The Generalitat has demanded that the central government detail and make public the "technical issues" of its proposed reform of the regional financing system, while insisting that population be "an essential element" in the new model. In parallel, it has once again demanded a modification of the system that puts an end to decades of underfunding of the Valencian Community and that "guarantees equality among Spaniards."
The regional secretary of Finance and Funding, Eusebio Monzó, participated in the meeting of the Permanent Technical Evaluation Committee held at the Ministry of Finance, where the study of the proposal for an agreement for the reform of the financing model of common-regime autonomous communities and cities with autonomous statute was on the agenda, as reported by the regional administration.
"From the Valencian Community, we believe that dialogue is necessary on issues as relevant as financing, but the reality is that until now the Government of Spain has only spoken with Catalonia and there are technical issues that must be put on the table," Monzó stated.
In this context, he stressed that the demographic variable "must be an essential element in the model." "The Valencian Community is growing in population and therefore we need more resources to serve people. And furthermore, we defend the equality of all Spaniards," he argued, linking the increase in inhabitants to greater pressure on public services.
Monzó recalled that "we believe that all Spaniards, regardless of where they reside, must have the same resources, which is not currently the case. The Valencian Community has been the most underfunded community in Spain since 2009, and this has caused the great indebtedness we have," directly relating the lack of resources to the high accumulated debt of the autonomy.
The regional official reiterated that "the path is dialogue, but with all autonomous communities that must put their concerns on the table. Hopefully, the Government will have the will and rectify and open itself to negotiate with all autonomies on equal terms," demanding a multilateral negotiation process on an equal footing.
In this regard, he has insisted that "no other autonomous community combines such a high level of population, growing needs for public service provision, and such an unfavorable position in the distribution of resources". For this reason, he has once again insisted on the urgency for the state Executive to activate a transitional equalization fund that "allows for the immediate correction of the inequality suffered by Valencian citizens as long as there is no financing model", as a provisional solution while the definitive reform is not approved.