Spain: government unveils anti-corruption package
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented 15 anti-corruption measures on Wednesday, after several leading members of his PSOE party have been placed under investigation in recent weeks. The measures include the establishment of a new supervisory authority and the use of advanced data analyses to detect fraud. Commentators question the effectiveness of the proposed action plan.
Tougher sanctions would help
Political analyst Cristina Monge offers solutions in El País:
“Spain is not a corrupt country. No one has ever had to slide a 50-euro note across the table to get a prescription for an antibiotic from the doctor. ... But it has a corruption problem in the area of public procurement. ... It is essential to make the Court of Auditors more robust and create a stricter sanctions system. ... If companies that have participated in an act of corruption are excluded from contracts with public authorities for ten years, then it is only consistent that the same should apply to political parties: they should be banned from receiving public funding for the same period.”
Just a quick fix
Gemma Martínez, deputy editor-in-chief of El Periódico de Catalunya, expresses disappointment:
“Corruption in the awarding of public works contracts is a structural and systemic problem that exists at every level in public administration, political parties and companies. ... Although correct in their intention, the measures announced in Congress by Sánchez yesterday fall far short of what is necessary, they lack a broad political consensus and the timetable for implementation is too long. ... The plan is just a quick fix that will probably do little more than buy some time. ... How different the fight against corruption would be had it been negotiated as a pact between the two major parties instead.”
The perfect plan – but only for believers
Eldiario.es columnist Elisa Beni is completely disillusioned:
“The famous anti-corruption package is a mixture of existing, inefficient and dangerous measures that could have the opposite of the promised effect. ... If you're not capable of detecting problems, you can't solve them: two party secretaries under indictment, a third who was appointed to introduce reforms but couldn't even take office, a bunch of discredited confidants and advisers this is not the best calling card for a supposed renewer [Sánchez]. ... These measures will lead to nothing. ... A perfect plan for the believers – it's just a pity that their number is dwindling with each day that passes.”