The Fort Worth Press - Spain PM accused of 'blackmail' by tying budget to flood aid

USD -
AED 3.673006
AFN 67.000311
ALL 92.449862
AMD 387.650577
ANG 1.803609
AOA 912.000072
ARS 998.1981
AUD 1.540618
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.706465
BAM 1.839835
BBD 2.020546
BDT 119.582702
BGN 1.851502
BHD 0.376887
BIF 2898
BMD 1
BND 1.337466
BOB 6.915139
BRL 5.806962
BSD 1.000762
BTN 84.395861
BWP 13.578807
BYN 3.274884
BYR 19600
BZD 2.01714
CAD 1.39948
CDF 2865.000212
CHF 0.885795
CLF 0.035513
CLP 979.90972
CNY 7.2244
CNH 7.244355
COP 4479
CRC 511.011392
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 104.849946
CZK 23.9373
DJF 177.719992
DKK 7.06055
DOP 60.375024
DZD 133.998993
EGP 49.3251
ERN 15
ETB 122.049964
EUR 0.94655
FJD 2.27125
FKP 0.786951
GBP 0.78699
GEL 2.730338
GGP 0.786951
GHS 16.093319
GIP 0.786951
GMD 71.000122
GNF 8629.999871
GTQ 7.732613
GYD 209.3638
HKD 7.781365
HNL 25.060257
HRK 7.133507
HTG 131.582908
HUF 386.059763
IDR 15845.9
ILS 3.754225
IMP 0.786951
INR 84.42365
IQD 1310.5
IRR 42092.500584
ISK 139.430268
JEP 0.786951
JMD 158.431955
JOD 0.7091
JPY 155.550045
KES 129.495865
KGS 86.200902
KHR 4049.999849
KMF 466.350132
KPW 899.999851
KRW 1402.789736
KWD 0.30764
KYD 0.833937
KZT 493.231612
LAK 21944.999787
LBP 89550.000237
LKR 292.48469
LRD 183.999896
LSL 18.249631
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.869392
MAD 9.95797
MDL 18.032417
MGA 4655.000074
MKD 58.249992
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.999858
MOP 8.017648
MRU 39.875002
MUR 46.889881
MVR 15.450612
MWK 1735.999923
MXN 20.534202
MYR 4.459733
MZN 63.899729
NAD 18.250197
NGN 1677.460255
NIO 36.78002
NOK 11.139895
NPR 135.035137
NZD 1.70113
OMR 0.384979
PAB 1.000724
PEN 3.80195
PGK 3.93475
PHP 58.837965
PKR 278.049733
PLN 4.10935
PYG 7810.118723
QAR 3.64055
RON 4.7105
RSD 110.736994
RUB 98.498646
RWF 1365
SAR 3.75755
SBD 8.383555
SCR 13.638838
SDG 601.502988
SEK 10.984375
SGD 1.343089
SHP 0.786951
SLE 22.814981
SLL 20969.507172
SOS 571.500104
SRD 35.279997
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.756103
SYP 2512.530016
SZL 18.249869
THB 34.941496
TJS 10.662352
TMT 3.51
TND 3.147501
TOP 2.3421
TRY 34.35113
TTD 6.800373
TWD 32.450501
TZS 2659.999506
UAH 41.343769
UGX 3672.521001
UYU 42.190719
UZS 12825.000122
VES 44.996698
VND 25345
VUV 118.721975
WST 2.812855
XAF 617.092513
XAG 0.033008
XAU 0.000389
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.753908
XOF 616.50203
XPF 113.349685
YER 249.80406
ZAR 18.240398
ZMK 9001.201813
ZMW 27.374927
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    -0.8500

    59.34

    -1.43%

  • CMSD

    -0.0200

    24.73

    -0.08%

  • CMSC

    0.0700

    24.61

    +0.28%

  • SCS

    -0.3000

    13.37

    -2.24%

  • BCC

    1.4200

    142.55

    +1%

  • NGG

    -0.7800

    62.12

    -1.26%

  • BTI

    0.1800

    35.42

    +0.51%

  • BCE

    -0.4800

    27.21

    -1.76%

  • RELX

    -0.4700

    46.12

    -1.02%

  • GSK

    -0.4100

    35.11

    -1.17%

  • RIO

    -0.5800

    60.62

    -0.96%

  • AZN

    0.1000

    65.29

    +0.15%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.24

    +0.15%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0500

    7.11

    -0.7%

  • BP

    0.4100

    28.57

    +1.44%

  • VOD

    0.2800

    8.75

    +3.2%

Spain PM accused of 'blackmail' by tying budget to flood aid
Spain PM accused of 'blackmail' by tying budget to flood aid / Photo: © AFP

Spain PM accused of 'blackmail' by tying budget to flood aid

Spain's minority left-wing government wants to galvanise its deadlocked 2025 draft budget by linking it to urgent reconstruction funds following devastating floods, sparking "blackmail" accusations from the conservative opposition.

Text size:

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government unveiled its spending plans for next year in September, forecasting a public deficit reaching 2.5 percent of annual economic output.

But the text has been on the backburner as the fragile coalition grapples with fiendishly difficult parliamentary arithmetic.

Several Spanish governments have failed to pass their budgets since the European country returned to democracy after the 1975 death of right-wing dictator Francisco Franco, including last year.

They can avoid paralysis thanks to a constitutional mechanism that extends spending limits from the previous budget but constrains action to small adjustments.

"No one would understand" why Spain would settle for tinkering after its worst floods in decades, Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero said in Sunday's El Pais daily.

The torrents of muddy water have killed 222 people, wrecked infrastructure, destroyed businesses and submerged fields, with the final bill expected to soar to tens of billions of euros.

The government has already announced economic recovery measures collectively worth more than 14 billion euros, but they will affect Spain's budgetary outlook and require major adjustments.

The government insists fresh public accounts for 2025 can accelerate the desperately needed aid. "To rebuild, a budget is necessary... the emergency requires it," Montero said.

- Aid 'cannot wait' -

Montero urged "unity" from Spain's polarised political class, but the main opposition conservative party swiftly dashed any hopes the catastrophe would lay the ground for a new budget.

The flood victims "must not be used as bargaining chips in the budget negotiations", the Popular Party said in a statement, condemning Sanchez's "blackmail".

Consultancy firm Teneo suggested the government could use the "extraordinary circumstances" to convince potential allies to "moderate their stances" but warned it would be difficult after the floods became politicised.

Junts per Catalunya, a Catalan separatist party whose support is essential for government proposals to pass, expressed doubts about the budget if it is linked to flood recovery spending.

Releasing the aid "cannot wait for the long scrutiny of a theoretical budget" and amendments to the current one can instead be adopted, Junts said.

The government's "political use" of the tragedy is "unacceptable" because it can already request EU funds and approve emergency loans and grants without a budget, business daily El Economista said.

H.M.Hernandez--TFWP