From Firefighters to Officials: The Victims of the 'Legislative Burial'

Highlights: The decision of the Spanish government to hold the general elections on July 23 leaves more than 50 laws in the pipeline. The most important of these is the Social Security Law, which was approved without the support of the public sector unions. Other laws, such as the Digital Service Law, will also be left in limbo. The European Union has also been left out of the legislative process, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The Spanish government has also announced that it will not be able to use the European Court of Human Rights as a vehicle for the reform of the social security system.

The decision of Pedro Sánchez to advance the general elections to July 23 not only sentences the legislature, but leaves in the air more than fifty laws...

Elections Pedro Sánchez liquidates the Government after the debacle of the PSOE on 28-M and calls general elections on July 23

The decision of Pedro Sánchez to advance the general elections to July 23 not only sentences the legislature, but leaves in the air more than fifty laws that were in different stages of parliamentary processing. Although the coalition government had already deployed almost all of its political and economic agenda, which has culminated in the recently approved Housing Law, with the dissolution of Congress and the Senate, dozens of projects that must be processed from scratch when the Courts are reconstituted. And there are several victims of this 'legislative burial'.

Specifically, more than 60 legislative texts will remain unadopted. A quarter of them, from decree-laws that are already in force and that Congress agreed to process as bills by the urgent procedure so that the groups could introduce amendments.

PENSIONS AND PUBLIC SECTOR

This first case includes, for example, the second part of the pension reform, which introduced the controversial extension of the calculation period for the calculation of benefits with the support of the unions and the rejection of the employers, or the new contribution system for self-employed workers.

Also up in the air is the Civil Service Law, which was approved without the support of the most representative union of the public administrations. Precisely, from the Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants Central (CSIF) warned yesterday that the electoral advance "forces to define a new road map to strengthen public services and dignify the working conditions of its workers." From the union denounce the "evident deterioration" of different areas of the General Administration of the State, such as Social Security, the SEPE or the Labor Inspectorate.

FOREST FIREFIGHTERS

From CSIF they recall that several pending projects also decline in other relevant areas such as the Justice Plan, which sought to improve the efficiency of the system, or the reform of the National Health System, which sought to consolidate equity, universality and cohesion. In addition to the law that regulates teleworking in the General State Administration.

One of the most glaring cases in terms of the impact that the electoral advance will have is reflected in the forest firefighters. The movement will bury the basic laws of forest firefighters and environmental agents, which were to regulate their employment situation after years of struggle. Carlos Martín, forest firefighter of the BRIF and head of forest firefighters in CCOO, has shown his discomfort at the paralysis of a legislation that "was already ready".

They leave us in panties (...) Above all, it seems that they have not taken it into account: it was already ready, it was a process simply to finish the job. It should not be given the importance it has for us, "laments Martin in statements to EL MUNDO.

FELLOWS AND FAMILIES

In the workplace, several rules are also left in the pipeline. Despite the fact that the second vice president of the Government and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, managed to carry out her reform with the consensus of the social agents, she still had important issues in her portfolio. To begin with, the new statute of the intern, although this was still under negotiation with the employers and the unions. It also remains in the air the transformation of the SEPE in the Spanish Employment Agency or the promised reform of the unemployment assistance protection system that is committed to Brussels in the Recovery Plan.

Among the laws that have been approved by the Council of Ministers and that are going to lapse, the National Security Law or the Family Law stand out. The latter, which incorporated as a star measure of Unidas Podemos the creation of new care permits, was in the process of amendments and, with the dissolution of parliament, will remain in the drawer. In parallel, Ione Belarra will also see what could have been the first social rights law of democracy remain in limbo.

