From funding to immigration powers: the six pending issues for Junts and ERC

BarcelonaIf Pedro Sánchez wants to get the legislature through, he needs to advance at least six open files with Junts and ERC. Although neither party has currently issued an ultimatum to the Spanish government, they have been issuing warnings for the state executive to speed up in order to give the legislature a boost. The former president of the Generalitat and leader of Junts, Carles Puigdemont, warned a week ago that in the fall "perhaps things will happen that haven't happened until now," although The party later denied that it was an ultimatum.. ERC, for its part, has also been warning for weeks that without "progress" on funding, there will be no budgets either in Spain or in Catalonia, but it hasn't set any red lines at this time. Both parties will have to capitalize on the shared pragmatic strategy they've been implementing for months and decide how long they're willing to shore up state governance. These are the areas in which Junts and ERC want to see progress.

Together

The transfer in immigration

The delegation of immigration powers was agreed upon by the Spanish government and Junts at the beginning of this year, but it has not yet been submitted to Congress for approval. The law lacks the support of several parliamentary parties. Not only the PP and Vox oppose it, but Podemos has also been particularly belligerent in its opposition. In fact, in an interview in the ARAThe secretary general of the Lilacs, Ione Belarra, justified her rejection by saying that if the Mossos d'Esquadra had these powers, they would carry out "racist raids."

Catalan in Europe

The last attempt to debate the official status of Catalan in Europe was last July. It was also unsuccessful. The General Affairs Council of the European Union postponed it again. for the seventh time, the debate. Juntos has accused the PP of blocking this issue with calls to various countries, but a week ago, the party's leader, Carles Puigdemont, also gave the Spanish government some homework. He demanded that it use its "influence" within the European Union to achieve the support of states that are still reluctant.

Amnesty

The amnesty law that the independence movement agreed upon with the PSOE has been held up in court. Both factions have conspired to pressure the judiciary to implement it, and several issues should be resolved this fall. The Constitutional Court (CC) is handling the appeals for protection from the leaders of the process. The latest was filed by Carles Puigdemont, in which he also requests the lifting of the arrest warrant maintained by Judge Pablo Llarena. An issue that the TC plans to address this September.

Left

Financing

New one-off funding for Catalonia is the priority for Esquerra. The government has begun to size and prepare the Catalan Tax Agency to handle the collection of personal income tax, which was initially planned for 2026, but which ultimately The Catalan executive has already admitted that it will not be until 2028.. However, the model itself still needs to be finalized, a matter that depends on the Spanish government and for which the Republicans are pressuring the Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, to make a move.

Cercanías

The transfer of commuter rail services is an agreement that has been in place since Pedro Sánchez's inauguration in 2023. The first steps have only been taken a few months ago, but there is still work to be done before the transfer is effective. The Spanish and Catalan governments have initiated the procedures to transfer the first commuter rail line, the R1, to the Generalitat (Catalan regional government), and have also established the joint public company that will manage the service. Finally, and contrary to what was stipulated in the agreement with ERC, It will be an operator that will continue to depend on RenfeThe company is expected to begin operations early next year.

Airport

ERC and the PSC also agreed to change the governance of El Prat airport. The issue has begun to be addressed, but no new developments have emerged so far, although sources consulted indicate that it is an issue that should be finalized this fall. The objective, as stated in the investiture agreement, is for the Generalitat to have the key to airport governance and reducing the weight in AenaThat is to say, the Generalitat "will be a key player in strategic decision-making" regarding the airport was included in the investiture agreement.