Sánchez saves tariff aid despite the umpteenth "no" from the PP

MadridThe day after Pedro Sánchez be submitted to the scrutiny of Congress Due to the power outage and the increase in defense spending, the Spanish government has passed a new test with the vote on the decree to address Donald Trump's tariffsThe confrontation with the right that occurred during the Prime Minister's appearance has been brought to light once again with the umpteenth vote against the PP, which refused to support the regulation that activates the first €7.72 billion to mitigate the effects of the trade war. Vox also opposed it, but the plurinational majority that appointed Sánchez saved the package of measures. The votes in favor of ERC, Junts, Bildu, PNV, BNG, and Coalición Canaria, as well as the abstention of Podemos, have allowed the Spanish government to breathe a little after two weeks of shocks.

Although at first it seemed that there could be a consensus with the PP due to the fact that the content of the text responds to a request from the business community in the face of the threat posed by the policies announced by the United States, the initial rapprochement has resulted in cross-criticism over who is to blame for the lack of understanding. "Let them reflect and take into account the signal they are sending to businesses," said Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo, upon leaving the chamber. Cuerpo's interlocutor this past month on the other side of the political spectrum, the PP's deputy economic secretary, Juan Bravo, evaded responsibility by questioning whether the Spanish government had any real desire for a deal. "You could choose between negotiation and the wall. You chose the wall. I don't know if it was your own will or because you were forced to, but I think this decree is insufficient and ineffective," the PP leader replied in Cuerpo.

Despite the initial good tone of the negotiations, the talks went awry. after the Spanish government reached an agreement with Junts that the aid be distributed to the regions based on their share of exports to the US. According to the regional government, this will mean that around 25% of the funds mobilized will go to Catalan companies. The announcement of the agreement angered the PP, but did not break off the talks. However, party sources maintain that the Spanish government's behavior has made it clear that it prioritized securing a "yes" vote from Junts while never wanting to commit to any of the PP's proposals. The power outage, seen as a golden opportunity for the popular To try to derail the legislature, it further reduced the possibility of a pact.

The PP introduced a new element into the negotiations that made reaching an agreement a pipe dream. The main opposition party linked the decree on tariffs to extending the life of nuclear power plants. Sánchez, as he made clear publicly in yesterday's appearance, rejects linking the blackout to the debate on nuclear energy and maintains his unequivocal commitment to renewables. However, the head of the executive still urged the PP to abstain from voting on the decree. However, sources from Génova point out that it was already too late and that an abstention, or even a yes vote, could have occurred if, during the negotiations with the PP, the executive had adopted any of the measures proposed by Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party.

Sources from the popular leadership deny that they are "always in blockade" as the socialists accuse them and downplay the fact that in the final photo of the vote they have been aligned in the blog of the No along with Vox, which has maintained a controversial balance on the tariff issue due to its international alliance with Trump. Bravo also insisted that they couldn't even abstain when the main measure included in the decree is a line of ICO guarantees worth €5 billion. "It doesn't repair or promote," he argued, because what it does is "offer more debt."

The agreements for the 'yes' vote

Before the start of the debate this Thursday, the Body held a first meeting with Junts to monitor compliance with the agreement and ensure that it had its Yeah –The Minister of Economy has committed to doing one every month. Deputy Josep Maria Cruset explained from the podium that they have confirmed that, for now, the Ministry of Economy "is complying" and the agreement is beginning to have "tangible results." According to Cruset, the Ministry of Economy has communicated to financial institutions "the requirement to ensure territorial weight in the granting" of guarantees. The Minister of Economy said that in the coming days, companies will be able to begin applying for an initial tranche of 1 billion euros. In addition to the ICO guarantees, the decree also includes a 720 million euro tranche in financial instruments to aid the internationalization of companies and a second 2 billion euro tranche in credit insurance and export risk coverage.

The Republicans, for their part, have announced an agreement with the Ministry of Economy so that direct public aid is conditional on maintaining jobs and safeguarding activity. This, say both ERC and the Podemos team, "will ensure that public funds are not used to relocate workplaces or reduce employment levels in the most affected sectors." Podemos has justified not joining the blog of the Yeah because he believes the decree does not constitute "standing up" to Trump and has called for a more forceful response to the US "aggression."