The president of the Independent Authority of Fiscal Responsibility (Airef), Cristina Herrero, believes that the Government attempts against the independence of the body that directs. “We have already said for a long time that these types of measures attempt against our independence and of course against our management autonomy,” said Wednesday, being asked about the commission for the sustainability of pensions. This interpretation is the one that has led to the institution, as Herrero explained, to raise a consultation to the State Advocacy to say if the government can impose this and other orders. Sources from the Ministry of Social Security claim to respect “the absolute respect for the independence and autonomy of the airf, which the Government defends in all forums.”
This scenario derives from the request for the examination of the pension exam. Airef has already made the corresponding exam, which distributed: although it avoided recommending a pension adjustment, it warned of sustainability worsening. This examination did not satisfy the European Commission, annoying to be part of the exam which Hacienda makes social security (resources that do not come from contributions) to finance benefits. Therefore, the Government has asked the airf to repeat the exam without taking into account these income and, as established by the Royal Decree that articulates the petition, it must be faced before June 1, 2026.
“We do not understand it. Does anyone really think that the vision of the sustainability of the pension system changes in a year? In fact, it has not changed in three years,” said Herrero, in reference to the periodicity that in principle marked the law for that exam. “We continue to say the same, that the reform of the pension system has increased the imbalance of social security accounts by more than one point of GDP.” That examination showed that the expense that will rise at 3.4 GDP points up to 2050, four tenths more than calculated three years ago, despite the improvement of the economy.
The President of the Airef has stressed that if she had to do the exam next year “I would take exactly the same transfers” that were used for the previous one, “put what the regulations put; I do not know if they find out very well neither the commission nor at the national level.”
Herrero has mentioned the regulations regulated by the agency to affirm that an attack on its independence is taking place. “[Hay] An organic law that says very clearly what we have to make, reports that are the ones that are, not one more, or detailed. somehow contravene what our Organic Law says. ”
Consult the State Advocacy
“You have to stop this drift,” Herrero insisted, annoyed because “via Royal Decree, the operation, management autonomy and independence of the airf is disrupted.” Given this diagnosis, Herrero announced Wednesday that his body has raised a consultation to the State Advocacy to, “in some way, know exactly if the interpretation” of the institution that presides “is correct or not.”
Then, the president of the Airef has detailed that consultation better: “The opinions are voluntary and cannot be imposed by a law; the reports are what the airf has to do, and they are the ones that our organic law says. If one sees all the laws that have been in recent years and that introduce airf evaluations, they call them in all ways (opinion or report). For example, this Royal Decree of pensions will be requested to be requested an additional report ”.
For all the above, Herrero asks the law that “the terminology is clarified, it is not trivial”, and that the regulations say, “that the reports are what are and that the opinions are voluntary.” He added “that the only possible route is an evaluation commission, and that the airf in exercise of its independence and management autonomy determines what will evaluate, what is the methodology and what is the calendar.” “That is what we want to tell us, if we are interpreting well,” said Herrero.
Social Security answers
After these statements by Herrero, Fuentes of the Ministry of Social Security claim to respect the opinions of Airef and trust “fully” in their independence. “As the fact that pension reform includes a review mechanism based on an evaluation report by this institution,” they add.
After the exam presented in March, Social Security justifies the new commission: “We have identified some issues that can be improved in the face of the exercise here to three years, which go in line with the recommendations of the Airef itself and other international organizations.” The Ministry of Elma Saiz emphasizes that “it is an additional report that the Government will ask the Airef in June 2026” and that “it is a follow -up report only and not an evaluation.”
