The Basque Government’s budget project for 2025 will continue its processing in Parliament after passing the processing of the entire amendments presented by the PP, Sumar and Vox, which have been rejected after receiving 39 votes against (PNV and PSE-EE) , 27 abstentions (EH Bildu) and only having the nine votes in favor from the proposing groups.
The entire amendments have been rejected by the Plenary Session of the Basque Chamber, which this coming Thursday, in this case within the framework of the Finance Commission, will debate the partial amendments as a prior step to the plenary session on the 20th in which the debate and final vote on the budget project.
Although the Basque Government (PNV-PSE) keeps the budget negotiation open with EH Bildu, the approval of the accounts in the plenary session on December 20 is guaranteed regardless of the result of these conversations, given that ‘jeltzales’ and socialists have an absolute majority in Parliament.
During the debate, the president of the PP and parliamentarian Javier de Andrés criticized that the “growth in debt” contemplated in the budget is intended to pay for the “substantial” increase in current spending. Furthermore, he has warned that the tax revenue forecast on which the project is based “is more than doubtful.”
On the other hand, he regretted the “lack of investment” that, as he said, characterizes the project in which he also noted an “insufficient” economic contribution to health, security and family support policies. On the contrary, he has criticized the “exponential growth” in the number of senior officials, as well as the lack of a “satisfactory” response to the demand for housing.
“The approval of the budgets is a recognition of trust, and we do not have it with you because, after your successive governments, education is getting worse, insecurity is growing, housing is more expensive, emancipation is more difficult, health worsens and major works are not carried out,” he said.
“An immovable project”
For his part, the parliamentarian of the Mixed-Sumar Group, Jon Hernández, has denounced that the Government has not allowed “any room for negotiation” in the face of an “immovable” project, for which he has stated that the only “coherent” alternative that has been left to his group is to ask for the return of some accounts with whose “road map” he disagrees.
“This budget does not promote the necessary social cohesion, it does not reinforce climate resilience, nor does it support an economic model that benefits all citizens,” he added.
In turn, the parliamentarian of the Mixed-Vox Group, Amaia Martínez, has defended her amendment stating that this budget aims to install “the runway” to “complete the constitutional fracture.” In this sense, he has assured that the project responds to the objective of preparing a new “political status” framed in “a territorial model that does not fit into our Magna Carta and that seeks to usurp the sovereignty that corresponds to the entire Spanish people.”
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