The agenda of the economic commissions of Congress is full of extra sessions with the projects of the National Development Plan 2022-2026 and the budget addition for $25.4 billion presented by the Government.
The new president of the Third Committee of the Senate, Clara López, explained that this week the work will be intense with the project of the National Development Plan, which she believes will begin to vote on March 16, already in ordinary sessions.
Regarding the discussion of the budget addition, Senator López said that in the economic commissions it will be after the Development Plan.
THE NEW CENTURY: How do you see the work in the Third Commission on the legislative agenda, both in the extraordinary sessions and in the ordinary ones that begin in two weeks?
CLARA EUGENIA LOPEZ OBREGON: We have a very intense work and Development Plan. We have already held six sessions listening in marathon to all the ministers and department heads, who have explained each and every one of the articles that correspond to them in the Development Plan. They have been located in the different transformations.
Today we start at noon and we are going to meet Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for two things: to finish some queues that were pending for some of the 350 articles, which are no more than 10, and the multi-year investment plan, which is already the distribution of the budget for the four years in the strategic projects of the five transformations that the Development Plan brings.
ENS: According to your accounts, when would the first debate in the joint economic commissions be given to the project of the National Development Plan?
FOREHEAD: We aspire to have the almost 700 propositions that have been submitted already read and semi-digested, by March 16 to begin the process of agreeing on which articles have comments, which do not, to start voting.
Controversy
ENS: From what has been heard so far in the discussion of the Development Plan, what is the most controversial?
FOREHEAD: The issue of funds and extraordinary powers for the president has been very controversial, but there is also a lot of confusion because of the 19 or 20 funds mentioned in the Development Plan, only three are proposed by the current administration, the others are operating and what is sought is to improve their compliance.
Regarding the extraordinary powers, there is always the concern of Congress not to part with its functions, but with a change of government like the one we have experienced, powers are really necessary that allow the president to reorganize the public administration in order to implement this Development Plan.
ENS: Is the discussion of the budget addition that the Government presented parallel to that of the Development Plan or how will it be done?
FOREHEAD: The Development Plan first and the other after, we have not yet started the debate on the budget addition.
ENS: But do you think that the budget addition can be processed in the extra sessions?
FOREHEAD: I think it would extend to the ordinary ones.
ENS: What other important issues do you want to highlight at this time on the agenda of the Third Commission of the Senate of the Republic?
FOREHEAD: Here all financial issues, all economic issues are discussed. We already have a summons to the director of the DIAN to explain to us all the incidents of the tax reform and the administrative reform that is being implemented, essential to pursue evasion, which is one of the major sources of resources for the coming years.
We are also contemplating the possibility of holding a joint session with the Third Commission of the Chamber to listen to the Minister of Finance and the manager of the Banco de la República, and possibly other guests in a public hearing with academics, on monetary policy, inflation , the huge increase that has occurred in the interest rate.
ENS: How do you receive the decision of the Council of State that suspends the effects of the decree in which President Petro assumed the functions of the commissions for the regulation of public services?
FOREHEAD: A measure of suspension of the Council of State does not imply that there is a negative final decision. I hope that the Council of State understands that a delegation of presidential powers can be resumed at any time, because the Constitution gave those powers to the president and not to the regulatory commissions.
ENS: How do you analyze the moment for the Government with complicated situations in recent days, such as the riot in Caquetá and the complaints about the relatives of President Petro?
FOREHEAD: You don’t know how sorry I am for what happened in Caquetá and of course the feelings of solidarity with the policeman and the farmer who were killed in the midst of that confusion, I can’t understand how a protest that was being carried out by farmworkers in front of a company could lead to a public order problem of these proportions.
It should have been addressed with dialogue and not by the Public Force, but of course solidarity with the police officers who were humiliated. Also a call for all of us to respect the Public Force.
Regarding the investigation that has been opened and supported by the President of the Republic, on his relatives, we hope that there is an exhaustive process and that justice tells us what happened and what did not happen.
These are issues that fall outside of the policy spring and should remain in the proper place.
ENS: The health reform has generated a highly tense debate and there are still some major reforms, pension and labor reforms. Will the coalition be able to resist that pressure or do you see the possibility of cracks?
FOREHEAD: I think that cracks will not be generated, remember that in the tax reform there was a lot of polarization and we saw how it was discussed and moved forward.
Because that discussion between opposites and with different points of view improves the projects. I have no doubt that we are going to get a good health reform that will serve the Colombian people.