The People's Party (PP) and some of its partners reject the "anti-shutdown" decree, highlighting Sánchez's weakness.

MadridThe appeal for "common sense and prudence" by Spanish government spokesperson Pilar Alegría on Tuesday afternoon, urging the Congress of Deputies to vote in favor of the energy decree to strengthen the electricity system, has served little purpose. The PP, Vox, UPN, and a good part of the investiture partners (Juntos, Podemos, and the BNG) have voted against it, highlighting, once again, Pedro Sánchez's weakness in the Spanish lower house and the instability that the current legislature has been immersed in for some time.

Some of the measures included in the decree were designed to prevent a repeat of a massive power outage like the one on April 28, the exact causes of which are still unknown (The Spanish government, Red Eléctrica and companies have published different reports on the origin of the blackout.). The energy sector had estimated the money at stake with the set of proposals at 200 billion euros. After the vote, he did not hesitate to lament the rejection: "The imbalances in the electricity system are increasing," warned the renewable energy employers' association, APPA, in a statement.

Pedro Sánchez has taken aim from Uruguay, where he is traveling, highlighting that the Spanish government has won "six out of seven votes" in Congress: "It's not bad," he argued at a press conference in Montevideo. "Those who criticize us for being obscure are the ones who are overturning [the decree]. They think they are punishing the Spanish government, but those who suffer are the citizens," asserted the president, who has already announced that he will resubmit the measures: "I can tell you in advance that they will be approved," he assured. The Spanish government could reapprove the same decree at next week's Council of Ministers, the last before the summer break.

Thus, a day that was presented as a simple formality (Pedro Sánchez is on a tour of Latin America) has once again ended badly for the Spanish government, which bids farewell to the last plenary session in Congress before the summer break, experiencing another parliamentary defeat. The truth is that after a few weeks marked by the Santos Cerdán case, this Tuesday's meeting could have provided a breath of fresh air to shift the media spotlight away from all of this, both from the corruption that is besieging the PSOE and from the weakness in Congress. Furthermore, it hasn't been a peaceful session for the PP either: no party has escaped the outbreak of the Montoro case. Even Pedro Sánchez, from Uruguay, spoke for the first time, linking the case to a way of governing by the Popular Party: "[The PP] legislated without political autonomy, benefiting the elites and against the majority of citizens, after paying commissions," denounced the Spanish president, who did not hesitate to assert that "corruption... with the motion of censure."

What did the energy decree include?

However, the reasons why these parties voted against the decree differ. While Podemos and the BNG have denounced that the measures only benefit large electricity companies, Junts has once again complained about the Spanish government's negotiating style. Party sources point out that the government has become accustomed to keeping issues "closed" and criticize the fact that one of its measures (the moratorium on the useful life of slurry plants) has not been incorporated as they wanted. At a time when the official status of Catalan remains stuck in Europe, in fact, Junts' ranks are sending a warning to Sánchez: "[In the PSOE] they have relaxed and have very big problems on the table. They forget that they do not have an absolute majority." Finally, the PP denounces the fact that there have been no resignations following the power outage. PP sources explain that they will file a separate energy proposal in Congress.

Among the measures that were rejected was a reinforcement of the National Commission of Markets and Competition as supervisor of the electrical system. It was also considered that the system operator, Red Eléctrica, would evaluate the need to implement systems to better control voltage and power fluctuations.

Electrical system resilience measures are also being implemented with the incorporation of technological solutions that seek to reduce costs for consumers. To this end, a budget of 750 million euros and an estimated annual savings of 200 million for consumers were planned.

The decree also incorporated an update to the electrical grid planning process, which shortened processing times and facilitated the connection of new generation and consumption facilities, as requested by the large electricity companies, to accelerate the deployment of new industrial activities—such as data centers—and the center.

Finally, it promoted storage and facilitated battery hybridization in renewable energy plants. It also favored self-consumption, streamlined permitting and execution deadlines for renewable energy projects, and planned to accelerate the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and heat pumps, among other measures. However, given the volatility of energy markets due to geopolitical tensions, the decree incorporated measures to alleviate costs for industries such as the electro-intensive industry.

Other votes

The Congress of Deputies has ratified other regulations. First, the new Automobile Insurance Law was approved. The update to advance payments was also approved. In 2025, the autonomous communities will receive a record €147.412 billion from advance payments. To this amount must be added the positive settlement for 2023. As the State anticipated less revenue from the autonomous communities than it ultimately obtained, they will receive another €11.692 billion. Municipalities will receive €28.734 billion. In this case, Junts also voted against it, but the Spanish government saved the decree with the favorable vote of the PP.

On the other hand, with the votes of the entire plurinational majority, the reform of the Congress regulations was approved, designed to limit far-right agitators accredited as journalists. With the final approval of this amendment, the lower house's Board will be able to sanction and expel pseudo-journalists who violate the rules of conduct.