The PSOE Aragón deputy, Darío Villagrasa, denounced this Tuesday that the Executive of Jorge Azcón "allocates more than five million euros to institutional advertising while it cuts by 30% the budget of the General Directorate of Heritage compared to 2024 and barely includes 2.5 million for investments in Aragonese heritage".
In his view, the accounts planned for 2027 show that the regional government is more focused on propaganda than on responding to the real needs of Aragonese citizens.
These assessments were made by him at a press conference following the appearance of the second vice president, Mar Vaquero, before the Finance Commission of the Cortes of Aragón, where he detailed the items of his department of the Presidency, Justice, Culture and Sport.
The Socialist parliamentarian criticized "the triumphant tone" of the vice president and stressed that the Azcón Executive manages a total budget of 9,594 million euros, 750 million more than the only one approved by the PP in this legislature and 1,335 million above the most recent Socialist budget of 2023. However, he censured that this increase in funds does not, in his view, represent a firm commitment to public services, culture, and the structuring of the territory.
In the cultural field, Villagrasa emphasized that the aid to Aragonese creators is maintained practically at the same levels as in 2023 and reproached the lack of clear commitments to the performing arts, film, the book sector, museums, and the festivals that take place in rural areas.
The deputy warned that the cuts also reach other areas of the department, with an 8% cut in the Aragonese Institute for Women and a 10% cut in citizen participation.
In the justice area, although he admitted certain advances in legal aid, he pointed out that the 99 million allocated are lower than those of 2023 and 2024, and he called for more resources to improve court premises and for technological modernization.
As for sport, he acknowledged the increase in the budget up to 16 million euros, but questioned the lack of support for grassroots sport and the awarding of nominative subsidies to certain town councils.
He said that the PSOE will defend, through amendments, a model of competitive concurrency that guarantees equal opportunities among the different municipalities.
Villagrasa has equated the Government of Aragón accounts with the film "Los olvidados", by the Aragonese filmmaker Luis Buñuel, by considering that they reflect a lack of ambition and of commitment to culture, heritage and the rural environment.
The Socialist deputy has wrapped up by saying that Vice President Mar Vaquero's budget "needs to be improved" and has stated that the PSOE will register alternative proposals to make better use of the available resources and meet the needs of Aragón. In his view, the regional executive "is still in time to correct course and prevent the largest budget in history from becoming a missed opportunity".