The PP accuses Sánchez of bowing down to Junqueras, and Junts downplays the pact: "Where is the agreement?"

MadridThe agreement for the new financing with the Spanish government that Oriol Junqueras has announced This has provoked rejection from both the PP and Junts, as well as from sectors of the PSOE critical of Pedro Sánchez. According to the PP, what the head of the government did in the meeting with the leader of ERC at the Moncloa Palace was to "kneel" and "bury what should be sacred in our country: equality and solidarity among all the autonomous communities." This statement was first made by PP leader Elías Bendodo at a party event in Málaga this Thursday and reinforced in a message to his party leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. "Moncloa cannot be a pawn shop," he emphasized. The PP leadership maintains that regional financing should be debated "among everyone" and through the "established channels," referring to the Conference of Presidents and the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council (CPFF), and hopes to achieve a reform later, "when Feijóo arrives at Moncloa."

As for the members of the Basque Parliament, who had already warned that they would not support any proposal less than a Basque-style economic agreement, they confirmed their reservations after hearing Junqueras speak after the meeting. "Where is the economic agreement that was negotiated to invest Salvador Illa?" they emphasized in a message to X, referring to Carles Puigdemont's party. Furthermore, the party's spokesperson, Josep Rius, hammered home the point in a statement to the media, stressing that there is no "change in the financing model" and that the fiscal deficit "is being perpetuated." In his opinion, it's simply "perhaps a bit more coffee," alluding to a "one-size-fits-all" approach as opposed to a "unique" or Basque-style agreement, which they don't see in the current proposal. Rius declared that "Madrid will continue to hold the purse strings" and that "the promised millions never materialize," citing the extra 4.7 billion euros. Thus, he reiterated that "Together will continue to use force to achieve an economic agreement" and that they will only work for this model in Congress.

The CUP has also expressed reservations about the announcement and demands to know how the new resources from the funding will be allocated: "Sovereignty cannot be bought. That is why we urge ERC to abandon a policy of concessions and move towards the full sovereignty of the country," said CUP spokesperson Su Moro.

They weren't the only ones to resist the proposal that will be formalized this Friday by the Deputy Prime Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero. The president of Castilla-La Mancha, the Socialist Emiliano García-Page, criticized the Spanish president, saying that this bilateral approach, aimed at appeasing "those who want more than everyone else," doesn't foster a "climate of understanding" with the other autonomous communities. Other PP presidents have raised their voices even further. In a press conference convened specifically to discuss financing, the president of Aragon, the PP's Jorge Azcón, expressed his "deep anger" and offered, just a month before the regional elections in his community, to lead a united front against it. "The agreement means inequality and a lack of solidarity. An affront to our community like nothing we've ever seen," he concluded.

The "photo of despair"

Although the details are still unknown, the PP-governed autonomous communities have been closing ranks against special financing for months, expressing this through numerous statements and actions against the Spanish government. This united front, demanded by the PP leadership, has not yet broken down, despite the fact that the communities governed by the People's Party have different, and even opposing, interests regarding a reform of the system. Sources at La Moncloa (the Prime Minister's residence) expect them to analyze a proposal that, they say, will provide more resources for all. However, the arguments for rejecting any initiative from Sánchez are more political than economic, as became clear this Thursday with one of the criticisms of the agreement: the censure of the Socialist leader's interlocutor.

"What is Junqueras doing at La Moncloa? What is a disqualified leader doing there?" asked Bendodo, who described the image of Sánchez with the Republican as a "photo of desperation," suggesting that he is "negotiating what little political life he has left" with him. Azcón also criticized the meeting with "one of the main perpetrators of a coup against democracy unlike any other in our history." "It's the epitome of inequality and a lack of solidarity," he insisted. The PP's Deputy Secretary of Finance, Juan Bravo, made it clear in statements released by the party that they have no intention of reaching an agreement, labeling the deal "political corruption" and setting the target for new funding "within a year" from "Feijóo's first day" in office.

Sumar: "Good news"

Although this issue is also causing internal friction among the parties in the Sumar parliamentary group, Yolanda Díaz's party, in a post on Bluesky, described the agreement as "good news," arguing that it represents "further progress towards a fair and equitable funding model." The Comuns party also welcomed the increased funding announced by Junqueras, which they believe should be used to safeguard public services and promote housing policies.