Catalan parliament denounces Spain’s pandemic management as ‘propagandistic’

The Catalan parliament has given the green light to a proposal for an Esquerra Republicana (ERC) resolution denouncing Spain's "recentralizing" management of the pandemic as "propagandistic."

During the state of alarm, powers over key public services in Catalonia such as health and police forces were transferred to the remit of the Spanish government.  

The same proposal, which received the support of the pro-independence bloc and the opposition of the rest of the seats in the chamber, also states that Catalonia needs the "tools and resources" of a state. 

The approved text maintains that the Spanish government's management of the pandemic has been “detrimental" and rejects the territorial organization by provinces, the centralized purchasing of resources, and the application of the state of alarm.

This was one of the many resolutions approved by the plenary session on Friday, focusing on the government's management of the coronavirus. 

The chamber also approved a proposal from the Socialists calling for a new health pact despite the abstentions of governing partners Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) and ERC, as well as a 7% increase in the Catalan government’s health spending, bringing it up to €2,000 a year per capita.

Governing partners JxCat and ERC lost few votes on the day’s measures, with just one proposal from each group being rejected. The JxCat text that was overturned was particularly relevant, which called on the Spanish government to guarantee sufficient resources, claiming outstanding debts and urging Pedro Sánchez’s executive to raise the deficit ceiling to 1%. Far-left CUP voted against it and prevented the proposal from being approved.

Catalunya en Comú-Podem (CatECP) helped the government to pass the budget for 2020, the first approved by the lower chamber in three years, yet they were still the group with the fewest motions passed in the parliament on Friday, with four passed and 11 struck down.

The plenary voting permitted 10 People’s Party initiatives to pass while rejecting 5 more. 

As for Ciudadanos, nine of their motions for resolutions in reconstructing Catalonia following the health crisis, while 4 were rejected.