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LBCI
09-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Spain PM announces anti-corruption plan designed with OECD
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday announced an anti-corruption plan, designed in collaboration with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, in a bid to salvage confidence in his scandal-hit government. The 15-point plan was drawn up with the Paris-based organization's division for anti-corruption and integrity in government, Sanchez told parliament, following the revelation that two Socialist heavyweights were implicated in a graft affair. AFP
Khaleej Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Spain PM announces anti-graft plan as scandal rocks govt
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday announced an anti-corruption plan designed with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in a bid to salvage confidence in his scandal-hit government. But parliamentary allies expressed scepticism, maintaining doubt over the minority leftist coalition's viability after the implication of two former Socialist heavyweights and close Sanchez allies in a graft scandal. The crisis is particularly sensitive for a leader who came to power in 2018 vowing to clean up Spanish politics after the rival conservative Popular Party (PP) was convicted in its own graft affair. Sanchez announced a 15-point plan drawn up with the Paris-based OECD's division for anti-corruption and integrity in government during an address to parliament. They include the creation of an independent public integrity agency to fight corruption, with Sanchez saying existing mechanisms have "generated inefficiencies and vacuums of coordination". Enhanced data analysis aided by artificial intelligence will scan for "vulnerabilities" in public tenders, said Sanchez, after his former right-hand men were suspected of receiving kickbacks in the improper awarding of such contracts. Top officials would also undergo "random and annual wealth checks" during their time in the job, while parties and foundations receiving public funds above 50,000 euros ($58,500) would be obliged to face external audits. Whistleblowers would receive greater protection, specialised sections in courts would be created and the criminal code reformed to harshen punishments for offences against the public administration, added Sanchez. A bombshell police report into the scandal released last month implicated ex-transport minister Jose Luis Abalos and former top Socialist official Santos Cerdan, both key figures in Sanchez's rise to power. Separate investigations are underway against Sanchez's wife, brother and Socialist-appointed top public prosecutor, ratcheting up the pressure on one of Europe's longest-serving leftist leaders. Sanchez revealed he had considered resigning over the Cerdan affair, apologising but vowing not to "throw in the towel" and call early elections. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo dismissed Sanchez's explanations and reforms, saying the Socialists had "operated like a criminal organisation" for years. "We don't know where your direct responsibility begins and where it ends... How will you get us out of this nightmare if you got us into it?" he replied to Sanchez, demanding elections. The array of leftist and regional separatist parties propping up the government had demanded firm anti-corruption measures as the price for their continued support. Deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz of Sumar, the Socialists' far-left junior coalition partner, called Sanchez "honest" but said "progressive citizens are worried about corruption", urging him to "change direction". Catalan separatist party Junts, whose seven MPs are crucial for passing legislation, warned Sanchez they were "not here to put up with this farce". "You are in overtime, and overtime does not last a whole term," Junts parliamentary spokeswoman Miriam Nogueras told Sanchez. For Gabriel Rufian of left-wing Catalan separatists ERC, "the people must decide" through elections if corruption "permeated" the Socialists rather than being confined to a few individuals.
France 24
09-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Spain PM announces anti-graft plan as scandal rocks govt
The implication of two former Socialist heavyweights and close Sanchez allies in a graft scandal has rocked the minority leftist coalition and thrown its viability into doubt. The crisis is particularly sensitive for a leader who came to power in 2018 vowing to clean up Spanish politics after the rival conservative Popular Party (PP) was convicted in its own graft affair. Sanchez announced a 15-point plan drawn up with the Paris-based OECD's division for anti-corruption and integrity in government during an address to parliament. They include the creation of an independent public integrity agency to prevent, supervise and prosecute corruption, with Sanchez saying existing mechanisms have "generated inefficiencies and vacuums of coordination". Enhanced data analysis aided by artificial intelligence will scan for "vulnerabilities" in public tenders, said Sanchez, after his former right-hand men were suspected of receiving kickbacks in the improper awarding of such contracts. Top officials would also undergo "random and annual wealth checks" during their time in the job, while parties and foundations receiving public funds above 50,000 euros ($58,500) would be obliged to face external audits. Whistleblowers would receive greater protection, specialised sections in courts would be created and the criminal code reformed to harshen punishments for offences against the public administration, added Sanchez. A bombshell police report into the scandal released last month implicated ex-transport minister Jose Luis Abalos and former top Socialist official Santos Cerdan, both key figures in Sanchez's rise to power. Sanchez revealed he had considered resigning over the affair, apologising but defying the opposition by vowing not to "throw in the towel" and call early elections. Government wobbles Since the police report, Cerdan has relinquished his powerful post as Socialist organisation secretary and as an MP, while the party definitively expelled Abalos. The array of far-left and regional separatist parties propping up the government had demanded firm anti-corruption measures as the price for their continued support. Sanchez described the plan as "the biggest boost" to the fight against corruption in Spain "in recent decades". But PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo dismissed Sanchez's explanations and reform efforts, saying the Socialists had "operated like a criminal organisation" for years. "We don't know where your direct responsibility begins and where it ends... How will you get us out of this nightmare if you got us into it?" he replied to Sanchez, demanding elections. Separate investigations are underway against Sanchez's wife, brother and Socialist-appointed top public prosecutor, ratcheting up the pressure on one of Europe's longest-serving leftist leaders.
