The president of the Consello Económico e Social (CES) of Galicia, Manuel Pérez, has announced that this body is already working on several reports looking ahead to 2027, focused on forest fires, the difficulties in incorporating labor into the rural environment and measures to boost the development of the manufacturing industrial sector. At the same time, he has pointed out that an opinion on the situation of dependency in Galicia is about to be completed.
He detailed these lines of work during his appearance before the Economy and Budgets Committee of the Galician Parliament, where he presented the CES accounts project for 2027, which amount to 1,172,650 euros, a budget he described as "limited".
Manuel Pérez has stressed that this financial allocation makes it possible to "ensure and guarantee the ordinary official" and develop the activity of the Consello "with rigor, independence of judgment and public utility". Among the most relevant items, he highlighted a 3% increase in current transfers intended both to compensate the participation of the organizations represented in the CES and to pay for specialized external work.
In his appearance, he also insisted on the Consello's vocation not to be "only an institution that prepares documents", but to "improve the quality of decision-making so that we continue combining the direct experience of the bodies represented in the Consello".
At the same time, he advanced that the meeting of the Steering Committee of the Transnational Atlantic Network (RTA), of which the CES is a part, will be held in Galicia during the first quarter of 2027.
Positions of the parliamentary groups
In the turn of the groups, Patricia Iglesias (PSdeG) defended that the CES assume a role that goes beyond the issuing of opinions, with the aim of "improving public policies". In addition, she admitted that she is "worried" that part of the body's activity "may depend on external contracts for studies" and described the CES's position in its reports on the Xunta's industrial master plans as "very condescending".
For his part, Ramón Fernández Alfonzo (BNG) has shown himself in favor of reinforcing the material means and the staff of the Consello. He also warned that there is an attempt to "secondary" the role of the CES in favor of other bodies created "ad hoc", such as the social dialogue table.
The nationalist deputy has taken advantage of his intervention to criticize the conselleiro de Emprego, José González, for defending the "honorability" of the family winery sanctioned for hiring migrant people irregularly, while the workers were accused of being "criminals," he says.
In response, Noelia Pérez (PP) reproached the BNG representative for carrying out a "theatrical performance" around the case of the conselleiro de Emprego and accused him of "overacting without contributing anything new".
In his reply turn, the president of the CES has pointed out that he has "understood" that the matter related to the winery of the conselleiro's family "is sub iudice". He also defended that José González is "disconnected from the company" and that "it is not them who hire", since "they go to an ETT", so in the winery "They felt, I would say in quotes, cheated".
To conclude, Manuel Pérez has maintained that the Galician Government "pays attention to the opinions and rulings" of the CES both when they coincide with its positions and when "it is not to its liking".