All the aces up Sánchez's sleeve with Catalan in the EU

BrusselsThe Moncloa has found in the official status of Catalan in the European Union the perfect way to wink at Junts, maintain their support, and save the investiture. It has become the usual tone: when Carles Puigdemont tightens the rope a little, Pedro Sánchez manages to communicate a new step forward in the approval of the maximum recognition of Catalonia's own language to the European institutions. The latest obvious case is this Friday. After the regional council members raised the tone of their threats, The Spanish government has agreed with the German executive, who at least until now was the most vocal opponent of the initiative within the EU, to initiate bilateral dialogue to continue advancing towards the official status of Catalan, Galician, and Basque in the EU.

This has been the way things have worked since Spain presented the proposal to the EU. Puigdemont was very clear when he signed the Brussels agreement and assured that he would not give his vote to Sánchez until Catalan was officially recognized in the European institutions. However, the regional government was ultimately satisfied with the efforts of the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, during ministerial meetings with his counterparts. Therefore, the mere fact that it was being discussed in an EU Council was already a sign of the fact that the proposal was being discussed in the EU Council. It was claimed by both sides as a small victory.

Even when the initiative seemed stalled, the Moncloa has taken it upon itself to keep the flame burning. The days before the Junts deputies supported Sánchez's investiture were the most intense, and the Spanish government kept pulling a few tricks out of its sleeve. For example, although the rest of the Member States hadn't requested it and it didn't really constitute any step forward for the initiative,'State proposed to prioritize the deployment of Catalan as an official language over Galician and Basque. Although it angered Sánchez's other partners, Junts celebrated it.

Spain also pledged to cover the costs of interpretation and translation for these three languages and requested a report from the European Commission on how much it would cost, which simply multiplied by three what Irish had cost a few years earlier. However, this is an unprecedented exception, and many European partners consider it unfeasible for legal reasons. Be that as it may, Junts once again welcomed it.

Just when it seemed the fire was going out, there was another twist. While Junts and ERC were negotiating the amnesty law, Albares announced that he would once again bring the initiative to the EU Council and put a new proposal on the table that, in theory, appeased all the member states' reservations. "If you had told me that I would see a Spanish minister defending the Catalan language with the vehemence and conviction with which Minister Albares defends it, I would never have believed it in my life, never," Puigdemont then said.

The last move: Germany

In the recent ministerial meetings in which Catalan was discussed, various member states—even those in favor of the initiative—strongly criticized Spain for putting it on the table again without presenting any new progress. Several diplomatic sources criticized the ARA for the Spanish government's "electioneering" use of the initiative and "wasting the time" of the rest of the European partners. This indignation has led the Moncloa to stop bringing it to the EU Council, which is its usual nod to Junts, and has had to seek alternatives to give the junts arguments not to break with Sánchez, such as the talks with Germany in recent weeks to try to smooth over their reluctance.

Although German diplomatic sources warn the ARA that They do not mean that Germany has "changed its position", is another important gesture from the Moncloa government to Puigdemont. The million-dollar question now is whether, given the precedents, Junts will once again be satisfied next Monday. at the meeting of the Perpignan party delegation and will spare Sánchez's neck once again. It seems that, this time, he is still leaning toward breaking with the PSOE.