The Government assures ERC that it will comply "100%" with the investiture agreement but asks them not to block the budget.

BarcelonaWith March 20th marked on the calendar as the date that could derail the government's budget, the PSC is working against the clock to try to add ERC's votes to the project. To the calls for responsibility made by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador IllaThe Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, added this on Monday during the first of the appearances before Parliament regarding the 2026 budget, which all ministers will make during the week. Before the Committee on Institutional Affairs, Dalmau insisted that the country "needs" a new budget and that the government cannot continue governing with the 2023 budget. by patching it up through credit supplements"The Catalan government will fulfill 100% of the investiture agreements. That is our objective," he told the Republicans, who insist they will reject the project if there is no agreement to transfer personal income tax collection to the Catalan Tax Agency. The main stumbling block in the negotiations remains the "guarantee" the Republicans are demanding from the Socialists. Dalmau has not commented on the possible ways to achieve this, which range from an amendment to the Organic Law on the Financing of Autonomous Communities (LOFCA) to the Ministry of Finance itself, in the proposal it will submit to the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council, opening the door for regional tax authorities to manage major taxes. For now, however, the Ministry of Finance rejects all of these scenarios.

The only possible coalition for Illa's government is the one it would obtain with ERC and Comuns, given that the other parties will present amendments to the entire budget. The latest to announce this was Junts this Monday. The president of the Junts group, Mònica Sales, stated at a press conference that it is "a total amendment to President Illa" and his government, not just to the budget, due to "a total disagreement" with its "course." She also rejected the "model of the country" that she believes Comuns has "imposed" and which, in her opinion, turns Catalonia into a "fiscal hell." If the amendment to the entire budget fails, Junts will present amendments to the specific articles of the budget to defend its "model of the country."

ERC: "The PSC does not have an absolute majority"

However, Esquerra is shaking off the pressure from the Catalan government. He tried to stage a week ago by adding employers' associations and unions to the pact for new accounts.which currently only have the support of Comuns. The president of the ERC group in the Catalan Parliament, Josep Maria Jové, reminded the PSC that it "does not have an absolute majority" to govern Catalonia and that, therefore, they are condemned not only to seek agreements, but also to honor those they sign if they want to continue having them as partners. "Either they haven't understood, or they don't want to understand, or they're pretending not to understand. Do they want a budget? So do we. If they want our vote, they must keep their word," Jové concluded. The Republican warned Dalmau that they must "transfer" the pressure they are trying to exert on the Republicans to the PSOE to force them to change their position on the Personal Income Tax (IRPF). Beyond ERC and Comuns, the Catalan Government's 2026 budget bill has received criticism from the rest of the parliamentary spectrum. From Junts, Glòria Freixa took the opportunity to defend the Junts vision for the country in the face of a budget she sees as marked "by the extreme left of Comuns" and its "eccentric policies," echoing Sales's sentiments. Junts' proposal involves lowering income tax and increasing funding for Culture, Education, and support for medium-sized municipalities "under considerable strain due to the influx of immigrants." "They're not focused on the country's wealth, but on improving social welfare. We would like to improve wages and reduce unemployment," she pointed out. Dalmau countered that he is very "proud" of such "leftist" measures agreed upon with Comuns, such as allocating public funds to the construction of subsidized housing.

The PP and Vox have joined forces against the increased spending in the budget, which stands at 49.162 billion euros. "It's best not to talk about good public finance management," retorted Juan Fernández (PP), who criticized the Generalitat's "macrostructure" and the lack of tax cuts. These criticisms were echoed by Vox spokesperson Joan Garriga, who said the bill "is laughable" and that he even prefers the previous budgets, approved by the ERC government. For the CUP, the finances presented by the Catalan government have "wrong" priorities and fail to address the country's structural problems, such as the poor functioning of the Rodalies commuter rail network. Deputy Dani Cornellà reproached the government for its "great triumphalism" regarding spending that is growing but not enough to meet the needs of Catalonia's new demographics, "because the money from Madrid isn't arriving," given a stagnant fiscal deficit. above 20 billion euros,According to the latest fiscal reports. No member of Aliança Catalana participated in the debate.

A "municipalist" budget

The budget for the Ministry of the Presidency has increased by 30% compared to 2023. The allocation for the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation (Corporación Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals) has risen to €350 million (33% of the total), practically the same amount received by the Secretariat for Local Governments and Relations with the Aran Valley (which received €262 million in 2023). "These are municipal-focused budgets," Dalmau emphasized, also highlighting that €100 million has been allocated to various measures related to administrative reform. In addition, more than €60 million will be dedicated to extending the fiber optic network to 850 municipalities and improving the Catalan government's response to cyberattacks. Specifically, the Cybersecurity Agency of Catalonia will have a budget of €22 million.