The Government is preparing a series of socially impactful measures to be approved in the Council of Ministers prior to the general elections on November 29. Sources from the Executive referred to this strategy as the “social Tuesdays”, in contrast to the “black Fridays” with which the PSOE identified the cuts of previous PP governments.
Moncloa aims to place issues such as housing, pensions, the minimum wage, healthcare, and education in the political debate. For this Tuesday, October 20, El País reports that the Executive plans to approve a decree with improvements in temporary disability benefits, widow's pensions, and aid related to victims of terrorism and gender violence.
Aid for Ceuta and essential services
The Council of Ministers from last week approved a direct subsidy of 45.3 million euros to the Government of Ceuta to address extraordinary expenses arising from the migration crisis. Of that amount, 40.6 million will be allocated to current expenses and 4.6 million to investments, with the aim of sustaining essential services such as social, health, educational, security, and emergency services.
The measure includes a differentiated treatment of these expenses in the fiscal rules and exempts the city from preparing an economic-financial plan in 2026 and 2027 if it fails to meet stability objectives or the spending rule.
Transport, education, and inclusion
Among the agreements with a direct impact on citizens is also the granting of 363.7 million euros to finance regular public transport for passengers in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and the Canary Islands. The largest allocation corresponds to Barcelona, with 149.3 million, followed by Madrid, with 126.89 million.
In education, the Executive approved 6.46 million for the National Reference Centers for Vocational Training and another 4.88 million for social, cultural, and educational inclusion initiatives, support for people with hearing disabilities, promotion of sign language, and pedagogical innovation.
The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration will also grant 709,500 euros to the Spanish Olympic Committee to promote sports and educational activities in public migration centers, with permanent actions and campaigns against discrimination.
Youth and legal protection
The Council also approved the second Youth Action Plan 2025-2028, which will mobilize 59.191 million euros and includes more than 300 measures on education, employment, housing, health, equality, and participation. The plan is integrated into the Youth Strategy 2022-2030 and increases resources by 79% compared to the previous one.
Another royal decree modifies the regulation of free legal assistance to regulate immediate attention to vulnerable groups, including victims of terrorism, trafficking, and sexual violence, as well as people with disabilities who need special protection. The reform also updates the compensations for the public defender and provides free assistance for microenterprises that prove lack of resources.
Finally, the Government approved subsidies for entities dedicated to protecting children, adolescents, and young people in situations of vulnerability against violence, poverty, and social exclusion.