VOX deputy Javier Jové has condemned Asturias as a challenging landscape for economic activity, attributing this to high fiscal pressure and bureaucratic hurdles. During a recent plenary session, he called on the regional government led by Adrián Barbón to implement significant administrative simplifications to relieve businesses, self-employed individuals, and citizens from the constraints imposed by the administration.
“Asturias is a fiscal hell, but it is also a bureaucratic hell, which stifles and hinders economic activity and wealth generation. I do not know which of the two hells is more damaging,”
Jové stated while defending a non-legislative proposal by VOX aimed at reducing regulatory burdens in the region. The proposal received support from the Popular Party (PP) and Foro Asturias but was ultimately rejected by the left-wing majority in the chamber.
The deputy warned that the proliferation of regulations has direct consequences for investment, employment, and wages. He referenced studies from the Bank of Spain linking increased regulatory complexity to job losses, estimating the annual cost of over-regulation in Spain to be between €70 billion and €90 billion.
Focusing on Asturias, Jové highlighted that the Official Bulletin of the Principality accumulated 351,682 pages from 2016 to 2024, averaging 107 pages daily. He noted that self-employed individuals in Asturias spend approximately 226 hours a year on administrative procedures, costing an estimated €3,390 per professional and resulting in an aggregate impact of €239 million annually in the region.
“If we do not put a stop to this, we will suffocate,”
he warned, also criticising European regulatory priorities: “While others innovate, we are busy regulating bottle caps.”
VOX's proposals for administrative reform
In response to these challenges, VOX has proposed a non-legislative initiative urging the regional government to establish a fast-track administrative process within six months. This would include three key instruments: a single window for administrative procedures, positive administrative silence, and the use of a unique data system to prevent citizens and businesses from repeatedly submitting documentation already held by the administration.
The initiative also calls for a permanent channel for citizens, self-employed individuals, and businesses to report bureaucratic obstacles and suggest their removal. Furthermore, VOX demands a review and simplification of regional regulations, advocating for the repeal of unnecessary provisions and the establishment of a regulatory discipline rule that requires the elimination of two regulations for every new one approved, along with impact assessments before and after implementing economically significant regulations.
Jové concluded by asserting that the excessive regulatory framework not only harms the economy but also increasingly intrudes into citizens' private lives with a “regulatory tsunami” that diminishes personal autonomy and expands political power into broader areas of daily life.
