The Government opens negotiations with the Commons over the budget

BarcelonaComuns began budget negotiations with the Catalan government on Monday, aiming to reach an agreement as soon as possible. "The timetable for approving the budget is on the government's table," stressed David Cid, the party's spokesperson in Parliament and one of the negotiators, before the meeting. The meeting comes after the government fulfilled the condition set by Comuns for initiating talks. Start penalizing landlords for violating housing laws In Catalonia. Despite both sides' intention to get to work, the approval of the budget depends on the support of ERC, which, for now, is still waiting for an explicit commitment from the PSOE to allow Catalonia to collect 100% of the personal income tax (IRPF) as agreed.

The delegation from the Comuns party consists of Cid; the deputy spokesperson in the Catalan Parliament, Susanna Segovia; and MP Andrés G. Berrio, who have already submitted their conditions for approving the budget to the government. Jéssica Albiach's party demands that the government increase the housing budget to €1.2 billion, double rental assistance, expand school meal scholarships, strengthen commuter rail and intercity bus services, and reduce specialist waiting lists by 50%.

But to these priorities, common in most negotiations in recent years, a new one is added: Comuns demands that the PSC government in six months Speculative home purchases in Catalonia should be prohibited by law.This was approved by the party's executive committee at a meeting last week and conveyed this to the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, on Monday. Romero was accompanied by the department's general secretary, Juli Fernández; the director general of Budgets, Esther Pallarols; and the minister's chief of staff, Cristina González.

Waiting for the Left

ERC is also a key part of the equation. However, the Republicans insist they will not sit down to negotiate until progress is made on... the Catalan Tax Agencycan collect all taxes, starting with income tax. "There's no movement, and it depends on the Catalan government, whether it wants a budget or not," said ERC Secretary General Elisenda Alamany this Monday. In this regard, the Republican's second-in-command again urged the PSC to pressure the Spanish government and the PSOE to resolve this issue if they want a budget. "The Catalan government, on this issue and others, is dragging its feet," she denounced. For its part, the PSC is confident that the budget negotiations will have a "good outcome," but is avoiding talking about specific dates. Although the Catalan government has expressed its intention to have a new budget before March 31, the Socialist spokesperson, Lluïsa Moret, said that the PSC "doesn't talk about timetables or deadlines," but rather "about consensus, negotiations, and agreements." In any case, he stressed that the party "will support the Catalan government" on whatever timeline it deems "most appropriate" and urged ERC to continue working on the personal income tax reform.