The Guardian
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Fresh scandal hits Spain's ruling party as official quits over sexual harassment claims
Pedro Sánchez's efforts to reset Spain's ruling socialist party after damaging corruption allegations that threatened to topple his coalition government have suffered a severe setback after a party official resigned over accusations of sexual harassment. The prime minister had hoped this weekend's meeting of the federal committee of his Spanish Socialist Workers' party (PSOE) would help the party move past weeks of scandals that have undermined the ethical and anti-corruption pledges on which it came to power seven years ago. But such hopes were flattened late on Friday night after the online newspaper elDiario published allegations from various female PSOE workers who said they had been subjected to sexual harassment by Francisco Salazar, who oversaw institutional coordination at the Moncloa palace, the office and official residence of the prime minister. The accusations prompted Salazar to announce on Saturday that he was stepping down from that post and from his new role as a deputy in the PSOE's organisational secretariat. He told elDiario he could not recall any inappropriate interactions. 'I've racked my brains over it and it seems mind-boggling to me,' he said. 'I keep wondering if I've screwed up and said something inappropriate to a workmate, and the truth is, I can't find [an example].' Sources at Moncloa, in Madrid, said an investigation had been launched, but added that no official complaints had so far been made against Salazar. On Saturday, Sánchez apologised again for what he called his misplaced confidence in those accused of wrongdoing, adding: 'I was wrong to place my trust in people who didn't deserve it, but we won't fall short in a time of democratic regeneration.' The prime minister, who is under growing pressure to call a snap election, said he had no intention of stepping down. 'The captain doesn't shirk his responsibility when the sea gets rough; he stays put to ride out the storm and guide the ship to port,' he said. Salazar's resignation is the latest blow to the prime minister's authority and judgment. On Monday, Santos Cerdán – who served as the PSOE's organisational secretary and was Sánchez' right-hand man – was remanded in custody after a supreme court judge found 'firm evidence' of his possible involvement in taking kickbacks on public construction contracts. The investigation began after the Guardia Civil police anti-corruption unit handed material to the court that suggested Cerdán had discussed taking such kickbacks with the former PSOE transport minister José Luis Ábalos and one of the minister's aides, Koldo García. Ábalos and García are also under investigation and have denied wrongdoing. Cerdán, who stepped down from his party role and resigned his parliamentary seat shortly after the news broke, has vowed to clear his name. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion Sánchez, who became prime minister in 2018 after using a motion of no confidence to turf the corruption-mired conservative People's party (PP) out of government, is already contending with graft investigations relating to his wife and his brother, who deny any wrongdoing. A former PSOE member was also recently implicated in an alleged smear campaign against the Guardia Civil unit investigating the corruption allegations. The PP said the latest allegations were further proof of the prime minister's poor judgment and his unfitness to lead the country. 'He has no credibility and his supposed fight against corruption and sexism is mere posturing,' PP sources said on Saturday. 'Sánchez is as good at being prime minister as he is at talent-spotting. Either there aren't many decent people in his party or he's not very good at choosing people who deserve to be in Spanish politics.' Calls for a fresh election are also beginning to bubble up within some sections of the socialist party. Emiliano García-Page, the PSOE president of the Castilla-La Mancha region, said the time had come to let parliament and the people have their say. According to elDiario, García-Page used Saturday's party meeting to ask Sánchez to consider holding a confidence vote in parliament. 'I don't know if we'll win it,' he said. 'But if we don't, then don't rule out the option of calling an election.'
Associated Press
03-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
European cheeses stand out at 'Summer Fancy Food' in New York, the most important fair of the year in the US for gourmet foods
The promotion and information campaign 'Discover the European Cheestories with cheeses from Spain', promoted by theInterprofessional Dairy Organization (InLac)with the support of the European Union, marked a new milestone with its participation in the prestigious 'Summer Fancy Food' in New York, the most important event of the year for gourmet foods in the USA. The fair, which took place between June 29 and July 1 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, featured an exhibition and tasting of European cheeses by Erin T. Connolly, certified cheese professional. Specifically, the references of the Arzúa-Ulloa PDO, Murcia PDO al Vino, Idiazabal PDO, Blended Cheese, Manchego PDO, Majorero PDO, Mahón-Menorca PDO, Tetilla PDO, Valdeón PGI or Zamorano PDO, among others, shone. Since 1955 the Specialty Food Association has organized the Fancy Food Shows that take place twice a year: Winter Fancy Food in San Francisco/Las Vegas in winter and Summer Fancy Food in New York in summer. The latter is the main edition. In this edition, Spain has also been the guest country at the fair, with strategic visibility and location to showcase its productions, marked by European production methods that prioritise quality, traceability, food safety, sustainability and welfare of farm animals. Connollyhighlighted the gastronomic benefits, excellence and versatility of European cheeses of Spanish origin: 'Europe can boast of having some of the best references in the world, made with cow's, goat's, sheep's milk or a mixture, in many cases from cattle of native breeds that can only be found there. In Spain alone we find more than 150 types of cheeses, among which some thirty stand out with quality figures or labels recognized by the EU, such as designations of origin or protected geographical indications, which coexist perfectly with the territories where they are produced. They are gastronomic jewels, authentically unique'. Participation in fairs has been one of the priorities of the 'Cheestories' promotional campaign, allowing the European sector to be present in relevant forums in New York, Las Vegas or Chicago, to publicise cheeses and help their unstoppable expansion in the USA', as the managing director of InLac recalled, Nuria María Arribas. 'Internationalization is unstoppable for our famous cheeses. In 2024, for example, exports of European cheese of Spanish origin to all foreign destinations increased in volume (+6.95% to 125,206 tonnes) and value (+4.57% to 839.42 million euros). Shipments to the US have an important weight, concentrating 14.45% in value and almost 8% in volume of the total, which makes it the third foreign market in the sector in value and the fourth in volume', Arribas stressed, although 'the growth potential is still enormous, so we are going to continue to bet firmly on this country'.
