The opposition accuses the Govern in block of «betraying» its word and assuming the agenda of Vox
Costa, on the left: «They have come here to predict the apocalypse and to cry»
The plenary session of the Parliament rejected this Tuesday, with the votes of the PP and Vox, the full amendments that the left-wing groups presented to the regional budgets for 2025.
The vote resulted in 24 in favor and 33 against, and the overall amounts of the budgets were fixed with the favorable votes of the PP and Vox.
During the debate, the Vice President of the Govern and Minister of Economy, Finance, and Innovation, Antoni Costa, defended that the budget project will go ahead after the agreement with Vox «without crossing the red lines».
According to Costa, the budgets «consolidate the chosen course» by the citizens in the last elections, which includes fiscal reform, administrative simplification, a «clear» commitment to innovation, a significant investment in the water cycle, and making the Balearic Islands an investment attraction pole.
He also mentioned that they are committed to solving the housing problem, with the largest allocation to the Balearic Housing Institute (Ibavi), and also increasing social spending, in health and social services, among other areas.
Regarding fiscal reform, he emphasized that it translates into a savings of 530 million euros for citizens, without affecting a decrease in social spending, on the contrary, he added, emphasizing that «the secret» is the economic dynamism of the Balearic Islands.
He also highlighted that the largest increase in spending is allocated to personnel due to the cuts to workers of the Autonomous Community of the Govern of Francina Armengol and also the legislative agreement reached to increase the insularity bonus.
The opposition, on the other hand, has criticized in block that the Govern has based the approval of the regional budgets on meeting the demands of Vox, presenting budgets «identical» to the previous ones – which were not approved in the end – and the «betrayal of word» by the Govern.
In particular, the socialist Iago Negueruela reproached the minister for making the «same speech» as in the last budget presentation «as if nothing had happened» in six months.
He also demanded an explanation of what will happen from the agreement with Vox to the budgets, pointing out that he has not referred to the agreement, which his party considers «shameful». «Costa does not want to explain it, we do not know how the budget will end,» he criticized.
Furthermore, he lamented that the Govern «betrayed» its word and the agreement reached with the left in December to reverse the mistake of the PP that led to the approval of amendments from Vox that were not expected to pass.
On this issue, he assured that the amendments that were later annulled are included in other regulations, such as the law on macro-farms being discussed this Tuesday. «Some amendments are worse than those that had already been approved,» he said, considering that the Govern is «kneeling» before Vox.
In this sense, for Negueruela, it is a «legislative farce» to alter each law that is, in his opinion, what the Govern will do as a result of the agreement with Vox, incorporating amendments from Santiago Abascal’s party. «Is it worth so much indignity?» he said.
The member of MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, criticized the PP and the Govern for breaking the agreement with the opposition groups, not only by accepting amendments that they had agreed to eliminate at that time, but also because they were told they would be called to negotiate the budgets and that did not happen.
The ecosovereignists, he emphasized, describe the agreement as «shameful» due to its content because, among other issues, it «ceases to consider people as subjects of rights inherent to their human condition» and establishes that they «depend on administrative situations».
He also criticized the cooperation, Apesteguia continued, who censured that cooperation aids are aimed at stopping immigration, as well as the Catalan language. «Considering Catalan as a problem and not responding to the constant attacks on teachers, this is the music behind the agreement,» he pointed out.
«You have not done the work of making a new budget, I will not do the work of making a new speech,» he said to the minister, while also criticizing the Government for assuming «the obsessions of Vox».
The member of Més per Menorca, Joana Gomila, also reproached that the budgets are «exactly the same» as the previous ones. «They have not even bothered to update them considering that six months have already passed,» she said.
According to Gomila, the Govern does not make a firm commitment to social housing or guarantee affordable housing. However, she criticized, «they do lower taxes for the rich.» «It is not possible to lower taxes and, in truth, increase services for the citizens of the Islands,» she asserted.
Gomila insisted that they «betray the word given» to social entities, the opposition, the educational community, and to respect Catalan-speaking rights. «They have accepted the political and ideological agenda of Vox,» she denounced.
In the same vein, the member of Unidas Podemos, Cristina Gómez, who said she is in the «Groundhog Day» in the budget debate. She also criticized the lack of housing policies to ensure affordable prices, considering that «the entire policy of the Govern is aimed at making housing unaffordable,» and a «clear» commitment to the primary sector.
On the other hand, Costa joked that the left seems to find the budgets «fantastic» because they have spoken in their interventions «about everything that is not included in the budgets» and he emphasized that he has come to defend the project.
«They have come here to do two things: to predict the absolute apocalypse as a result of having agreed between the first and the third political force and to cry like I have never seen before,» Costa pointed out in his third intervention.
Regarding the betrayal of the word that the left reproaches, the vice president asked them to «please stop making a fool of yourselves,» recalling that in the previous legislature, the PP had reached an agreement on the education law and it was annulled a day before.
VOX CELEBRATES THE «FIRM» PACT
Those of Santiago Abascal have celebrated the «firm» budget agreement reached with the PP. «We clearly say to the citizens that the left has not presented a budget alternative but a desperate political reaction to regain power lost at the polls,» said the deputy Manuela Cañadas.
In this line, she defended that the budgets do not cut rights but cut privileges, superfluous expenses, and duplicities. She added that the full amendments of the left are «cynical.»
Vox deputy Sergio Rodríguez replied to the left that the pact «is a local and 0-kilometer product.» «It has not been done in Waterloo or in a sauna,» he reproached.
DEMOCRATIC AGREEMENT
PP deputy Sebastià Sagreras agreed with Costa in criticizing the left for not talking about the budgets. «They have had the courage to accompany the democratic word with inhuman, treacherous, and undignified, as this is how they call a democratic agreement,» he stated.
The ‘popular’ defended the accounts and questioned their opposition to record investment in public services, social services, housing, or education. «They are jealous and cannot allow Prohens to reverse ‘Armengol’s’ policies,» he added.
FUENTE