In the middle of the electoral race with the general elections of 23-J less than a month away, the Generalitat of Catalonia has announced that it will ask the Spanish Government to emerge from that next appointment with the polls that it can have an equivalent deficit margin, at least , to 1% of Catalan GDP in 2024.
The Minister of Economy of the Generalitat, Natàlia Mas, has branded as “unfair” that the State intends to “capture 100% of the deficit margin” allowed for all administrations in 2024, in statements to EFE.
Budgets must stick to a deficit equivalent to 3% of GDP
After a period of suspension of fiscal rules due to the covid-19 pandemic, the European authorities have already warned that in 2024 the budgets of the EU countries must stick to a deficit equivalent to 3% of GDP, and the Generalitat denounces that the State wants to impose a “zero deficit” to the communities and a surplus of 0.2% to the municipalities.
“It makes no sense for the State to monopolize 100% of the deficit when spending responsibilities are shared between administrations,” considers Mas, who has argued that communities have horrible spending on health, education and social rights, among other materials “The communities assume a third of the cost and we claim our share of the deficit”, said the minister, who has assured that the communities should correspond, consequently, a third of the deficit, that is, a minimum of 1%.
Distribution of European funds
Another temporary demand that the Generalitat will make to the next Government will be that the elections “do not interfere” in the use of European Next Generation funds. “There is a historic opportunity that we cannot miss,” assured Mas, who has once again denounced “opacity” in the State’s management of these funds and “delays” in the implementation of key instruments such as the so-called PERTE.
