The regional presidents have shown their differences on the new distribution of the 16,000 million euros of the non-reimbursable fund, with avast majority againstof the new parameters set by the Government.
At the meeting, another of the issues that has been most emphasized has been theauthorize the ability to expand mobility between communitiesneighbors or borders before the end of the alarm state.
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But where there have been more discrepancies has been in this new distribution of aid; and in this sense the Madrid president,Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has asked for a dialogue table for the new distribution of the fund of 16,000 million, considering thatthe region, which will advance to phase 2 tomorrow, has been “the most punished”by COVID.
The President ofCastilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, has shown its disagreement with the new criteria for the distribution of the non-reimbursable fund, since, in its opinion, the level of direct affectation and the expenses that each autonomy had to face should prevail, and not the volume of the population of each community.
Alfonso Fernández Mañueco,President of Castilla y León, has also rebuked the Government of Spain that has left the autonomies “in the lurch” with the new distribution criteria; And he has detailed that he does not understand the reason for reducing to 9,000 million the 11,000 initially programmed, which, for his community, will mean receiving 125 million less than the 670 initially calculated.
Also the head of the Murcian Executive,Fernando López Miras, has recognized that the less than 200 million euros that the region of the 16,000 will receive represent “crumbs that delve into a new abuse”, and has announced that it will not ask to raise the state of alarm until completing the two weeks envisaged in phase 3.
SinceValenciainstead, its president,Ximo Puig, has affirmed that the “change of criteria” to distribute the COVID-19 fund to the autonomous communities by which the population variable is given more weight, is “relevant” and is aimed at “greater justice”.
The presidents ofCeuta and melillaThey have thanked the Government for the participation of both Autonomous Cities in the additional fund for which each of them will receive 25 million euros.
Also the president ofAsturias, Adrián Barbón,has celebrated that the equivalent protected population has been computed in the distribution of the fund, which takes into account the weight of aging. Also that not only positive PCRs are taken into account, but all those carried out, a “very important” issue because Asturias has made an effort in this regard.
Miguel Ángel Revilla, President of Cantabria, considers that the distribution “is not fair” because it does not take into account the cost of services, and estimates that Cantabria will receive 120 million of the 11,000 that will be distributed, 58 less than, in his opinion, would correspond to them.
His Galician counterpart,Alberto Núñez Feijóo,He has once again asked the Government for “certainties” to be able to pilot the path towards the new normality and thus allow the free transit of all of Galicia. He has also assessed the need to lower VAT to the tourism sector for the remainder of 2020 and all of 2021.
These last three autonomous governments (Asturian, Galician and Cantabrian) have also indicated that they will start talks to allow the mobility of their citizens in the three regions from June 15.
TooThe Lehendakari Iñigo UrkulluHe hopes to be able to agree with the presidents of the communities bordering the Basque Country on mobility between them by Monday, June 15, and has also opted for cross-border opening to relaunch economic activity. It has also requested a strategy to support the industry and exemption from VAT on face masks dispensed in pharmacies.
The government ofThe RiojaIt has also been in favor of opening the borders between neighboring territories and also adapting with them some measures of phase 3 of the de-escalation.
PresidentAndalusian, Juanma Moreno, announced this Sunday the implementation of a surveillance and prevention plan against a possible outbreak of the coronavirus, which will allow “protect the population” and will be the “road map” of the health strategy in the coming months.
The Chief Executive ofAragon, Javier Lambán,has insisted on the need to foresee contingency plans in order to control possible outbreaks, and to be able to carry out other measures that bring the region closer to that new normality such as the return to classrooms in September, or free mobility between the three provinces and in other neighboring communities.
The President of Extremadura,Guillermo Fernández Vara, has placed special emphasis on trying to strengthen the educational system, hence, although “adjustments” are made to the teaching staff next year, Extremadura will have “over 1,300 teachers”, and has assured that if it is necessary to hire more teachers due to the conditions derived from COVID-19, will be done.
For her part, the President of the Government ofNavarra, María Chivite,has requested the creation of an Automotive Board with the aim of stimulating and promoting the development of this sector.
The Balearic president,Francina Armengol, has asked to be able to allocate money to social issues from any of the items that the Balearic Islands receive from the nonreimbursable fund; and from the Canary Islands it has once again insisted on the need to test tourists in their countries of origin before traveling to the Islands, at whose airports security will be intensified.
The Government changes the distribution
The president of the Government,Pedro Sánchez, has transmitted this Sunday to the presidents of the CCAA thechanges in criteriafor the distribution of16 billion fundnon-refundable to face the crisis due to the Covid-19 that will be approved for the autonomies, including a fund for Education and another for mobility. The proposal increases the weight of the population, according to regional sources.
The increase in the population weight was a demand of some regions since initially it had been foreseen thatExpenses to meet health needs will weigh more, such as ICU beds, admissions and PCR tests performed. In that first idea, the Treasury announced a fund of 10,000 million for health spending, one thousand for social affairs and 5,000 million more to compensate for the drop in income.
Today, the president has communicated to the autonomies that9,000 million will go to these health expenses, others2,000 million for an education fundand the third package will be maintained to compensate for the sunk collection. Of this last part, 800 million will go to offset the decrease in the billing of transport services, such as subways, suburban trains or intercity buses.
They will not be accountable to the Executive
As planned, these are non-refundable transfers and that the autonomous governments may allocate as they see fit, without preconditions.“The communities will not be accountable to the Government, their parliaments will do it sooner”, Pedro Sánchez said in the subsequent press conference. The Government plans to approve the distribution of these funds at the Council of Ministers on June 16.
As for the health fund, the Government will provide a first tranche of 6,000 million in which the equivalent protected population will weigh 35%, when in the initial proposal it was 20%. The rest of the criteria, the majority part, will be healthcare expenditure: hospitalizations, ICU admissions and PCR tests performed.
This first tranche will be paid in July. There will be a second part of 3,000 million, to be paid in November, and in which the population weight will go from 40% to 45% and the rest, those same health criteria.
2,000 million to public education
The public education fund, as the president repeated at a press conference, will be2,000 million and arises from a reorganizationof the initial proposal for the distribution of the non-reimbursable fund. Autonomous sources have explained that the population of 0-16 years will weigh 80% and the remaining 20%, that of 16 to 24 years. This fund will be paid in September and no further distribution criteria have been specified by the Government, except that it responds to the need to reinforce the educational centers before the new course to confront it safely.
As for the third tranche, the 5,000 million to compensate for the drop in income, the Government plans to transfer it in December. The final decision on the distribution of this fund will be made at the Higher Council for the Coordination and Direction of Tax Management, shared by the Government and the Autonomous Communities, in addition to Ceuta and Melilla.
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