Shortly ended 2022, in the Cortes Generales, deputies and senators Implement measures to help mitigate the effects of the war in Ukraine, the rise in inflation and energy problems, especially affecting the most vulnerable, while the consequences of the pandemic have not yet been fully overcome. The performance of Alicante representatives in Congress and the Senate resulted in 4,460 initiatives presented in the chambers.
Beyond the problems affecting the entire population, there were two prominent issues regarding the province. Firstly, New non-mitigating grievance suffered by Alicante in General Government BudgetsDespite being the fifth highest contributor to GDP, it ranks last in terms of investment it receives. The other main issue has been the struggle for water resources, which has made the work of Alicante farmers extremely difficult, following the new cuts from the Tajo-Segura transfer.
The issues discussed in Congress and the Senate were not only these two priority issues. A significant part of the initiatives offered by representatives of Alicante, as well as assistance to families with fewer resources to cope with the consequences of the war revitalize some strategic sectors of the province. In this context, tourism, which is exposed to the threat of the tourism tax approved by the Valencian Parliament, comes to the fore. As proof of the importance of the industry in Alicante, PSOE underlines the commitment to the Smart Platform for Tourist Destinations, which will have its national headquarters in Benidorm. Worse luck for the state resulted in two other government agencies also discussed at the Cortes in 2022, the Artificial Intelligence and Spatial Intelligence institutions passing through Alicante and Elche, respectively, eventually being assigned to cities A. Coruna and Seville.
most active
Regarding the activity by groups, Vox once again became the most active, as a result of his fierce opposition to the Government of Pedro Sánchez. Alicante’s three deputies indicate that the far-right party has made 2,523 initiatives, that is more than half of the total number of registered deputies and senators from Alicante. At the other extreme is the PSOE, whose representatives justify their low numbers as part of Sánchez Executive for another year. 2022 was also a year of lost representation for the Alicante constituency, as mid-May Josefina Bueno left her Senate seat to accept President Ximo Puig’s challenge to take over the Ministry of Innovation. and the Universities that Carolina Pascual replaced. Bueno was replaced in the Senate a few months later by Gloria Calero, a former Government delegate in the Commonwealth of Valencia.
«2022 was celebrated with donations and Economic support to all families and companies so that they can get ahead in the face of the crisis caused by the pandemic and war. ICO loans and ERTE, above all, have been decisive support in the face of the problems posed by energy,” explains Socialist MP Alejandro Soler. The former mayor of Elche also draws attention to the increase in the minimum living income, which supports the most vulnerable, and the update of pensions.
In matters that directly affect the state, Elche the urgency of reaching an agreement on improving state finance and investment. Faced with the grievances suffered by Alicante, the provincial secretary of the PSOE cites as a mitigation measure the corrective measures implemented by the Puig Government, such as the diversion of 200 of the 300 million that the Community received as an extra contribution from the Sánchez Manager. to the Alicante region. Regarding water resources, Soler points out that an investment plan should be implemented to improve capacity, treatment, desalination and water connections throughout the province.
Eliminate VAT
Work carried out at the Cortes throughout the year resulted, among other measures, in aid announced in the last week of 2022 when the Government announced that it was removing VAT on food from the initial obligation. It will be sold tax-free for the next six months. A check for 200 Euros per month, as well as other fuel or housing related bonuses, was given to help families with an income of less than 27,000 Euros.
“We’ve worked hard within our group because opposition work is one of the most complex,” says PP senator Pablo Ruz. The initiatives he proposed were closely related to educational issues as he was a popular spokesperson in the field. «Concerning the province, problems related to infrastructures, complaints in the budgets, Number of passengers with AVE or Lady’s return to Elche», adds the Elche man, regretting that «the government has violated all deadlines and maximum deadlines for which the senators must respond».
Back in Congress, the aide to United We Can Txema Guijarro is emphasizing Budgets. “The community, especially the province, did not benefit,” he says. To alleviate this complaint, his group, together with those of PSOE and Compromís, reached an agreement: Increased investment in Alicante by 51 millionwill be used mainly for railway investments. In this way, additional resources were obtained of 15 million for the high-speed trains of Alicante station, 15 million for the Mediterranean Corridor and 20 million for Cercanías.
«The investment balance in Alicante is clearly insufficientand there are many pending issues regarding rail infrastructure, such as the connection of the south of the state or Alcoy to Valencia. The necessary work has not been done in this legislature,” Guijarro accuses. Upon Budgets’ complaint, the Unidas Podemos representative argues that 250,000 Alicante families will benefit from aid and subsidies circulated by the Government. Finally, in the section on pending issues, the management regarding the Port of Alicante and the south coast also feels disappointing. “We have an ecological vision and believe that bulk cargoes cannot be outdoors. It should be done in closed warehouses. Guijarro, the natural coastline up to Santa Pola needs to be taken seriously because it was a marginalized coast,” concludes Guijarro.
national debate
Juan Ignacio López-Bas, MP from Ciudadanos, regrets that Alicante has so little weight in the national debate. We made requests from our group for the necessary infrastructures such as the Mediterranean Corridor or airport connection, as well as the renewal and adaptation of the Cercanías line.”
The Liberal representative believes that the second half of 2022 was marked by the processing of the Budgets. “Alicante is increasingly moving away from the national average,” he says, before addressing the water issue: “The important thing is that the PSOE and PP change their rhetoric according to the communities in which they lead.”