The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has stated during the parliamentary debate on the extension of the state of alarm that gives priority to small businesses in the de-escalation using political discretion, which has caused outrage among the department stores and surfaces in Spain, which accuse him of violating the rules of free competition.

In a reply to the deputy of the Regionalist Party of Cantabria, José María Mazón, the socialist leader has stated: "In the gradual process there will always be people and groups who will not understand why an activity is opened in phase 1 and reopened in phase 2. There is always, even under technical or scientific criteria, a degree of discretion. " And he has given as an example, that he has not only taken into account health factors, but also political factors when allowing small businesses to go ahead to stores of more than 400 meters. It has even allowed street markets to be reopened before the big Zara or El Corte Inglés establishments.

"One can criticize, for example, the fact that the Government of Spain has first allowed reopening of small businesses with respect to large stores, there is also a decision that has to do with mobility," he said. And it was immediately justified: "Large stores encourage greater mobility than small neighborhood businesses, but we also logically want to allow those sectors or groups, such as small businesses, which undoubtedly do not have the muscle financial that those large stores do have, to reopen earlier to resume activity and survive this situation that we are facing. "

The National Large Association of Distribution Companies (Anged), which groups El Corte Inglés, Carrefour, Alcampo, Mediamarkt or Ikea, among other large stores, has responded with a statement immediately accusing the president of violating the Competition Law. "In all the countries around us, trade is open. The reasons that the president argues, which respond to political and economic criteria, generate discrimination that affects effective competition in the market, violating the Competition Defense Law " .

"With this, the Executive is also encouraging a false rivalry between small and large companies that is absolutely outweighed by the reality of today's global market, in which we all compete in a global market with large digital platforms."

Sánchez's protests at the parliamentary headquarters coincide with a Podemos campaign in defense of small businesses, while the Government, after softening previous ministerial orders, limits the opening of large areas to only a maximum of 400 meters.

"The exceptional nature of this crisis requires everyone, especially our leaders, to exercise transparency when explaining their decisions. Most of the stores of our associated companies have been closed for three months, with almost 100,000 ERTE employees and subject to extreme legal insecurity, with permanent discretionary measures that are very difficult to manage.We are a sector that directly employs 230,000 people throughout Spain and on which a value chain of 30,000 million depends. "criticizes Anged.

All of them, however, have a greater capacity for resistance than small stores, but, according to the statement, the solution is not to penalize the big ones. "We understand that if small businesses do not have" financial muscle "as explained by the President " The Government's obligation is to offer solutions that improve this situation of lack of liquidity, without penalizing the situation of the other operators, delaying the reopening of the larger stores."

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