The regional presidents end the year denouncing the "privileges" of Catalonia

MadridMost of the New Year's Eve speeches by regional presidents have had two main common denominators: housing and financing. In the first case, they have boasted about the measures they have implemented to address the primary concern of Spaniards. And in the second, they have criticized the proposed future model of regional financing. ERC and the PSOE are finalizingOne of the most significant voices has been that of Emiliano García-Page, the baron The socialist most critical of Pedro Sánchez. He has not uttered the words financing neither CataloniaBut everything was understood when he warned that he was going to fight back: "We will fight any kind of attempt at privileges that harm us."

Page warned that Castilla-La Mancha "doesn't demand more, but won't accept less," the same expression used by Jorge Azcón, the president of Aragon: "We don't ask to be more than anyone else, but we won't tolerate being treated worse than other Spaniards." Azcón, who will face the ballot box on next February 8th“Any other premise” would constitute an “attack” on the principle of equality and on the “dignity and autonomy” of the community. “Aragon needs to be treated fairly; we need a regional financing model that does not privilege other communities,” he demanded. The Aragonese president also expressed his “dream” that in the “coming months” Sijena will recover the murals that are now on display at the MNAC"It's a matter of justice," he stressed.

From the Balearic Islands, on New Year's Eve, Marga Prohens called for a new financing system negotiated with all the communities and "not just with the usual one" – referring to Catalonia – and took the opportunity to criticize the cases of alleged corruption and sexual harassment affecting the PSOE: "It is the worst side of their policies, responsible politicians in making decisions."

"Coherence" and "honesty"

Emiliano García-Page has also cast a sideways glance at the Moncloa Palace. Without mentioning Pedro Sánchez by name, he staunchly defended "coherence" as a "prerequisite" for "honesty." "That coherence or common sense is news is a symptom we must eradicate," lamented the president of Castilla-La Mancha. Page believes that a "divided" Spain is a "consequence" of people who seek "confrontation" and "tension" to "hide their shortcomings and problems." He also believes that society is "politically neurotic."

"Empathy" with the victims of the DANA storm

He new president Juanfran Pérez Llorca, from the Valencian Community, delivered his speech from Utiel, a municipality hit hard by the 2024 floods, and limited himself to advocating for "unity" and "dialogue and consensus" in demanding reform of regional financing. In a speech combining Catalan and Spanish, and without any reference—either explicit or implicit—to Carlos Mazón, has reiterated His "empathy, affection, and attention" to the families of the victims of the October 29th tragedy, he emphasized that the reconstruction "continues to move forward," and he pledged to also speak with the Spanish government to ensure that "no resident ever again experiences fear when it rains."

Incidentally, both he and Azcón, who depend or will depend on Vox to govern, have spoken about gender violence. The Valencian president defined it as a "painful reality" that must be "eradicated by all," and the Aragonese president denounced it as "repugnant" and stating that it "has no place in a democratic society."

"Patience runs out"

Finally, from the Basque Country, Imanol Pradales presented 2026 as a "decisive year" for improving self-government in the Basque Country, although he acknowledged that the current situation is "worrying" due to the Spanish government's failures to meet its commitments: "We are not seeing the progress and determination that the situation demands. We are late, and patience is running out."