Valencia's PP government writes Vox's 'national priority' into 2026 budget, redirects Red Cross aid to immigration crime study

A two-day parliamentary push

On Monday, 13 July, the PP and Vox used their combined majority of seven votes against the six from PSPV and Compromís to approve amendments that embedded the "national priority" principle in housing aid. The measure obliges authorities to favour applicants who can prove a durable connection to the region, a language lifted directly from Vox's programme. By Tuesday morning, the same principle was extended to social services and the Renta Valenciana de Inclusión (RVI), the region's minimum-income scheme. The commission on Economy, Budgets and Finance approved the changes with the identical 7-6 split, and the two groups signalled that further legislative adaptation would follow in the accompanying budget law.

What the principle means in practice

Vox's text, now part of the draft budget, stipulates that public resources must be allocated "in accordance with current law, ensuring priority for those who maintain real, lasting and verifiable roots in the Valencian Community, with the aim of securing the applicant's effective and emotional bond to the region." For RVI, a proposed reform will require three years of uninterrupted residence prior to the application or ten years of alternating residence within the last thirty. The same rootedness test will apply to aid for homeless people, programmes to reduce female poverty, and new family subsidies for child-rearing and extracurricular activities.

The national priority is the guiding principle that inspires housing and social services policies. Yesterday our housing amendments were passed and today we expect the same in social services, as part of the pact with the Popular Group.

The Red Cross cut and the immigration study

The most contentious amendment, signed by Vox's José María Llanos and PP spokesman Fernando Pastor, reduces the Emergencies and Interior department's allocation by 10,000 euros. The cut eliminates a credit that was designated for the humanitarian organisation Cruz Roja for emergency situations, and reassigns the funds to "obtain objective data on the impact of new socio-demographic realities on crime" and to "study new criminal realities derived from the socio-demographic changes caused by immigration." The vote on that specific amendment is expected on Wednesday, 15 July.

Reactions from the opposition

PSPV and Compromís described the budget as "cheap literature" and accused the PP of being "folded to Vox's dictates." A PSPV representative said the party would fight the measures "to the last consequences" and challenge them in court. The PP dismissed the threat as a "brindis al sol" and challenged the socialists to sue the many mayors who already apply a similar priority approach. Vox, for its part, celebrated the incorporation of its core demands into the accounts, calling them "the best possible for the Valencians" even if they do not fully reflect its programme.

Where is the ceiling of indignity of the Consell?

New spending lines and next steps

The amendments also increase the budget for international cooperation from 300,000 to 600,000 euros and add a 2.5 million euro item for the repatriation of unaccompanied foreign minors. The budget is expected to pass once the remaining amendments are voted, guaranteeing President Pérez Llorca the financial framework he has described as indispensable for the stability of his government. The precise eligibility criteria for the new RVI and the detailed regulations applying the national priority principle will be fleshed out during the debate on the accompanying law, where Vox is expected to demand even stricter residency requirements.