SPAIN’S GOVERNMENT is facing a rebellion from within its own ranks over austerity measures in the 2013 budget.
The
Bill, which the conservative administration presented last week, cuts
back sharply on spending in an attempt to meet deficit targets agreed
with Brussels.
However, the reduction in funds for Spain’s 17
regions has sparked a backlash. Senior figures in the central
government’s own Partido Popular (PP) party are among the most vocal
critics, such as José Ramón Bauzá, the premier of the Balearic Islands.
“This
is a budget that the people of the Balearic Islands in no way deserve
and it is absolutely unfair when it comes to the interests of the
islands, which are meeting their budgetary and deficit objectives,” he
said on Sunday.
The Balearic Islands were among the biggest losers
in the 2013 budget. Overall, state spending on the regions is down 16
per cent compared with 2012.
The PP regional premiers of Valencia
and Aragón have also spoken out. Valencia’s Alberto Fabra said he would
try to improve his region’s share of the budget by pressing for an
amendment.
With the PP holding a substantial majority in the
national Congress, the budget is expected to be approved, although it
can be amended beforehand.
These outbursts, along with similar
complaints from opposition politicians, came just ahead of the annual
meeting today in Madrid between Spain’s 17 regional leaders and the
prime minister, Mariano Rajoy. and the issue is certain to dominate the
agenda.
In Madrid, Mr Rajoy’s party has tried to dampen down the unrest.
“Of
course we all want more money but we need to have a sense of
responsibility and statesmanship,” María Dolores de Cospedal, the PP’s
deputy leader, said.
Spain’s regional finances have become
increasingly problematic in recent months, helping to keep the country
mired in the euro-zone debt crisis. Four regions – Catalonia, Valencia,
Murcia and Andalusia – have requested rescue loans from the state to
help them meet looming obligations, with others mulling the same course
of action.
The north-eastern region of Catalonia, which has
requested €5 billion from the state, is also likely to be the focus of
today’s meeting. The Catalan nationalist government claims an unfair tax
system means it loses out on €16 billion each year, despite being
Spain’s biggest economic hub.
A wave of civic nationalist feeling
recently has prompted the region’s government to announce its intention
to hold a referendum on independence from Spain.
