Junqueras and Puigdemont met in Belgium to discuss financing

BarcelonaOriol Junqueras and Carles Puigdemont met a few days ago in Belgium. The leader of Esquerra Republicana (ERC) confirmed this on Wednesday in an interview on Cadena SER radio. Junqueras was at the European Parliament in early February, but at the time it was not reported that the two leaders met. However, Junqueras revealed on Tuesday that it was during his visit that he met with the Junts leader. "Yes, we met," he stated in the interview. The previous meeting between the two leaders had taken place a year ago in Waterloo.

What topics did they discuss? According to Junqueras, "the funding model, trains, and income tax." In fact, after ERC and the PSOE reached an agreement on new funding for Catalonia, the Republican leader himself publicly requested a meeting with the former president of the Generalitat to try to convince him of the merits of the new model agreed upon with the Socialists. Juntos opposes the agreement signed by both parties, considering it an insufficient model for Catalonia.

For the new financing model to go ahead, it needs the approval of Congress, and therefore the votes of the group led by Miriam Nogueras in the lower house are essential. Throughout the negotiations between Esquerra Republicana (ERC) and the Socialist Party (PSOE), the Republicans also held parallel talks with the Catalan regional parliament (Junta de Catalunya) to explain the details of the new financing model. However, Juntos por el Cambio (Junta de Catalunya) continues to advocate for a special economic agreement for Catalonia and, for now, is not willing to accept a different system, such as the one Esquerra has agreed to.