Spain's political scene has plunged into chaos just days before International Women's Day. The right-wing Vox party is grappling with a brutal internal war following the dismissal of José Ángel Antelo, accused of nepotism. Simultaneously, the regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura have become arenas for ideological clashes over the content of official declarations for March 8th, preventing the adoption of joint positions in local parliaments.

EU subsidies for farmers' social insurance and investment grants: Will they be suspended?

According to the government of Donald Tusk, farmers fear losing EU grants and direct payments due to problematic environmental investments and stringent climate requirements. The Ministry of Agriculture reassures that the funds are safe, but ongoing negotiations in Brussels regarding the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are causing concern.

The situation of Polish farmers in the context of EU subsidies

EU funds from the second pillar of the CAP, intended for rural development among other things, are in question due to difficulties in meeting the requirements of the Green Deal. Deputy Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski emphasizes that although the budget for 2023-2027 is approved, its renegotiation may be necessary to avoid penalties for non-utilization of funds. Farmers point to systemic obstacles, such as requirements for land fallowing, which they argue reduce production profitability.

The impact of trade with Ukraine on Polish agriculture

The context of the influx of agri-food goods from Ukraine is crucial in the debate about the future of EU subsidies. Representatives of the agricultural sector demand greater protection of the internal market, arguing that cheap food from across the eastern border destabilizes prices for domestic production. The government announces a fight for solutions more favorable to Poland within EU decision-making structures.

Preparations for this year's International Women's Day celebrations in Spain are taking place in an atmosphere of deep political and cultural divisions. The central government and regional authorities, such as the Junta de Extremadura, call for unity between women and men in the fight for equality, but parliamentary reality paints a very different picture. In Castilla-La Mancha, the regional parliament failed to adopt a joint institutional declaration for March 8th, a direct result of disagreements between the People's Party (PP) and the right-wing Vox party. The bone of contention remains the approach to feminism; while the left accuses the right of blocking progress, conservatives call for moving away from slogans in favor of concrete actions supporting equal opportunities. The situation on the right is further complicated by the escalation of conflict within the Vox party. The party leadership officially confirmed that the reason for the sudden removal of José Ángel Antelo, former vice-president of Murcia, were suspicions of him taking actions to benefit his wife financially. This unprecedented rupture has led to purges in local structures, including in Cartagena, where Mayor Noelia Arroyo had to make changes to the city council, replacing Antelo's people with loyalists of Santiago Abascal. Internal struggles within Vox, dubbed by satirical media as the 'A-rriba España team', are diverting attention from substantive debate on women's rights. The Spanish feminist movement is one of the strongest in Europe, and the mass demonstrations on March 8th since 2018 have regularly gathered hundreds of thousands of people, becoming a barometer of social sentiment and influencing key legislative reforms. Simultaneously in Madrid, the regional government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso is trying to regain political initiative after a series of crises. Announcements include the 'Plan Vive Universitario', a new form of public-private partnership for building student dormitories, and the conversion of 248 industrial plots into flexible and tourist rental properties. However, the opposition criticizes Ayuso for drastic cuts in science, amounting to 246 million euros, and insufficient funding for public universities.

Mentioned People