MADRID – The Spanish government has suffered a setback in its effort to liberalize its port operations, as required by the European Union, after losing a parliamentary vote.
Thursday's vote was the first time since 1979 that opposition lawmakers in Spain were able to vote down a government decree, highlighting the weak position of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's minority government.
The decree would have allowed companies to hire freely workers to load and unload cargo, ending a decades-old practice of employing members of an association.
Spain has accumulated 23 million euros ($24.7 million) in fines from the EU since 2014 and the European Commission has said it will seek to increase the fines if the liberalization of the industry doesn't go ahead.
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