The Government delegate, Francisco Mendoza, presented today the Government Accountability Report “Complying 2022”, which biannually summarizes the measures approved and destined by the Government to the region. In this case, the delegate informed of the more than 170 measures that have made it possible to make more than 7.1 billion euros available to Extremadura and Extremadura through direct investments, transfers to the Junta de Extremadura, European funds or direct aid to citizens and companies.
Francisco Mendoza has stated that accountability must answer three questions: what has been done; why and for what.
As for what the delegate has done, he has outlined the broad outlines of the 170 measures and has highlighted the EUR 542.7 million earmarked for investments in infrastructure, whether in rail, roads or air transport; the EUR 451.2 million earmarked for dependency, aid to families or disadvantaged groups, housing and health; the EUR 377.10 million earmarked for the environment, agriculture and rural development; the EUR 290 million earmarked for education and employment; or the EUR 282 million for direct aid to Extremadura companies; or the EUR 30 million for the protection of heritage, sport and culture.
A government that reacts and succeeds
The delegate pointed out that the measures adopted respond first of all “to the commitment to the citizens; we respond to our electoral program and the agreement of the coalition government”; but he also pointed out that “we have probably experienced the most difficult legislature in the history of Spanish democracy. Spain has gone through an unprecedented health crisis from which an economic crisis has also arisen as a result of the paralysis or slowdown in economic activity. The situation created must be joined by the war in Ukraine, which in turn has caused an energy and raw material supply crisis that has led to an increase in both prices and a generalized increase in prices.”
In the face of this situation, according to Mendoza “this Government has been able to react with concrete and correct measures that have resulted in an economic and social situation completely different from the one that occurred with the antagonistic responses that were applied during the financial crisis of the last decade. This government has shown that it is not the same to apply some measures as others, that not all politicians are equal and that while we protect citizens, others dedicated themselves to protecting banks.”
Protect and advance
For the government delegate in Extremadura “The decisions of the governments have consequences; some measures improve the lives of citizens and others do not; or they improve those of some citizens but worsen those of others. I therefore believe that the assessment of the measures must be measured not only by the number of millions invested, but also by the consequences it has on people's lives. With this in mind, I dare to ensure that the reality is much better for the majority of Extremadura’s citizens than it was four years ago. And I dare to assure you that we are carrying out the best economic and social management for Spain and for Extremadura in the last 30 years.”
For the delegate, each and every one of these measures and decisions are “the pieces of this set of measures that act as an impulse to improve the lives of the people of Extremadura; it is the response of this Government with concrete and correct measures that have resulted in an economic and social situation completely different from that which occurred with the antagonistic responses that were applied during the financial crisis of the last decade; it is the project of this progressive Government.”
Mendoza has reinforced its arguments with the unemployment data, the lowest of the last 16 years; of the affiliation to Social Security, the highest in the history of Extremadura; of the indefinite contracts, 145,818 indefinite contracts in 2022, four times more than in 2021, the rise of pensions, a 21% increase in the average pension in the region in these years, compared to just 8% of the last 5 years of the government of Rajoy; or the rise of the SMI by 35%.
The delegate also referred to the economic data of Spain pointing out that at the moment we are the country with the lowest inflation in Europe, with the cheapest energy and with growth rates of the highest in the eurozone.
Mendoza has pointed out that it is not just about investment “but about believing in a better, fairer, and more sustainable society. We are very clear about the society we want for Spain and for Extremadura. A society that protects the most vulnerable, that improves the living conditions of ordinary people, pensioners, workers, women, dependents, young people and at the same time we want to build among all the pillars of a more advanced society that will only be more just, more sustainable, more digital, more cohesive and more egalitarian. For all this, I insist, never, has any government done so much in such a short time for Extremadura and for the people of Extremadura. I am sure that we have done the best economic and social management for Spain and for Extremadura in the last thirty years. And we’re not going to stop. This government is committed to Extremadura; this government is advancing, this government is continuing.”