“What has changed is that they have bought off the Canary Islands, which apparently means it will vote yes,” said Aragón’s Finance Minister, Roberto Bermúdez de Castro, who criticized the fact that the region “is just one more to join this absolute folly.” He also reproached the central government for not accepting any of Aragón’s proposals, such as introducing criteria related to population aging, depopulation and geography.
“NEITHER GOOD FOR ARAGÓN NOR FOR THE COUNTRY”
For this reason, the regional government continues to reject the proposal. “We believe, as was already stated months ago, that this reform is not good for Aragón, it is not good for the country as a whole, and we are not the ones saying it; all the independent bodies in this country are,” Bermúdez de Castro declared, setting out several arguments against it.
The minister believes that “the optimal social and political circumstances for reaching a major agreement” do not exist, since Sánchez’s government does not have the votes needed in Congress to push it through.
He also pointed out that every Aragón government, regardless of its political affiliation, has called for the population criterion to be adjusted to reflect the reality of the territory. “Aragón is very complex. There are many municipalities and depopulated areas where providing public services is much more expensive than providing them here in Madrid. People living in Alcorcón, Fuenlabrada or here in Madrid must have the same services as those living in Fago, Centenero or Peñas de Riglos,” he argued.
Finally, Bermúdez de Castro criticized the central government for highlighting that Aragón will receive 600 million euros under the new financing model. He maintains that, in this new distribution of 21 billion euros, “Aragón loses weight,” becoming the region “most adversely affected.” The minister added that this is confirmed by “all the academic institutions in this country, such as FEDEA, which is the most highly regarded in the field of regional financing.”
