Overview
- Carlos Cuerpo, who took his first Senate control session Tuesday as deputy prime minister and economy minister, kept a calm tone and offered talks with the conservative PP.
- The PP’s spokesperson Alicia García tied his debut to the start of ex-minister José Luis Ábalos’s trial and accused Cuerpo of shielding “sanchismo,” signaling he is now a top target for the opposition.
- Cuerpo answered with numbers, citing growth roughly double the eurozone, claims that Spain created about 40% of new jobs in the EU, and fresh data showing 22 million Social Security affiliations reported Monday.
- He also argued that take-home pay has improved, saying real net remuneration rose about 3.5% in recent years compared with 1% in the prior period, as PP senators pressed him on lost purchasing power and higher bills.
- Other groups raised policy issues, with EH Bildu asking about his biggest challenges, Izquierda Confederal focusing on costly fuel in the Canary Islands, and the session closing without any question for new finance minister Arcadi España after the late-March reshuffle.