Antoni Bassas's analysis: 'More money for Catalonia and for everyone'

Here are some preliminary conclusions about the financing agreement that Pedro Sánchez and Oriol Junqueras finally reached yesterday at Moncloa Palace. To begin with, no, this is not the economic agreement for Catalonia. Catalonia does not, for the time being, collect taxes and then pay the State for services provided in our country, and it does not make any solidarity contributions, as is the case with the Basque Country and Navarre. Not only is it not an agreement, but it is not a special system for Catalonia. What Sánchez and Junqueras agreed to yesterday falls squarely into that rather creative expression of a "generalizable special system." In other words, yesterday Sánchez and Junqueras agreed on a new financing system for all the autonomous communities under the common regime, including Catalonia, of course. You will see it more clearly on the front page ofThe Country:

"The new regional financing," "Sánchez activates a reform with another 18 billion." Have you seen the word Catalonia mentioned anywhere? No. We're right back where we were: Oriol Junqueras has done the same thing Jordi Pujol did 30 years ago: negotiate an improved financing system for Catalonia, from which the other regions under the common regime—all except the Basque Country and Navarre—will also benefit. So yesterday's agreement can also be explained by saying that there will be more money for the regions, which will receive 55% of the personal income tax (IRPF) collected by each one. And, by the way, Catalonia will then pay 5 billion to the other regions. It's normal for the central government to give more money to the regions, because they manage, among other things, the two most essential and expensive public services: healthcare and education, and that costs money.

Now then, This agreement presents an important new feature.

It will no longer be the case that Catalonia will be third to pay and ninth to receive. It will be third to pay and third to receive. This is called the principle of ordinality. This has never happened before. Look, no article of the future law will say so, but it is the spirit of the agreement.

Therefore, there will be more money for hospitals, primary care centers, schools, and housing. The tax effort we Catalans make will benefit Catalonia more. For now, the State will continue to collect income tax.

What does the government of Salvador Illa, which met with Junqueras today, say? That if we want the whole loaf, we will fall into the frustration we already know. What does Junts say?

There is no economic agreement, no special model, Catalonia is not leaving the common system. Since when negotiations began there was talk of collecting personal income tax through the Catalan Tax Agency, and now we're talking about ordinality and a single figure, the results have fallen short of expectations. But in this all-or-nothing game of financing, Catalonia knows that to have everything, what the Basques have, it would have been necessary for Esquerra and Junts to have...

And one last point about the usual clamor. For example, on the front page of La Razón:

"Stupefaction in the Socialist ranks after the 'murder' of their regional electoral options." In this regard, just a reminder: what Sánchez has done now with Junqueras is similar to what Aznar did when he needed Pujol's votes to be invested: improve the financing system for Catalonia, and for everyone, of course. All those who are shouting in outrage today found it perfectly normal back then. Political cynicism knows no bounds.

Good morning.