The budget and Catalonia, a historical abuse
Rajoy is the first Spanish PM to have slashed investment spending in Catalonia since Franco’s death
There is an upside to the cold figures of the Spanish budget: they are unquestionable. While there is always some leeway for interpretation with other measures that are equally damaging to Catalan self-rule, such as the meagre transfer of funds to the regional government, regional investment figures, on the other hand, paint a clear picture of a government’s intent.
Since day one, the Rajoy administration has not concealed its ruthless agenda when it comes to Catalonia. In 2012 --his first year in office-- Rajoy slashed investment spending in Catalonia from 15.2 per cent in Zapatero’s last year down to 11.1 per cent. It then went up slightly in 2013 (11.9 per cent) only to drop again dramatically in 2014 (9.6 per cent) and on to an all-time low in 2015 (9.5 per cent). That is why yesterday Spanish Finance minister Cristóbal Montoro boasted that the resources allocated to Catalonia had grown to 10.7 per cent, a meagre percentage that is a far cry from the Catalan contribution to Spain’s GDP (19 per cent), as well as Catalonia’s share of the total population in Spain (15 per cent).
Today ARA aims to provide some historical perspective by working out the average investment spending in Catalonia of every Spanish prime minister since the end of General Franco’s regime. The emerging reality is that Rajoy is the first Spanish PM to have slashed investment spending in Catalonia, hence choking Spain’s economic workhorse amid a dramatic recession.