This same Thursday, the bill regulating Artistic Education was going to be approved for submission to the Senate and a decree with measures against drought and the promotion of the use of collective public transport by young people was going to be submitted to the validation debate. And at the same time, the Industry Law that the Government planned to approve "immediately" is deactivated, as well as the parity law, which reserved quotas for women in economic, political and institutional decision-making bodies and has not even reached Congress.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

The dissolution of the Cortes will also bury several legislative projects that affect different economic sectors, and to which companies had shown strong opposition as is the case of the Customer Service Law or the one that creates the new Financial Customer Defense Authority, whose approval was finalized in the Senate.

In the case of the Customer Service Law, employers such as DigitalES warned last week that the increase in costs to comply with obligations such as attending 95% of calls in a personalized way would be "unaffordable" for many companies. Indirectly, the 'burial' of this law also takes with it one of the promises of Sánchez in the campaign of the municipal: the oncological oblivion, since the PSOE intended to approve it through an amendment to this project.

GAS AID

If the new Financial Customer Defense Authority is taken into account, there is the paradox that the main business concern for the suspension of its processing comes from the energy sector. Government incorporated a transitional provision that had become the only way for many industrial companies intensive in gas consumption, such as large ceramic groups, to access the line of aid of 450 million euros aimed at alleviating the energy cost overrun in this type of companies.

It is a moratorium to which these companies were going to be able to benefit to avoid the obligation to pay suppliers in 60 days imposed by the Late Payment Law to access public aid. For many of these companies, the dissolution of the Cortes is a slamming door to this oxygen balloon.

ELECTRICITY MARKET REFORM

However, in general, the electoral advance has surprised this sector in full regulatory truce, after a year of regulatory maelstrom that has left few important issues in the process of approval. Some, such as the bill of the National Fund for the Sustainability of the Electricity System (FNSS) or the reduction of CO2 revenues, have been in the drawer for months, so their paralysis would not be linked to Sánchez's turn. Others, such as the reform of the regulated electricity bill (the PVPC), given its regulatory nature, may not be affected by the new political scenario and the sector expects them to be approved by the Council of Ministers as soon as possible.

On the other hand, it could compromise the arrival of other measures such as the Royal Decree of Energy Communities, as well as the Mining Law, which, like Industry, will have to wait for a new legislature for its materialization.

MOBILITY AND AUTOMOTIVE

In the field of transport, the text of greater entity affected by the events is the Law of Sustainable Mobility, although the elections also suppose the paralysis of the creation of an independent agency to investigate rail, maritime and civil aviation accidents.

Likewise, in the automotive field, the call for elections sows uncertainty about the attraction of investments. The great project that the sector is still waiting for is the second delivery of the PERTE of the Electric and Connected Vehicle (VEC). Its development does not have to be affected, since it can be processed in the Council of Ministers. The initial plan is for it to start at the beginning of June. At least as far as electric car battery plants are concerned, for which Brussels has authorized funds for 832 million euros. There is also a second line for individual projects. This second call is key, for example, for Stellantis to bring its future electric cars to Spain. And BYD would be evaluating it for a possible battery gigafactory. Almost 2,200 million euros remained unallocated from the first PERTE VEC.

Likewise, in the Renault Group they continue to expect the Spanish Executive to position itself clearly against the Euro 7 standard of polluting emissions. He wants it because in the coming weeks he will decide where the world headquarters of Horse, the company of combustion and hybrid cars that he has created together with the Chinese Geely and the oil company Aramco, will be located. Spain competes for that venue with Romania, which has gained an advantage for its rejection of the rule.

The negotiations between Industry and manufacturers to carry out fiscal cut measures, or improvements in the aid of the Moves III Plan, in order to boost the sale of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, are also deadlocked.

PATRONAGE AND CINEMA

In the audiovisual and arts sector, the electoral call truncates the approval of another text that has several legislatures occupying folders in the hemicycle such as the reform of the Patronage Law. In addition, the approval of the new Film Law or the creation of the Spanish Office of Copyright and Related Rights is also truncated.

In the same vein, the development and transposition of several European directives that affect a wide spectrum of issues, ranging from cooperation in taxation, to the prosecution of fraud in different areas, is slowed down.

Government of Spain
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