amendment to the Social Economy Law, which was passed by the Senate last week against oil prospecting in the Mediterranean, was voted down by Congress on Wednesday,

An amendment to the Social Economy Law, which was passed by the Senate last week against oil prospecting in the Mediterranean, was voted down by Congress on Wednesday, meaning that the authorisations granted by central government in December remain in place.

The permissions affect an area of the sea between Valencia and the Baleares, and, in Andalucía, the coasts of Málaga and Cádiz.
The no vote from the Socialist Party against including the amendment in the law was supported by CiU and PNV.

The amendment approved by the upper chamber was presented by a Baleares Senator who argued that going ahead with the prospecting would damage the environment and harm the tourist industry.

It was passed in the Senate with the support of the Partido Popular, who also voted to keep the amendment in place in Congress on Wednesday, and there was criticism in the lower chamber for the party’s support for including it in a law which has no connection with prospecting.

EFE notes that the Social Economy Law sets up a common legal framework for bodies such as cooperatives and mutual funds.

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