayors will read this Saturday from their municipalities manifestos in defense of “equality” in simultaneous rallies.
And several regional presidents will support Feijóo this Sunday, in Madrid, in a new demonstration called by the party against Sánchez's concessions to the pro-independence forces.
The event comes with the mobilization of the bases activated from different parts of Spain to show muscle in the capital.
Feijóo endorsement
Feijóo endorsed the actions of his barons on Thursday.
“The Government refuses to listen to the regional presidents, refuses to convene the Conference of Presidents and refuses to convene the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council.
Unfortunately, the presidents will have to speak where they can because the Government refuses to speak with them,” said the leader of the PP, at an informative breakfast with another of his regional presidents, that of La Rioja, Gonzalo Capellán.
Despite Feijóo's words, the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council was convened in December.
But the agenda did not contemplate the reform of regional financing or the removal of debt with the Regional Liquidity Fund (FLA), but rather reporting on the deficit objectives and the spending ceiling.
Minister María Jesús Montero explained that the Treasury will distribute more resources than ever between the communities.
All PP councilors voted against.
However, the Conference of Presidents has not been convened, despite the express request by letter from leaders like Moreno.
On January 16, the Junta de Andalucía reported the latest letter, in which it asked Sánchez to address in said body "what interests the autonomous communities and recover common sense so that the Government of Spain is the one who governs in Spain and not a fugitive from justice”, in reference to Carles Puigdemont.
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