Salvador Illa secures political stability: first budgets of the legislature approved

BarcelonaSalvador Illa will reach the midpoint of the legislature with the political stability he sought. This Thursday, Parliament has definitively approved the budgets that he agreed upon a few weeks ago with Esquerra and Comuns, the two investiture partners, who this morning added their votes to validate the first accounts of the socialist government – Junts deputy Noemí Nieto also voted in favor by mistake. Accounts that will reach almost 50,000 million euros, 22% more than those of 2023, the last project still approved under the presidency of Pere Aragonès. This Thursday's plenary session also validated the budget accompanying law, which includes, among other things, increasing the tourist tax to 30 euros per day for cruise ships calling at Barcelona and creating the Catalan Airport Authority. Illa thus guarantees himself to reach the end of the legislature with updated budgets and a parliamentary majority that requires the Government to continue for its agreements to be fulfilled.

This was stated by the President of the Generalitat himself in statements to ACN and Efe. "With this agreement, Catalonia becomes synonymous with stability," he stated, before committing to "execute every euro" of the budget. "These budgets are a declaration of confidence in the country," said, in turn, the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, who highlighted the "dialogue" with the investiture partners. However, the political stability that has been visible this Thursday in Parliament is not reflected on the street, where the Government has key social sectors such as teachers and doctors at loggerheads, who have ended the school year with street protests and plan to return in the coming months. In fact, this very Thursday, while the plenary session was ongoing, education unions demonstrated at the gates of Parliament.

Precisely for this reason, the investiture partners have defended their yes to the accounts, but they have also wanted to set homework for the Government. "Now it will have the necessary resources and instruments to deploy the acquired commitments. There will be no excuses for not deploying agreements and for not leading," stated ERC spokesperson Ester Capella, who has called for pressure on the Spanish government to deploy, for example, the new financing model: "The ball is in their court." The leader of the commons, Jéssica Albiach, has insisted on this, setting three priorities: housing –the commons have agreed to 2,500 million euros to expand the public housing stock, finance rental assistance, and renovate housing–, Rodalies, and public services. And on this last point, she has called for "a national debate" to solve the educational and also the health conflict, to end waiting lists. "You will find us head-on every time the Government gets its priorities wrong. An outstretched hand to improve people's lives."

The 'fourth ring road' railway

The orbital railway line was ERC's key to the accounts. The Republicans gave up the transfer of IRPF collection as a condition for approving the budgets, as they had set until March, when the Government withdrew the project it had presented without guaranteed support. After noting the failure of negotiations, both parties hit a "reset" and decided to give the negotiation another chance. The result was an agreement for the fourth railway ring, mainly, and to leave the IRPF folder for later. Oriol Junqueras' party, in fact, wants to reopen it for the autumn, when the new financing model should enter Congress pending the necessary support to see the light of day. And at this point, Junts' position is key, which for now refuses to validate it because it considers it insufficient.

Financing, in fact, has served to once again highlight the two strategies, of Junts and Republicans. While Carles Puigdemont's party has once again demanded the economic concert, Esquerra has defended the agreement reached with the socialists as a step towards "gaining sovereignty." "Without control of our resources, ERC deputies, we will not advance towards independence. It is an essential proposal that we continue to maintain so that we can all get out of this together," stated Junts deputy Antoni Castellà. "We do not believe in blank checks, but we also do not believe in blocking as a political project," replied ERC spokesperson Ester Capella: "If there were to be budgets, it had to be so that Catalonia gained power." Romero joined the debate, saying he is confident that the new model "can be approved" soon in Congress.

The opposition's 'no'

Junts and ERC have long adopted different political strategies and Carles Puigdemont's party has maintained its no to the budgets. "Catalonia needs budgets, but not these, but with national ambition," said Castellà. "We offer you collaboration, but a radical change of course is needed," he added when reminded of the teachers' protests. In fact, the Junts deputy had previously warned him: "Governing with arrogance is not good. But doing so when you don't have a majority is irresponsible." The CUP's no has also joined Junts'. "The budgets have more resources, but what is the great work of government? What power recedes and what right expands?" asked CUP deputy Laure Vega: "They have allocations, announcements and press conferences, but they don't have an announcement to tell people that their lives will be outrageously better." Both groups have reproached the socialists for not accepting any of their amendments.

On the other side of the parliamentary spectrum, the PP has also rejected Illa's budgets because it considers that they only serve to perpetuate him in power. "Your economic model is not shared prosperity, it is a political scam," snapped the popular secretary general, Juan Fernández. Vox has not endorsed them either, which has once again defended a tax model with lower taxes. Like Aliança Catalana, which has taken the opportunity to accuse ERC of making "renunciations" to approve the budgets. "The money of the Catalans must serve to restore the Catalan state," stated deputy Rosa Maria Soberana.