Sánchez, Feijóo trade corruption allegations in parliamentary session
The first parliamentary session in Spain since a top aide of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was implicated in a corruption scandal took place on Wednesday. The session quickly turned chaotic with various lawmakers calling on Sánchez to resign as political pressure mounts against him.
People's Party (PP) lawmakers banged their seats and shouted "Resignation, resignation!" The scene orchestrated by Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, who left the chamber without listening to Sánchez, and staring at him with contempt as he passed by.
'You are indecent. And not even your supporters have any doubt about that. All of Spain knows it. You are corrupt and a traitor,' said Abascal before leaving the chamber.
The Spanish premier chose to deploy an offensive tactic as he referenced corruption cases linked with other parties. Sánchez spoke of the Gürtel case, which implicated hundreds of PP officers, some who subsequently resigned, with corruption, including bribery, money laundering and tax evasion.
The PP parliamentary caucus erupted and the situation quickly turned chaotic, with Parliament Speaker Francina Armengol struggling to control the session.
'You are a president deeply trapped in a corruption scheme. No matter how much you disguise it, you are not the victim. The victims are the Spanish people,' said Alberto Núñez Feijóo, President of the PP.
'You came to say you won't call elections because you would lose them. You don't have to save the Spanish people from themselves; the Spanish people have to save themselves from you, and they await your resignation letter,' he added.
Sánchez then said that the only thing he's going to address are the PP corruption cases, which are set to be tried in the coming months.
Sánchez has completely changed his tone, moving from last week's apology to a coordinated offensive against the opposition PP and Vox. The Spanish leader believes they lack the legitimacy to speak about corruption given their serious graft cases.
The difference, as Sánchez notes, is that the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) acts as soon as there are signs, while the PP and Vox cover up corruption.
Sánchez attempted to steer the session away from the PSOE's corruption case, but to no avail.
The last few days have been very tense since audio recordings were released by Spanish police last week.
The tapes confirmed that the third highest ranking PSOE official who's since resigned, Santos Cerdán, was involved in an illegal scheme which saw him take kickbacks in return for awarding public work contracts. Cerdan has denied any wrongdoing.
The European Parliament called on Wednesday for an extra one-and-a-half years to continue spending money under the EU's €650 billion post-pandemic plan, Next GenerationEU.
The resolution, drafted by Romanian MEPs Victor Negrescu and Siegfried Mureşan, was adopted by 421 votes to 180, and with 55 abstentions. It stressed the need to ensure that key investments financed by the plan's so-called Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) reach the finish line before the deadline foreseen in August 2026.
It proposed time extensions should apply only to projects that are already well underway and likely to succeed with additional time.
Lawmakers also warned that the limited time remaining to allocate and implement the remaining RRF resources poses serious obstacles to completing critical reforms, large-scale investments, and innovative programs in some countries.
With around 70% of objectives and milestones still unmet, MEPs urged the European Commission to consider setting up successor mechanisms that are both adaptive and forward-looking, while providing a stable framework for replace the plan to guarantee continued investment.
'Critical investments risk being left unfinished after the end of the Facility in August 2026. I called for an extension of funding of 18 months for mature projects and demanded that unfinished projects can continue under other EU instruments such as the cohesion funds, InvestEU, or a future Competitiveness Fund,' said Socialist MEP Victor Negrescu, co-rapporteur on behalf of the Parliament's Committee on Budgets.
'Today, the Parliament is sending a clear message: we stand by the citizens and fight for the finalisation of essential projects.'
According to the resolution adopted by the Parliament, the RRF has been vital in preventing economic fragmentation within the EU's single market while spurring post-pandemic recovery.
Looking forward, they call for targeted investment in areas such as defence, education, and high-speed cross-border transport infrastructure, while encouraging member states to revise their national investment strategies, in order to enhance the EU's energy independence.
'We are calling for a review of how unspent RRF funds can support Europe's new strategic priorities, notably strengthening competitiveness and reinforcing our defence capabilities. In the face of rising geopolitical tensions, Europe must act decisively to defend its citizens," stated European People's Party's MEP Siegfried Mureşan, who is co-rapporteur for the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.
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