MADRID, 29 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The First Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, has faced this Wednesday in the control session with the Government in the plenary session of Congress the criticism of PP, Vox and Cs for the difficulties that families are going through on account of the rise in prices.
In response to the denunciations of the deputies Carlos Roja (PP), Iván Espinosa de los Monteros (Vox) and Edmundo Bal (Cs), the vice president has defended the economic policy of the Government and has criticized that the opposition has chosen precisely this moment to to attack the Government for prices, since “everything points” to a “change” taking place in March and inflation to drop.
Tomorrow the National Institute of Statistics (INE) will publish the advance data of the CPI for March, whose interannual rate climbed in February to 6%. “We have managed to lower inflation by five points in five months last year and place ourselves among the countries with the lowest inflation in Europe,” he stressed.
Calviño has also assured that Spain presents a “positive perspective of growth and progress” thanks to European funds and has criticized the opposition that tries to “boycott everything that is good” for the country. “We have to continue promoting the progress of our country. I just hope that one day you will get on the bandwagon,” the vice president snapped.
From Vox, Espinosa de los Monteros has criticized Calviño for the fact that Spanish families are paying an average of 4,700 euros more in taxes than before the arrival of Pedro Sánchez at La Moncloa.
“The families that go shopping, Madam Minister, see with their own eyes that the price of food has skyrocketed by 28% since you have come to the Government. The families see with their own eyes that the rents are at prices record and that mortgages have risen by an average of 300 euros per month. Do you really think that Spanish families think that they live better with you?”, the Vox deputy asked him.
Calviño has responded that the Government “supports all families” and has blamed him for the fact that last week’s motion of no confidence “does not support or help Spanish families at all.”
“This week I was with the workers of the performing arts, who have asked me please not to use the term circus or antics because they find it offensive. Out of respect for them, I am only going to tell you that (the motion of censure) was a regrettable show and a total waste of time for Spanish families”, he stated.
From the PP, Carlos Rojas, has told the vice president that “inflation is like the government’s ability to lie, always on the rise”, and has denounced that Spain is the only EU country that has not recovered its pre-pandemic GDP.
“Since you buy cheaper, bread has risen. Not only bread has risen, but also flour, milk, sugar, all food and the Government does nothing,” said Rojas, who criticized the fact that the Executive rejects the PP’s proposal to lower VAT on meat and fish.
For his part, the Cs deputy Edmundo Bal has replied to Calviño that “real problems are not resolved with propaganda or demagogy.” “You receive unfavorable economic data and what you do is deny reality. You even said here that you had gone shopping and that food was getting cheaper. Well, look, I do the shopping and food is getting more expensive. Don’t take us for fools,” Bal replied.
The ‘orange’ deputy has reproached the vice president for trying to resolve this crisis “with a cocktail of complacency, conformism and bad decisions”.
“A very dangerous cocktail, but more dangerous because it is financed with the taxes that families pay, all families and the middle and working classes, that we are essential for Spain, that you should be taking care of us and pampering us and not drowning us with new taxes, raising social contributions, with new limitations, with new prohibitions, with new restrictions on individual freedom. Let us breathe,” Bal said.
Calviño has responded that precisely the Government has focused its action on protecting families and supporting the middle and working classes. “What I don’t understand is why instead of supporting the policies that we promote that are favorable for families and the middle classes, you systematically vote against it,” the vice president concluded.
