The taking into consideration of the proposed amendment to the constitutional reform proposal presented by the socialist and popular parliamentary groups in order to guarantee budgetary stability in all public administration services was supported by 318 votes in favour, 16 against and 2 abstentions. The immediate passage of this proposal under the 'single reading' method [a legislative procedure used to speed up Parliamentary processes when circumstances demand an urgent legislative solution] was backed by 319 votes in favour to 17 against.
After the voting, the President of the Government said he was "very satisfied" because the Lower House of Parliament has given the green light to processing this constitutional reform that is "really very important for Spain at this time".
The socialist and popular parliamentary groups reached an agreement in this regard on 26 August following the speech by the President of the Government at the plenary session of the Lower House of Parliament on 23 August. In his speech, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero expressed the Government's desire to include a rule in the Spanish Constitution to guarantee budgetary stability in the medium and long term, both in terms of the structural deficit and the debt, which would be of a binding nature for all Public Administration services. Such action is already being considered by other large European economies.