Catalonia will have to meet Spain's requirements to receive funding

Barcelona (CNA).- Catalonia's finances will have to be clearly accounted for and all the invoices will have to be reported to the Spanish government by an auditor from the 'Generalitat' in order to receive the 3,034 million euros from the Spanish Liquidity Point (FLA). Spanish Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro warned that the Catalan government "shouldn't distract the attention" and should correctly administer the citizens' money. During the Conference of European Funds Strategy 2014-2020, Montoro announced that the Comptroller General's Office National Institute the Bank of Spain and the National Institute of Statistics will investigate the 1,300 million euros that Spain's executive believes wasn't properly accounted for last year. These statements come after the Spanish executive announced a set of control measures specifically for Catalonia, "to guarantee" that the FLA's money "won’t fund pro-independence whims”. "This is new proof that we must get out from the Spanish State" declared liberal party CDC's general coordinator, Josep Rull, referring to the measures.

The extra control measures that Spain's executive set for Catalonia to receive the FLA funds include a 10 days deadline for the government to certify all the invoices from 2015, both the executed ones and those which haven't yet been issued, as well as those for 2016. The Catalan government will start receiving the 3,034 million euros from the FLA only after the designated auditor writes a monthly report certifying that the funds are destined for the expected purposes. As soon as these requirements are met by the government, and a few days after the auditor sends the reports, the first FLA transfers will be carried out. "What the Catalan government has to do is distract less the attention and focus on administering the resources, which belong to all the Catalans and all the citizens" stated Minister Montoro.

1,300 million euros "not properly accounted for"

Montoro also announced that the Bank of Spain, the Comptroller General's Office and the National Institute of Statistics will carry out an investigation to clarify the administration of 1,300 million euros, which according to the Spanish Ministry wasn't properly accounted for last year. Last weekend, the Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Jorge Fernández Díaz, already announced that such an investigation will be carried out to find out "where the money went" and find out if it was "taken out from the drawer".

CDC considers the measures a humiliation

Liberal party CDC accused the Spanish executive of "humiliating" the Catalans by setting in place extra control measures for accessing the FLA. "This is new proof that we must get out from the Spanish State" declared CDC's general coordinator, Josep Rull. "This doesn't humiliate the parties, it humiliates the citizens as it subdues them with conditions which affect their welfare, their daily lives" assured Rull. CDC's general coordinator described the executive's measures as "an escape forward to fight the pro-independence process". "A serious and solid government would sit down and negotiate; an insolvent government threats and coerces" he stated.