NGOs bemoan slashes in overseas aid

Reaction to the government’s announcement on Friday of a 27.3-billion austerity package was divided along party lines. Nevertheless, officials from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) bemoaned the fact that the biggest cuts would be made to the government’s overseas aid and development programs.

One source from the sector said that the cutbacks will be “a devastating blow” to international aid, and could mean putting “a lot of people out of work.”

Among the ministries that will see the biggest cuts are Foreign Affairs (54 percent) and Public Works (34.6 percent).

The Catalan Republic Left (ERC) leader, Alfred Bosch, said that the budget to him is like “one of war and not crisis,” because spending has been increased for defense and security.

“There is little for competition and public works, and more for weapons,” he said.

The two areas where the smallest cuts have been made are the Interior Ministry (4.3 percent) and the prime minister’s office (3.8 percent).

The Catalan nationalist CiU bloc said that it would only vote in favor of the measures if there are no cuts to regional budgets.

Socialist leaders were quick to criticize the announcement by the Popular Party (PP) government of an amnesty for those Spaniards who have overseas accounts to avoid paying taxes and people who are paid under the table so that they can regulate their financial situation with the treasury tax agency AEAT.

According to the Socialists, the PP, in particular secretary general María Dolores De Cospedal, attacked the previous government, led by Socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, for trying to introduce such an amnesty in 2010.

But the PP government said that this was a different type of measure, and not the “bargaining” that Zapatero wanted, whereby the government “tried to collect money” from those who worked in the underground economy.