Sánchez announces a package of measures to "restart" the relationship with Junts
He acknowledges the "delays" and "non-compliance" with Puigdemont's agreements and guarantees that he will fulfill the signed agreements.
Barcelona"I acknowledge the breaches and delays that Junts has criticized, but I have always said that the dialogue is widespread, that our willingness to negotiate is unequivocal, and that we will honor the agreements we signed." This is how Pedro Sánchez expressed himself on Tuesday in an interview on RAC1, in which he announced that the Council of Ministers will approve a royal decree-law this morning with "some of the agreements" that the PSOE reached with Carles Puigdemont's party in the Brussels agreement. In this way, the Spanish president said, the Socialists seek to "restart the dialogue" with the Catalan party, which She ended the relationship. with the Socialists at the end of October.
Among other measures, Sánchez announced that the royal decree will allow for "facilitating and making financially sustainable investments more flexible" in municipalities and other local entities. "In other words, mayors and provincial council presidents will have greater capacity and ease in investing in projects that do not involve current expenditure, such as housing construction or water management," he explained. "We owe this to Junts, which demanded it as a commitment," he emphasized.
He also announced that, to "facilitate compliance with tax obligations for companies," the deadline for "promoting and encouraging the digitalization of invoicing processes" for businesses will be extended, a demand he attributed to the Catalan employers' association. He also assured that in the coming weeks, funding will be approved to help landlords "in the event of non-payment in rentals to young people or vulnerable families."
Sánchez, who has made it clear that he is not giving up on the approval of the next budget and has reaffirmed that his objective is to complete his term, makes a move regarding Junts in the midst of PP pressures Puigdemont's party to join forces in a motion of no confidence"Although [the Catalan separatists] have declared the talks broken off, the Spanish government and I, in particular, are very clear that we want to honor the commitments, because it is truly worthwhile," said the Socialist leader, who went so far as to refer to the Brussels agreement as a "historic opportunity" to resolve the conflict between Catalonia and the Spanish state.
The meeting with Puigdemont: "We are not at this stage"
Sánchez, who immediately afterwards gave an interview to RTVE, also stressed that there will be no "normalization" in Catalonia until Puigdemont can return to the country and "exercise his rights," but again ruled out an imminent call or meeting with the former president. He asserted that the meeting with him "will happen," but added that at this moment "we are not at that stage." Regarding other measures demanded by Junts, and also agreed upon with ERC, Sánchez reaffirmed his commitment to a new system of consolidation that recognizes the "unique characteristics" of Catalonia. He also stated that the government is working on a consensus-based "methodology" to allow for the publication of fiscal balances, a long-standing demand of Catalan parties. Furthermore, he emphasized the efforts toward the official recognition of Catalan in the European Union and the possibility of speaking Catalan in the Congress. [We are working to expand this information]
