The Basque Chamber does not reach a minimum agreement on the increase in the price of electricity

The Basque Parliament has debated this Thursday about different measures to curb rising electricity prices, an issue that worries all the groups that, however, have been unable to reach a minimum agreement and finally no initiative has been approved.

This debate promoted by EH Bildu through a motion occurs on the same day that Congress debates the Government decree law to curb the price of electricity that, among other issues, cuts the benefits that facilities that do not use gas or use CO2 rights obtain in the market.

This decree will be supported by EH Bildu in Congress, while the PNV, as revealed during the debate in the Basque Chamber, will abstain because, although it shares some of the measures, it considers that companies will be targeted at some energy costs that could affect employment and cause more ERTE.

The PNV spokesman in Congress, Aitor Esteban, already considered yesterday that the solution to cut benefits to electricity companies is “simple” and impacts on consumer companies that also have to assume the shortage of raw materials and their high prices.

In the plenary session of the Basque Parliament, a transactional amendment by EH Bildu and Elkarrekin Podemos-IU that only these groups have supported and an amendment to the entire PP + Cs only endorsed by this group. Both have been rejected and the Chamber has remained silent in the face of a problem that affects consumers and companies. Vox has not participated in either the debate or the vote.

The most bitter confrontation has been between the PNV and EH Bildu. The parliamentarian of the sovereignist coalition Mikel Otero has accused the nationalists of being in favor of the big electricity companies, especially from Iberdrola, and the jeltzale Unai Grajales has replied that Euskadi is not competent in this matter and that this problem is “global”.

Otero has considered a “looted” the price of electricity and has denounced the “war” that the electricity companies have opened when it has been proposed cut your “illegitimate” profits.

He has criticized that the Basque Government has proposed that the State eliminate all fees from the electricity bill, and assume their cost directly, something that according to Otero means that all citizens pay a subsidy of the rate for the industry.

In the same sense, David Soto, from Elkarrekin Podemos-IU, has denounced the defense of the PNV of the energy oligopoly that is “blackmailing” the Government of Spain.

The nationalist Unai Grajales has defended a strategy to defend the industry against high energy prices because they endanger employment and has warned that if the electricity companies pass on their losses to industrial customers, a serious problem will be generated.

In his speech, Grajales did not mention the measures proposed by EH Bildu and Elkarrekin Podemos in their transaction and pointed out that Basque institutions are working “to meet the needs of citizens.”

From the PSE-EE, Alberto Alonso has recognized that he shares more or less with EH Bildu the diagnosis of the situation but has stressed that from the first minute the Government of Pedro Sánchez has adopted measures to confront the problem.

The PP + Cs group has proposed in its amendment that the Basque Government guarantee economic benefits for the most vulnerable groups due to the increase in the price of electricity, and has urged the central government to modify the value added tax law to make permanent reduction of VAT on electricity from 21 to 10%, among other measures.

The transactional amendment of EH Bildu and Elkarrekin Podemos-IU that has not gone ahead raised, among other issues, the increase in the items destined to the promotion of self-consumption and energy communities, a study for the creation of a public company act like electric marketer, and increase the amount of social emergency aid so that the most vulnerable can face the price increase.