The fine print of the independence pacts with the PSOE (beyond Cercanías)

BarcelonaThe signing of a political agreement does not usually lead to its immediate implementation. In fact, the most complicated phase comes when the specifics are entered into. This is currently happening to Junts and ERC due to the fine print associated with their pacts with the PSC and PSOE, which prolongs their implementation and can even dampen the final result when expectations generated by the political parties have been very high. The transfer of the commuter rail network, agreed between ERC and the PSC, is the latest to show that it will not be an easy path. It must be "comprehensive," according to the Republicans, the same word Junts uses to refer to the transfer (delegation) of immigration powers. The unique financing has already caused clashes over the tempo And the amnesty is not being applied generally. Salvador Illa's government guarantees that all agreements will be fulfilled, but the fine print means the true scope of the agreement is still unclear.

The investiture pact of Salvador Illa that Oriol Junqueras's team signed defined that between 2024 and 2025 there would be "the constitution of the new operator", which was agreed to be a joint venture with equal participation of the Catalan and Spanish governments, but attached to the Generalitat and with the presidency and voting rights. The distribution remains the same regarding the board of directors, which this year should already manage lines 1, 2 and 3 of Cercanías, but this joint venture will, at first, be a subsidiary of Renfe.

Exactly a month ago there was the announcement of The Territory Councilor, Silvia Paneque, and the Secretary General of the Republicans, Elisenda Alamany, which promised that the Catalan operator – theoretically under the administrative umbrella of the Generalitat – would manage the entire system starting next year. Now, however, after the Agreement between the Ministry of Transport and the unions of train drivers and operatorsThe Catalonia commuter rail network will be affiliated with Renfe. The transfer to the Generalitat (Catalan regional government) will take at least two years, although it remains to be seen how it will be finalized (especially who will own the tracks, which are currently in the hands of Adif, another public company affiliated with the Ministry of Transport). ERC accepts this transience and guarantees that it will ensure that the agreement is fully maintained.

Financing

"Advance in singular financing." ERC has refused to negotiate the Generalitat's budget, considering that the PSC is not doing enough to comply with the financing agreement and He is already threatening to do the same with next year if the situation has not improved by July.The Republicans presented the pact as a solidarity-based economic agreement, although the Socialists qualified it by clinging to its uniqueness. For now, it remains to be determined whether Catalonia would leave the common system, the method for calculating solidarity with the other autonomous regions, the timeline, and even the hiring process at the Catalan Tax Agency (ATC). Will there be a temporary consortium between the ATC and the Spanish Tax Agency? a possibility that the ERC leadership itself foresaw in the political report of his congress, but finally ended up withdrawing it.

It has already been agreed that the Catalan Treasury in the collection of personal income tax and also in the registration tax, but there is still a long way to go, all parties acknowledge, before the ATC alone can assume the collection of all personal income tax, as is agreed to happen from 2026.

The Catalan government's committee of experts must still present a detailed proposal on the new model before the Catalan government and the Catalan government. They have until June 30, according to the agreement signed with Esquerra. Then there would still be the validation of the Congress of Deputies, another element of uncertainty.

Amnesty

The amnesty law was passed following a compromise between Junts and PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) that achieved a plurinational majority in Congress. However, the law is not being applied to the president, advisors to the October 1st government, and numerous pro-independence leaders due to a boycott by several courts, led by the Supreme Court. The Spanish government says it has done everything within its power and that it is now up to the Constitutional Court (CC), with a progressive majority, to decide. However, the judiciary has called for greater involvement from the state executive, through the Prosecutor's Office, to pursue lawsuits against judges who fail to apply the law.

Immigration

Another agreement the transfer of immigration is uncertain, which will ultimately be a delegation of powers. Beyond the doubts surrounding the fine print and the eventual decision of the Constitutional Court on constitutionality, the main unknown is whether Congress will approve the transfer law agreed upon by Junts and the PSOE (two essential partners, Podemos and Compromís, have already strongly opposed it). Several points also remain unclear, such as the role of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) at the borders, the capacity to expel immigrants, or whether the level of Catalan required could be very different from the one currently required. that is currently being requestedThe law is not sufficiently clear on this matter, and the Spanish government has, for example, lowered Junts' requirement for language skills to be a requirement for renewing a residence permit. The Spanish government has also denied that the Generalitat (Catalan government) will ultimately have the power to close the Immigration Detention Centers, although it will be able to manage them. Junts wants to push through a Catalan law in the Parliament, but the finalization of the Catalan migration model is difficult to predict, given that the transfer agreement focuses on "the execution of state regulations." Furthermore, it is a delegation of executive powers, and therefore, the state could recover them at any time.

Debt

The FLA debt forgiveness, agreed by ERC with the socialists, also had small print: although it was announced the cancellation of 17 billion in CataloniaIt was not known how much debt would be forgiven to the other regions, nor that Andalusia would benefit the most, with 18.791 billion euros, out of a total of 83.252 billion euros owed by the regions. It will also need to receive approval from Congress.

Catalan in Europe

The official status of Catalan in the European Union was a commitment withdrawn by Junts to make Francina Armengol president of the Parliament. However, although the Junts recognize the efforts of Spanish foreign policy, led by Minister José Manuel Albares, it failed to pass even during the Spanish presidency of the EU. Afterwards, the issue It has been left in the drawer, as explained by ARAThe government claims to be working toward official status, as is the Spanish executive, but the outlook is uncertain.