First day of the delegation’s visit to Spain Budget Control Commission The European Parliament and at least for now, days before its president, the German of the European People’s Party (EPP), Monika Hohlmeier, has no trace of the suspicions launched against the Spanish Government.
“We’re going to Spain because the Government doesn’t tell us where the bailout funds are,” Hohlmeier had repeated recently. doubts On a possible lack of transparency by the Spanish administration in the management of European money ‘Next Generation EU’. Hohlmeier also blamed the Spanish vice president Nadia Kalvino The fact that the Spanish minister had leaked a letter sent to him to the press, and all this created such a tense atmosphere that it heralded a terrible dialogue between the mission of the European Parliament and the Spanish authorities. That same Monday, first thing in the morning, Calviño himself said, “Deputies of the Spanish European Parliament PP and VoxThe delegation will visit Spain for three days to evaluate the management of Spain’s European funds.
But everything seems to be redirected. “The tone was correct” confirms that it sums up how an MEP is. an hour and a half chat de Calviño at the end of the day on Monday with Monika Hohlmeier and other representatives of the European Parliament. “Hohlmeier raised questions about the control of the implementation of European funds, but in no case did he raise suspicions that things were done wrong,” another MEP present at the meeting reinforces. This was published by the Ministry of Economy after the meeting and ” sincere and constructive tone” meeting.
“The government has handed over the details of the substantial allocation of European funds and full cooperation to facilitate a system of rigorous control and transparency. €23,300 million has already been agreed upon in aid calls and tenders, which fund more than 190,000 projects,” the Ministry of Economy adds in a statement.
“Neither men in black nor troika”
The budget control delegation that visited Spain consists of Germans. Monika Hohlmeier (from the European People’s Party), People’s Member of Parliament for Portugal Jose Manuel Fernandezyes socialists isabella garcia (Spain) and Caterina ChinnicI (Italy) and Jorge Buxade (vox). They are also sent to Spain as companions and unable to contribute to the preparation of the final report. Isabella Benjumea (PP), Eider Gardiazabal (PSOE), Eva Popcheva, Susana Solis (both from Citizens) and Ernest Urtasun (Catalonia in Comú). There were also two representatives as ‘observers’. European SAI And European Commission.
They all reject your name ‘The Man in Black’ With representatives of European institutions visiting countries to oversee economic policy, it is normally referred to as: “Neither the men in black nor the troika. We are the representatives of the European Parliament analyzing the absorption of Recovery funds. Payments received first. The money comes from all Spaniards and Europeans. Meticulous Being is a must.”
The first objective reason why the Mission chose Spain to start evaluating the use of European funds was that the European Parliament this year 2021 European budget and only part of the Next Generation EU was handed over to the Spanish Government that year. In addition, Spain is the most developed country in the distribution of funds (it is the only country that has already received the three tranches of the New Generation) and is one of the most funded countries. Calviño stressed that it was “normal” for the mission to start in Spain. Moreover, as he explained Pigeon BaenaThe senior manager of the Next Generation EU unit at LLYC, we must not lose sight of the fact that the European Parliament oversees the European Commission, not the countries: “The report from the Mission is, in any case, about the improvements the European Commission will make in controlling its budget; no, the Spanish Government” , he explains.
Criticism of CHP council members
The European Parliament mission held meetings with regional councilors on its first day in Spain. Madrid (PP), Andalusia (PP), Castile la Mancha (PSOE), Aragon (PSOE) and Estremadura (PSEE). “I explained [a Hohlmeier] that the joint management system with the autonomies does not work. “The government intends to control everything, and as a result it is governed very slowly in Spain and there are very few effective results that we can see,” he said. Javier Fernandez-Lasquetty. Socialist councilors, for their part, underlined the transformative capacity of European funds.
In meetings with represented businessmen CEOE, Spanish Chamber And anfacEmphasis was placed on the need for greater flexibility, agility and ease of access in the management of recovery funds.
“After the first day we got a very satisfying sight On the deployment of European funds in Spain” one of the Members of the European Parliament who was part of the European mission summarized.