Pedro Sánchez trusts that the decree of energy saving measures will go ahead in Congress this Thursday with the support of his usual allies. With that conviction, he takes advantage of the negative vote of the PP to delve into the offensive that the Government has been deploying for weeks to stop the rise of Alberto Núñez Feijóo in the polls. The ministers have been very critical these days with the popular leader and today Sánchez hammered home the nail by calling the attitude of the main opposition party "denier", as well as irresponsible and contrary "to common sense and the general interest".
The Government considered, on Wednesday night, that it has the necessary support to approve on Thursday the decree that includes everything from temporary free transport passes to the limitation of air conditioning and heating, passing through scholarships for students, aid to truckers , among other. The PNV has already guaranteed its affirmative vote, while the ERC, although it did not want to reveal its position, did emphasize that these measures have been defended by its formation on many occasions. It remains to be seen what Más País or Bildu will do. Sánchez himself recalled, with a smile, that this government has suffered in many votes, but that it always ends up moving forward.
“Each one will have to explain why they vote against something that is in defense of the middle and working class,” insisted the president, which shows that in the coming months the Government will frequently remember the position of the PP in measures which he hopes will be well received by the majority of the population. The validation of this crucial decree in Congress catches Sánchez in full tour in Latin America and, specifically, in his first stop, in Colombia, where he met with President Gustavo Petro, an indisputable reference of the new batch of progressive leaders who are coming to power in the region.
It also coincides with the six months of war in Ukraine and the energy and food crisis that the invasion has caused. Precisely, Sánchez referred to France's reluctance to give the green light to Midcat, the gas connection project between Spain and the neighboring country in which Germany is very interested, one of the countries most affected by a closure of the gas tap by part of Vladimir Putin. Despite his good relations with Emmanuel Macron, Sánchez was not very confident in being able to convince him to carry out this infrastructure, which has the support of the European Commission, even willing to finance it in good part.
Sánchez even explained that in one of his meetings with Macron he told him that, when they were both still "in shorts", François Mitterrrand and Felipe González had already discussed the gas interconnection between the two countries and that nothing had progressed since then. But Sánchez's low confidence that the Midcat will take place was reflected in his reference to the fact that, if it is confirmed that it is not possible, they will try to make the connection between Barcelona and Italy a reality. "If there is no plan A, there will be plan B," he summed up.
