Passing the pressure on ERC, motions and the 'Mas way': Junts goes on the offensive for the concert

BarcelonaThe battle for new funding is a long game in which several players vie to gain a foothold and pass the buck. This is what is happening with Junts and ERC following the pact between the Republicans and the Spanish governmentDespite pressure from the Catalan and Spanish governments for the Catalan parliament to approve the new model – far from a concerted agreement, with some generalizable features and an additional 4.7 billion euros for Catalonia – Carles Puigdemont's party has already moved to activate theconcert operation which will intensify in the coming days and takes into account factors such as time, the room for maneuver of the PSOE and ERC, and the outreach to economic actors requested by former president Artur Mas.

The operation begins next week, according to Junts sources consulted by ARA. In the plenary session of the Catalan Parliament that breaks the winter recess, the party will present a motion that will again defend the establishment of an economic agreement in Catalonia, the first time the Catalan chamber will vote on the matter since the announcement of the proposed new financing model. It will be the fifth time the plenary has voted on it, after ERC voted in favor in the four previous votes. It will be the first step in a strategy that will in crescendo in the coming months.

One of the key factors in their return is that the Junts leadership feels "very comfortable" in the financing debate, according to Junts sources, because they can focus the discussion on their counterproposal for a special tax arrangement. They recall that in 2009, ERC also secured a financing agreement from the PSOE-led Spanish government, an agreement that was already expected to be "unique" and include an increase of more than 3.8 billion euros for Catalonia. At that time, CiU opposed it, and Mas became president of the Generalitat a year later. Not only did the rejection have no electoral cost, but that model also proved to be less beneficial. The tripartite coalition of the PSC, ERC, and ICV did not last, and Mas, as president, once again placed taxation at the forefront, demanding a fiscal pact in 2012—which was unsuccessful, but served as the impetus for the process.

Allow debate in Congress

The Catalan government and the ERC party are questioning Junts's rejection of the new model, emphasizing that voting against it would mean accepting that the Generalitat (Catalan government) will not receive 4.7 billion euros next year. Junts, however, rejects this dichotomy and will play another card. to turn the pressure aroundThey will only vote in Congress for their amendment to the entire bill with the alternative text that defends the current economic agreement. This will, in turn, allow the text on the new model to begin its legislative process. "We will not vote for the amendments from either the PP or Vox," Junts sources added, noting that neither the right nor the far-right Spanish nationalists will support their text with the agreement. Therefore, the debate is expected to be long-term, with a processing period in the lower house that could extend to eight or ten months, providing Junts with enough time for the pressure to shift. What the Junts members make clear is that they have "absolutely ruled out" the current proposal presented by the Minister of Finance. Both the president of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, and the spokesperson for the Republicans in Madrid, Gabriel Rufián, have criticized Junts' position, arguing that there is no majority in Congress in favor of the economic agreement – ​​even the PSOE is against it. The aim of the Junts party is to pivot the debate precisely on the urgent need to secure the Basque-Navarrese Economic and Social Agreement (CEO) and will force Esquerra Republicana (ERC) to take a firm stance with the comprehensive amendment that will defend the agreement. This is a preliminary step to try to put Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a difficult position, with the "CEO or CEO" on the table. The argument is that the pressure will shift towards ERC and, if successful, towards the Spanish government to "make them swallow the agreement" at this moment of "extreme political weakness." Despite the great difficulty of the undertaking, Junts anticipates that if they manage to secure the agreement, when there is a change of government in Spain, the People's Party (PP) might not reject it because, given its dependence on Vox, the debate could end up opening up about also eliminating the Basque-Navarrese Economic and Social Agreement, which the far right wants to abolish.

The battle over the narrative has included some dissenting voices within Puigdemont's party, such as in the Maresme regional branch, with its leader, Carles Bosch, and former minister Jaume GiróSome dissenting voices in favor of the ERC pact contrast with Mas's "Convergent DNA" position, which has called for a united front in Madrid To leave the common regime, an initiative very well received in Junts, which is in line with "closing ranks" and negotiating with the PSOE the agreement that the leadership has defended. This move, according to Junts sources consulted, has "deactivated" the path of the critics after hearing the position of the former head of government. There have been no further public criticisms in the municipal sphere or elsewhere. Not only that, but Junts has heeded the via Mas And it has contacted the "leading figures" to whom the former president was addressing the financing. Thus began a series of meetings with employers' associations and social partners, which Cecot kicked off this week. For now, it has already found an ally in Foment del Treball, after the rejection shown in the current model and the demand for greater ambition.

Key negotiation points

When Junqueras and Puigdemont meet—the Republican leader has already requested a meeting—the former president will propose joining forces with him to achieve a special economic agreement: the current financing proposal should be withdrawn, and an alternative text would be needed so that Catalonia "is excluded from the common regime with a clause in the regulations and also in full," receiving "all" of the VAT and personal income tax revenue, and eventually also receiving corporate tax. The negotiation period begins.