The socialist Adrián Barbón, president of the Principality of Asturias, expressed this Friday to the president of the government, Pedro Sánchez, his rejection of the Catalan economic agreement concluded between the PSC and the ERC to guarantee the investiture of Salvador Illa, announcing that he will not “support anything that harms the interests of Asturias” and bet on the multilateral review of the reform of the regional financing system within the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council (CPFF).
This was expressed by Barbón during the press conference following the bilateral meeting he held this Friday with Sánchez, as part of the cycle that the President of the Government is leading with the regional presidents. This morning, Sánchez received the “popular” María José Saénz of Buruaga (Cantabria) and later the president of La Rioja, Gonzalo Capellán.
Barbón explained that he informed Sánchez of his position regarding regional financing, in which underlines its refusal to allow Catalonia to leave the common regimeand called on the Executive to propose a proposal to reform the model.
Regardless, the Asturian leader urged the government to present a proposal for reform of the regional financing model and, from there, address it jointly within the Budget and Financial Policy Council.
In this regard, Barbón said he transmitted to Sánchez the position of the Parliament of Asturias on regional financing, in which he affirms that First some criteria like dispersionand as he said, the President of the Government understood his approach.
About the regional fundingBarbón believes that the analysis is based on the fact that the current system is “obsolete” and from there, the Sánchez government will have to make a concrete proposal to reform the system.
Online, Barbón assured that Sánchez had given him “the guarantee” that the reform of the system must be undertaken to provide the system with more resources. Here he criticized the fact that autonomous communities which lower taxes in turn demand more resources from the financing system.
Conference of Presidents
Of course, Barbón influenced his request to address reforming the regional financing system in a multilateral manneras he claims since the tax agreement between the PSC and the ERC became known, although he chose to do it within the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council.
He therefore believes that the Conference of Presidents is not the forum for debating on a proposal to reform the regional financing system, saying that this forum must reach agreements and that there are distant positions on the issue.
However, Barbón said that if the autonomous communities governed by the PP finally manage to put financing on the agenda of the Conference of Presidents, he will also defend the position of Asturias.
Industrial policy
In another vein, Barbón declared that the government wanted to guarantee that the integral steel industry was maintained in Asturias “yes or yes” and celebrated that Sánchez was in line with Asturias in defending the reindustrialization of Europe, with an industrial strategy “on attack” and not on defense.
In this sense, the Asturian president assured that he considered the president “very receptive” and stressed that he “very much likes” his position of going “on the attack” in the sense that Europe must reindustrialize and undertake an industrial transition. very intensive policy.” “Complete coincidence”he said.
The regional leader transferred Sánchez Concerns over ArcelorMittal investments in the region. At this point, he highlighted that the President said the same thing as the Minister of Industry, namely that “the goal and what the Spanish Government seeks is to ensure investment and therefore that there is an integral steel industry in Asturias, whatever happens.” “It will happen, we will see the path,” he declared, while defending that it would be preferable for ArcelorMittal to invest, since it received a subsidy of 450 million to carry out its decarbonization plan.
However, he emphasized that “logically” you cannot “close this work door”. “This is where the discretion between the two governments begins and I can read that far,” he said.
On the other hand, Barbón transferred Sánchez the “injustice” of the Huerna toll and demanded more bonuses until the toll was canceled. He also proposed the development of a State Pact on rural areas and demographic challenges.
In short, Barbón assured that he had found a president who was “very receptive” and “very informed” about the problems of Asturias.
