The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has again harshly criticized the central Executive, which he labels as "irresponsible" for considering that "with European funds, pensions have been paid." The Madrid mayor has avoided commenting on Vox's proposal regarding retirement —which proposes a mixed pension model— by stating that he does not know the details.
Since the urban development of Valdecarros, Almeida has defended that "A Spain different from that of Pedro Sánchez is not only possible but essential," reiterating his concern over the fact that "with European funds, pensions have been paid," something he has described as profoundly "irresponsible from the point of view of the sustainability" of the public system.
The mayor has questioned that "a Government that has incurred 600 billion euros in debt, that has had a free rein of fiscal rules, that has had a flood of European funds, cannot sustain pensions with its own resources." In his view, this situation compromises the future viability of the model.
In this line, he has warned that "This is what should worry pensioners, whether this Government is in a position to guarantee pensions if it has had to pay them using European funds, which, just as they have arrived, will leave." For Almeida, the key to ensuring benefits lies in a political change: "If pensioners want their pensions guaranteed, what they need to do is get Sánchez out of Moncloa," he has stated.