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WORLD NEWS Thursday 8 OcTOber 2020
Spain unveils economic recovery plan amid pandemic

By BARRY HATTON Associ- Teresa Ribera, highlighted
ated Press the plan's focus on environ-
LISBON, Portugal (AP) mentally friendly growth.
— Spain's prime minis- "We will support the growth
ter unveiled a major plan of industry by helping it
Wednesday to boost his digitalize and meet envi-
country out of recession by ronmental challenges, by
spending 140 billion euros recovering the use of raw
($162 billion) of European materials, a circular econ-
Union aid to reshape the omy, and having qualified
economy, with the aim of professionals," Ribera said.
creating 800,000 jobs over "The new economic model
the next three years. within the planet's sustain-
The program is a response able limits will help and
to the sharp downturn guide our reconversion to-
caused by the coronavirus ward green jobs. We have
pandemic and its world- the opportunity to trans-
wide disruption of econo- form our country."
mies. The plan focuses pri- Another massive spending
marily on getting Spain to plan, using national tax rev-
transition to green energy enue and loans taken by
and a digital economy, the government on interna-
which will take up about tional money markets, is ex-
70% of the financing. pected to be announced
"We have to turn this heavy A woman gets a rapid antigen test for COVID-19 in the southern neighbourhood of Vallecas in next week when the 2021
blow into an opportunity," Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Associated Press. state budget proposal is
Prime Minister Pedro Sán- published. In preparation
chez said, referring to the world's biggest trading bloc ed economic contraction ment's strategy aims to for that, the government
pandemic's far-reaching exit its deepest-ever reces- of 8.2% this year, expects to achieve growth of 7.2% this week raised its limit on
effects on society and the sion. rebound with 7.5% growth next year. public spending by almost
economy. "This is the chal- France last month unveiled next year. The Greek econ- It is built on 10 main planks. 54%.
lenge of our generation." a 100 billion-euro ($116 bil- omy is set to benefit from They include strengthening The plan announced
Spain this week became lion) plan called "France 32 billion euros in EU funds the public health service, Wednesday will be sent to
the first EU country to sur- Reboot," that includes 40 through 2026 — 19.3 billion improving public infrastruc- Brussels for approval by the
pass 835,000 coronavirus billion euros ($46 billion) in grants and 12.7 billion in ture, transitioning to green European Commission. The
infections, with 32,562 peo- from the EU recovery plan. loans with favorable inter- energy and enhancing national budget will need
ple in Spain confirmed to Germany has a 130 billion est rates and terms. energy efficiency, devel- to get the Spanish parlia-
have died from COVID-19. euro stimulus package for The Spanish government oping professional training ment's support.
The capital, Madrid, is ex- 2020 and 2021, to be spent expects the country's econ- schemes and accelerating The economic damage will
periencing Europe's worst on infrastructure, digitali- omy to contract 11.2% this the digital modernization of take time to heal, especial-
second wave of infections. zation and green energy year. In some sectors, such Spanish industry. ly in terms of public debt.
Spain is the latest EU coun- projects such as electric as tourism, the drop could "The world has changed The Spanish government
try to say how it intends to vehicles. Italy is sketching a be as much as 25%. Offi- and we need to change, has already spent billions
use the bloc's 750-billion- roadmap along similar lines cials expect an unemploy- too, to safeguard our fu- protecting businesses and
euro coronavirus recovery to Spain, dubbing it #next- ment rate of around 17% ture," Sánchez said. jobs. It foresees a budget
fund, approved last July generationitalia. this year and next. Spain's deputy prime minis- deficit of 11.3% of GDP this
and designed to help the Greece, after an anticipat- The Socialist-led govern- ter for ecological transition, year and 7.7% in 2021. q

Belgium's 1st transgender vice premier target of verbal barb

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium's gender identity does not our Western civilization."
first transgender politician define you as a person and De Sutter's party colleague,
to reach the higher ech- is a non-issue." legislator Bjorn Rzoska,
elons of government has "I hope that my appoint- decried attempts to "de-
come under stinging at- ment as Minister and Dep- humanize her." Rzoska
tack from the country's ex- uty PM can trigger the de- received the backing of
treme right, only days after bate in countries where the legislature chairper-
she was appointed. this is not yet the case," she son, Liesbeth Homans on
The new Belgian govern- wrote on Twitter. Wednesday. Even though
ment sworn in Saturday in- On Wednesday though, Homans defended the
cludes Green Vice Premier she immediately became right of free speech, she
Petra De Sutter, a professor an issue and faced bitter added that personally she
specializing in gynecology criticism in the regional par- found Claes' comments
and fertility who had been liament of her native Flan- "extremely reprehensible."
In this Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020 file photo,the newly appointed a member of the EU parlia- ders in northern Belgium. Claes, however, would not
Belgian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Civil Services and ment since last year. Bart Claes of the Flemish back down, saying in an-
State-owned companies, Petra De Sutter, center speaks with
new Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and new Bel- She posted upon her ap- Interest party had posted other Facebook post that
gian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, right, during a group photo pointment that she was on Facebook that De Sut- "I don't see the problem. I
after a swearing in ceremony for the new government at the "proud that in (Belgium) ter "wants to destroy and said that a transgender ... is
Royal Palace in Brussels. Associated Press. and in most of (the EU) your replace all cornerstones of a transgender."q