Mas advocates negotiating new financing to achieve "a change of model"

BarcelonaTen years after his time alongside the CUP's ultimatum, former Catalan president Artur Mas is still in the public eye as a former head of government. As president, he championed the independence process in 2012 after the failure of the fiscal pact he had spearheaded, and now, precisely, the new financing model agreed between ERC and the Spanish government This is once again shaping the political agenda. The former president, in this regard, defended negotiating the proposal on Wednesday to achieve "a change of model," which he does not see with the current approach. At a breakfast briefing for the New Economy Forum at the Palace Hotel, he acknowledged that the agreement brings "improvements," "as always when a new model has been agreed upon," but insisted that it is necessary to go further: "Either we are responsible for our finances or we will always be mere puppets," he declared to the top leadership of Junts, headed by the general secretary.

The former president's diagnosis overlaps with a barb aimed at the current pact: "It was said that we cannot be independent, but that for [Pedro] Sánchez to be president of the Spanish government and [Salvador] Isla to be president of the Generalitat, we were moving towards a change of model [...] . model." In this sense, he called for mobilizing "the vital forces" of the country, because "at some point the Generalitat must be the full fiscal authority." The goal is to work towards this change to rectify the fact that "some things don't work out" right from the start.

Thus, Mas defends a "national approach," one that "makes it clear this country wants something different." He specified several aspects: "Safeguarding the ordinality," ensuring the model "cannot be ruined regardless of the government" in power, and incorporating "the cost of living" as an important variable to consider. "Let's imagine these improvements to the monetary system are accepted: I can defend it, there's more money. If we're agreeing on a financing model, besides the issue of money, shouldn't we also resolve the issue of powers, a country's capacity to manage its public finances?" And he emphasized: "The key to the till." What is his message of hope? "We mustn't consider the negotiations over," he maintained.

But this pressure to achieve "full self-government" through negotiation, and to have control over revenues, does not mean moving towards an economic agreement. stricto sensuIn his opinion, "it is true that reaching an economic agreement for Catalonia is an extremely complex operation, almost as difficult as the independence referendum," he concluded. But he asserted full fiscal authority, even if it is coordinated with the State. A message that differs from the amendment in its entirety announced by the leadership of Junts, a party he is not a member of, although he is close to it.

Rajoy's country

Mas has engaged in self-criticism, admitting that the outcome of the process he initiated has not "turned out" as desired in terms of independence, and that they no longer even hold a majority in the Catalan Parliament. However, he defended having set the independence movement in motion in 2012 in favor of the "right to decide," a path he believes "has been worthwhile" to explore through a consultation and a referendum. Although at the time he considered Catalonia to have no future within the Spanish state and that full sovereignty was necessary, he now advocates "adapting to the new situation," "the framework of autonomy and self-government," but also "preparing" a new, ambitious national path. Regarding the fiscal pact, he recalls how the then Spanish president, Mariano Rajoy, told him that he could not transfer "the only thing that works well in Spain." And yet Mas proposed a political "solution" to resolve the Statute crisis, which "did not call for the complete transfer of the Tax Agency," but rather for working "to ensure that the Generalitat is responsible for what it collects."

Barcelona City Council

"I received a serious, formal offer to head an electoral candidacy, and I said no." With this emphatic statement, Mas alluded, without explicitly mentioning it, to Junts' offer to be their mayoral candidate for Barcelona. However, he didn't close the door on the future, employing a calculated ambiguity.

"I miss the country emerging from its slumber and experiencing political vitality," he said a few minutes later. But he insisted that everyone's involvement is necessary to "lift this country up." "I also want to do it, but not by elbowing my way in or getting involved in partisan battles," he added. And he reinforced his point with a more enigmatic statement: "There has to be a desire for things to get right in Catalonia. When that happens, I'll be there to help." Mas's desire for his allied political space, Junts, to face current challenges and embody the pragmatism of the Convergència era is well known, an obstacle that remains unresolved.

The entire Junts leadership was present at the event: Secretary General Jordi Turull; Spokesperson Josep Rius; Vice President Antoni Castellà; Madrid leader Miriam Nogueras; Speaker of Parliament Josep Rull; former Mayor of Barcelona Xavier Trias; former Speaker of Parliament Anna Erra; as well as various members of parliament and city councilors, along with former ministers such as Jaume Giró and Ramon Tremosa, and former Junts Secretary General and former ANC President Jordi Sànchez. Also present were the President of Òmnium Cultural, Xavier Antich, and the Ombudsman for Catalonia, Teresa Giménez-Salinas.