Council of Ministers

Government proposes constitutional reform to restrict privileges of MPs and cabinet ministers

2018.11.30

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Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Council of Ministers presented the draft reform of Articles 71.3 and 102.2 of the Spanish Constitution with the aim of abolishing privileges for Members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament and cabinet ministers in the event of committing a criminal offence outside of the exercise of their position.

The reform establishes that those privileges provided for in the Constitution will only be applicable to those criminal offences committed in the direct exercise of their duties during their term of office.

The draft bill must be submitted to consultation by the General Council of the Judiciary, which will have one month to give its opinion, and will then be presented to Parliament before the end of 2018.

The Vice-President of the Government, Minister for the Presidency, Parliamentary Relations and Equality, Carmen Calvo, stated that the government will assign a one-year deadline to incorporate any legal amendments to allow this reform to come into force.

Carmen Calvo recalled that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced the reform on 17 September, coinciding with his first 100 days in office, and that the Council of Ministers, on 21 September initiated the procedure and asked for an opinion from the Council of State. This advisory body issued a positive report backing the proposal on 15 November.

The Vice-President of the Government stated that whilst this is a minor reform it is important from a political perspective because it limits "public office to the strict exercise of duties", and prevents privilege being invoked during a "temporary mandate".

Carmen Calvo added that the draft constitutional reform falls under the concept of democratic regeneration and of enhancing public confidence in the strength of institutions and in the "extraordinary maturity of our constitutional model". She also said that it brings the regulation of the figure of privilege in Spain on a similar level to other European countries such as France and Italy.

Carmen Calvo announced that the President of the Government will begin a round of contacts with the spokespersons of the parliamentary groups to seek support for the reform before its passage through Parliament.

Less red tape and greater equality in access to public employment

Pool Moncloa/JM CuadradoThe Council of Ministers agreed that henceforth the obstacles will be removed from those people suffering from AIDS, diabetes, celiac disease and psoriasis from taking part in public employment offers.

At present, these are generic causes for exclusion in certain areas, such as the State law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, customs surveillance bodies and penitentiary institutions, a situation which, according to the Vice-President of the Government, "is discriminatory for almost 7 million people".

The agreement strengthens the constitutional guarantees under Article 14 and free access to the civil service, as well as equal treatment and equality between men and women.

Reindus: 400 million euros in industrial aid

The Council of Ministers approved the Re-industrialisation and Strengthening Industrial Competitiveness Programme 2018 (Reindus), with an allocation of 400 million euros. Its aim is to increase the weight of industry in Spanish GDP to 20% and compensate "an oversized services sector", said the Vice-President of the Government

This new public aid programme could amount to an induced investment of 560 million euros, and create around 1,000 new jobs. The period to present proposals will end on 31 January 2019.

40th Mixed Agricultural Insurance Plan

The government approved the 40th Mixed Agricultural Insurance Plan, with an allocation of 211.27 million euros to subsidise the cost of insurance premiums, which includes two new features: a new credit line for persimmon crops and a new line for cherry crops.

Over recent years, the Mixed Agricultural Insurance System has become an effective tool for managing risks that cannot be controlled by producers of agricultural and livestock holdings. The Vice-President of the Government stressed its importance for "a fundamental sector for understanding the economic structure of our country".

Other agreements

Pool Moncloa/JM CuadradoThe government allocated close to 2 million euros for emergency works to repair the damage caused by sea storms and heavy rainfall in October in the provinces of Castellon, Tarragona and Majorca. The works, already underway, are scheduled to be completed at the end of February in Castellon and Tarragona and by Easter Week 2019 in Majorca.

Upon a proposal from the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Council of Ministers authorised a contract worth more than 32 million euros for the operation and maintenance of the Alicante I and Alicante II desalination plants and another contract worth 20.4 million euros for the Automatic Hydrological Information System in the Ebro river basin.

40th anniversary of Spanish Constitution

At the last Council of Ministers before the 40th anniversary of the Constitution, the Vice-President of the Government thanked those who made it possible for their work and stressed that its celebration "is an important responsibility and a constant reminder and example of our model of democratic co-existence".

Carmen Calvo stated that the commemorative events organised are necessary because "the Spanish people have gone through a great period in our history and it is worthwhile reminding ourselves of that".

Non official translation