It was not possible to bring positions closer between Catalonia and Galicia on the proposal to reform the financing system in the colloquium held this Tuesday at the Cercle d’Economia. In a forceful tone, President Salvador Illa defended that the model agreed between the Government and ERC reduces inequalities between communities and warned that Catalonia “is not going to ask for permission to make proposals or to lead Spain.” His counterpart in Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, denounced that the bilaterality contemplated in the new model is negative for all communities because it encourages “divide and conquer.” And he asserted that “I am not going to ask for permission either.”
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The third party in discord in the colloquium, the Basque Lehendakari Imanol Pradales, defended that the concerted model is supportive of the rest of the State and criticized one of the measures incorporated in the financing agreement by warning that the Basque quota must be paid to the State even if it unilaterally decides measures such as debt forgiveness to the communities under the common regime.
After the initial cordiality of the debate, President Illa reproached Rueda for criticizing the final design of the financing model that has come from Catalonia but not making any alternative proposal to it. “The best way to start a dialogue is with a proposal, I would like an alternative proposal, I have not seen any concrete one,” lamented Illa.
The president of the Xunta, for his part, defended that they have a proposal but what is now being asked of them is to discuss small adjustments to an already closed model. And he regretted that on Monday it was the Secretary of State who called Galicia to a meeting and not the Minister of Finance, Arcadi España. “I ask you to respect the Secretary of State,” Illa retorted.
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For Rueda, the proposed financing model is misleading because everyone wins since there are 16 billion more but “the problem is the distribution of that improvement.” According to Rueda, while Galicia has 6% of the population, the percentage that corresponds to Galicia is 2.8%. “Things have to be done well if you want them to turn out well,” he concluded.
The president of the Xunta also questioned the timing to carry out the reform since the central Government has not been able to pass a budget so far this legislature. Illa, on the other hand, made a strong defense of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.
What the three did agree on is that the decentralization model of the autonomous communities has been positive over these years. Pradales warned, however, of risks of regression if parties like Vox succeed.
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