The Balearic parliament will this week hold its annual debate about general policy in the region. Prior to this debate, parties' representatives (although not all the parties it would seem) have been invited to a meeting at the government's Consolat de Mar headquarters to discuss the current economic situation.
This is scheduled to take place on Monday. Among the opposition parties, Ciudadanos (Cs) and Vox say they haven't received invitations. The Partido Popular and El Pi are adamant that they won't be attending. Més in Minorca, separate to Més in Mallorca but generally supportive of the government, are unsure whether they will attend.
The PP's Toni Costa justifies his party's refusal to meet the president because he believes that the gathering is all about "taking a photo". "For a second year ahead of the general policy debate, Armengol is engaging in propaganda and trying to relegate the debate to the background and ignore parliament, as she has been doing for four years. The Popular Party wish to discuss proposals for problems that concern the public and not waste time having photos taken. Therefore, we have declined the invitation.
"We have been reaching out for a year and making proposals to Armengol for major agreements on matters such as EU Next Generation funds and the tourism law, but we have always received a 'no'. What Armengol has to do is to stop having ever more photos taken and listen. Listen to the Confederation of Balearic Business Associations and the Pimem federation for small businesses when they, for instance, point to European funds not getting to businesses."
El Pi's president, Tolo Gili, stresses that "we are not against sitting down and listening to what Armengol has to say, but not one day before the general policy debate". He highlights the fact that there is already "the Reactivation Pact" for political parties and employers' and union representatives to meet. The Monday meeting, in his view, "is more an act of propaganda than a meeting to assess the current situation".
The regional coordinator of the Cs in the Balearics, Patricia Guasp, says that her party will not be attending, because "this type of meeting must take place within the framework of the Reactivation Pact." "It is shameful that she intends to hold a meeting now, just on the eve of the general policy debate, when she has not called the Reactivation Pact since March. This is the forum which is supposed to reach agreements and take measures to reactivate the islands' economy.
"We are not going to be part of a propaganda attempt by President Armengol. She wants everyone to believe that she is committed to dialogue with the opposition, when in reality she ignores us for everything that doesn't earn her political capital. The Cs only found out about this meeting through the media and other parties. We have not received any invitation and we don't know who has been summoned to the meeting."
Vox's Jorge Campos says they haven't received an invitation and wouldn't have attended even if they had. He is critical of "one more example of the lack of democratic spirit of Sra. Armengol's government". The meeting is a "whitewashing operation for disastrous management and the division represented by Sra. Armengol". Moreover, "it's a joke just 24 hours before the general policy debate".