Pressure (and an outstretched hand) to Junts to join the new financing

BarcelonaJust hours after the First Vice President and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, explained the proposal for the new regional financing, Junts reaffirmed what it had been saying in recent months: who opposes the model agreed with Esquerra because it is not an economic agreement for CataloniaWithout the support of at least the Junts party, the agreement reached by the Socialists and Republicans will be worthless when it reaches Congress, where it will also face the certain opposition of the PP and Vox. Therefore, a two-pronged operation has been launched from Ferraz Street in Madrid and Calàbria Street in Barcelona to change the minds of the Junts leaders: on the one hand, they are being pressured ("When the time comes, they will have to decide whether the resources go into the pockets of Catalans or whether they keep the Ministry of Finance," immediately); and, on the other hand, attempts are being made to persuade them. The president of ERC himself explained this Monday that he has already contacted the Junts leader, Carles Puigdemont, to travel to Waterloo as soon as possible. From Moncloa Palace, the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, has also pledged to "go to the extreme" to change Junts' minds. "I appeal to them to think about the citizens," he added. It's a carbon copy of the message. to which the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, transferred, And that's what the Republicans and the Comuns repeated after meeting with the head of the Catalan government on Friday at the Palau de la Generalitat.

The government, in fact, is also extending an olive branch to Junts and inviting them to propose any "improvements" they believe they can introduce to the system, which was negotiated for over a year between the Socialists and Republicans. "If Junts is willing for Catalonia to move forward, we are open to them sitting down at the table and rolling up their sleeves," the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero, emphasized this Monday in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio. The red line for the PSC and PSOE is the economic agreement. "Who will vote for them? I say this because we don't deceive people," she added.

But the outstretched hand extended to Junts by the Catalan government clashes with the vicissitudes of renegotiating a model in which negotiators have already had to reach difficult points of consensus, such as the criteria for defining the adjusted population—the Catalan side ultimately relinquished the inclusion of the cost of living, for example—or the amount of resources: 21 billion euros. For this reason, the PSC spokesperson and number two in the party, Lluïsa Moret, downplayed the possibility of incorporating significant modifications during the parliamentary process of the model, which involves amending the Organic Law on the Financing of Autonomous Communities (LOFCA). "It is a very well-developed and meticulous three-way agreement," Moret explained at a press conference. The proposal would mean that Catalonia would receive an additional 4.7 billion euros per year from regional funding.

Junqueras wants to visit Waterloo

Aware of the difficulty of bringing Junts into the agreement, Esquerra Republicana (ERC) had already held parallel talks with Carles Puigdemont's party during the negotiations to try to bridge the gap. Lluís Salvadó, the main Republican negotiator, was in contact with Junts vice-president Antoni Castellà, according to sources from both parties who spoke to ARA. ERC leader Oriol Junqueras, Junts secretary general Jordi Turull, and President Puigdemont have also been in contact. According to sources, these contacts continue—albeit less intensely—but no negotiations are currently underway. However, on Monday, Junqueras took a further step, announcing that he has requested a meeting with Puigdemont in Waterloo. "I've asked him to schedule an appointment for me to go and see him," he stated on Catalunya Ràdio. Junqueras explained that in the meeting, which he said has not yet been scheduled, he wants to discuss the issue of financing and income tax collection, but also the possible return of Puigdemont and amnesty. While the meeting is pending, the Republican leader has again pressured Junts and argued that the pact "is quite similar" to an economic agreement—which, unlike the newly announced model, would mean that Catalonia would collect all taxes and then decide how much to contribute to the State, as is the case with the quota Basque, instead of receiving resources according to the rules of the common regime. "If Junts wants to demonstrate a willingness to reach an understanding, they will surely vote in favor of the FLA debt forgiveness. "Let's start here," Junqueras added.

The veto remains in place

Despite the pressure, Junts maintains its proposal to present a comprehensive amendment to the model agreed upon by ERC, in order to defend an alternative text that includes the economic agreement. "We will defend our principles," Junts sources told this newspaper, defending the economic agreement as the solution and lamenting that the Republicans have abandoned this path. If the comprehensive amendment were to pass, it would mean a veto of the reform, which would not even be processed (and negotiated) in Parliament – the PP and Vox will also present their amendments, and it remains to be seen what the BNG, which has announced its outright rejection, or the CHA, which has also opposed it, will do. Junts sources confirm that there has been fluid contact with ERC in recent months, until the Republicans decided to seal the pact with the PSOE. Regarding the meeting announced by Junqueras with Puigdemont in Waterloo, Junts has responded by calling it a "temptation" and lamenting that the desire to hold a meeting comes after the agreement has already been presented: "It's too late," criticized parliamentary spokesperson Salvador Vergés. In the investiture agreement for Pedro Sánchez, Junts had also negotiated with the Socialists to open negotiations on financing. According to the document, Junts would propose "initially a modification of the Organic Law on the Financing of Autonomy of Catalonia (LOFCA)" to establish an "exceptional" clause recognizing the "uniqueness" of the Generalitat (Catalan government) and facilitating "the transfer of 100% of the taxes" paid in Catalonia. For its part, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) committed to improving "Catalonia's financial autonomy and access to the market" and maintaining a "unique dialogue" on the impact of the current model. It's a file in which no concrete details were ever made public, and which exploded with Junts' decision to break with the Socialists due to breaches of agreements.