All groups except PP+Cs and Vox voted to incorporate the EH Bildu initiative that requires companies to repay all government aid received for 10 years in case of relocation.
All groups in the Basque parliament, except PP+Cs and Vox, voted in favour process an invoice from EH Bildu aimed at preventing the relocation of companies, stipulating that companies based in the Basque Country that move their headquarters or their production outside the Autonomous Community, return all government aid that they have received in the past 10 years.
The plenary session of the Basque Chamber approved the consideration of this legislative initiative with the support of the 66 parliamentarians including PNV, EH Bildu, PSE-EE and Elkarrekin Podemos-IU, and with the rejection of PP+Cs and Grupo Mixto-Vox, formations of up to six seats. Two weeks ago, the Basque government expressed a positive opinion to process this proposal together with its bill on subsidies.
Already during its processing, the groups will be able to make changes to the text by tabling amendments.
The law proposed by the Sovereignist Coalition stipulates that companies undertaking a relocation process “have an obligation to proceed to the repayment of the amounts of the subsidies received in the previous 10 years plus interest in arrears accrued from the time of receipt of each amount to the date of said return”.
In addition, these companies and their partners they will not be able to get help of the Basque public sector for a period of 10 years, from the date on which the regional government has confirmed the productive or fiscal relocation of the company.
In his defense of the initiative, EH Bildu MP Iker Casanova, recalling the Gamesa and General Electric affairs, defended the need to pass such a law given the “serious consequences” caused by relocations in the companies affected by them
The partners of the Basque government, PNV and PSE-EE, have alluded to the subsidy law that the Basque government has just approved. The PNV has warned of the need to act “cautiously” so that the measures do not harm investments in the Basque Country. Along the same lines, the PSE-EE has emphasized that this problem cannot be tackled from a “purely sanctioning” perspective.
David Soto (Elkarrekin Podemos-IU) has indicated that this is a “strategic” debate, the PP+Cs MP has criticized that EH Bildu’s bill aims to “limit the management and decision-making capacity of companies and the Vox representative, Amaia Fernández, has confirmed that EH Bildu is “the least qualified person to teach” on the subject.
Source: EITB
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
