Sílvia Paneque: "There is no grey area when it comes to defending democratic values"

BarcelonaThe Government faces an important week with the meetings of the Bilateral Commission and the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council and has just closed one with important announcements in Cercanías, by the spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque (Girona, 1972).

The Government sets ambitious goals, such as building 50,000 homes or investing 18.5 billion euros in five years. This contrasts with the fact that they still do not have a budget.

— We have extended budgets. The lack of broad majorities, both in Spain and in Catalonia, does not ensure the possibility of budgets every year. There has been a debate about whether it was necessary or not, and its need has even been exaggerated. And it is good that there are budgets every year. The Government has other mechanisms through the Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF), but we also need to activate extraordinary resources, for example for the Pla de Barris.

This is where they will need support in Parliament.

— We need them to incorporate 4 billion euros into the budget. First, there are investiture agreements with Esquerra and the Comuns that we must implement. And in these six months the groups have put very specific investments on the table and to make them we need resources.

This week you and Elisenda Alamany presented the agreement for the joint venture that will manage Cercanías.

— We may not agree on everything, but there are a number of issues such as housing, mobility or climate change that we think are worth reaching an agreement on for the benefit of all.

How does the Government and your party assess what has happened in Ripoll in recent days?

— We saw an opportunity to remove far-right forces from the institutions with messages that directly undermine social cohesion. Ultimately, this has not been possible. There is no grey area here: either democratic values are defended or they are not defended.

Do you think that after the next municipal elections there could be agreements between Junts and Aliança Catalana?

— I hope not, because it would break a long tradition of Junts, and before that Convergència, of institutional commitment and defence of democratic values.

The Bilateral Commission to address regional financing is meeting on Monday. What headlines are you expecting?

— We hope that there can be steps forward towards fairer financing for Catalonia.

The objective is also for Catalonia to collect personal income tax next year.

— In the 2025 campaign, there will be a reinforcement of human resources and an expansion of offices and service points to begin testing this transfer that must be made from the Spanish Agency to the Tax Agency of Catalonia. Until now, only 4% of income is processed at the points of the Tax Agency of Catalonia, it is still very unknown, and the intention is to reach 20% of processing immediately. In 2026, it must collect 100% of the IRPF.

Are you afraid that opposition from tax inspectors could hinder the transfer?

— I understand that any change that affects working conditions or acquired labour rights causes concern. And, in this sense, the Government, both in the area of the Tax Agency and the Cercanías, has wanted to create spaces of trust and dialogue to make it clear that in these processes there can be no loss of rights.

You have said that it will take two years for the impact of the investments in Cercanías to be felt. But what will citizens notice first when the mixed State-Generalitat operator is launched?

— I have been a user for many years and I understand the impact that an unreliable service has on everyday life. And now it is not. But there are aspects more related to proximity management: improving accessibility with lifts and stairs, maintaining stations that have a degraded image, security measures due to copper theft and vandalism on trains, and real-time information. What cannot happen, and is happening, is that the information on the screen does not correspond to reality. If a train should not pass, the user must know this in order to find an alternative.

Is the promise of building 50,000 apartments realistic? And will it have an impact on prices?

— I am not the one saying this. In cities with 15% of the public housing stock, there is clearly an impact on prices and, if we are at 1.7%, it means that we have a very important supply deficit. We have now made an initial reservation of public plots worked with all sectors, because we need the activation of the promoters and private builders. From the public sphere, of those 50,000 we could reach up to 10% or 20%. We do not have greater capacity. The 50,000 programme has a line with the ICF to ensure that no plot of land in Catalonia is left unbuilt due to lack of financing and that they are attractive developments for private promoters.

The promoters are, in some way, assured of profits.

— Yes, exactly. There would never be any losses. It is a transfer of use of the surface that exploits that property for 75 years with fixed rents.

The Government's other big bet is the cap on rents.

— We have approved the sanctioning regime and can now act in cases where the rental income exceeds the limit or the advertisements do not comply with the requirements established by these rental contracts in tense areas. This already represents a deterrent and gives security to owners who want to do things right and sanctions those who do not.

Are the buffers working?

— Prices have not decreased significantly, but rental income has been contained. And, if we compare this with rents in areas that are not declared under pressure, there have been increases of up to 6%.

Here they are playing politically, because there are two very different models: the one with a cap, here, and the one that gives absolute freedom to the owners, in Madrid.

— We are convinced that the 50,000 programme model will not only ensure access to affordable housing, especially for young people, but will also promote social cohesion. It is not like the one in Madrid, where the latest data indicate an increase of up to 25% in the price of housing in two years [compared to 13% in Barcelona]. Therefore, the Madrid model encourages an escalation of prices and ours, a model of social cohesion and territorial balance. And here we could also talk about mobility...

Speaking of mobility, do you think it is sustainable to maintain the current public transport bonuses over time?

— We are looking for a balance. The bonuses have led to a practically massive use of public transport among young people and this is good news. But it is true that what the citizen pays now only covers a third of the total cost, and that is not sustainable over time, especially if we want to allocate resources to improve the infrastructure. We could find that there are more and more users in the system, and we do not have it ready, and this can translate into a poor service. We must rethink the fare system so that it is fair and proportional for those who use it sporadically or for those who do so for work reasons or for obligatory travel.

Have you not yet come to any conclusion?

— We are fully committed to maintaining the bonuses for young people, because they are the most sensitive incomes.

Another of your department's hot potatoes is the airport. How do we feel about the experts' report on the expansion of El Prat?

— There are two lines of work. The first is how we can expand the airport's capacity with the utmost respect for the environment, and in parallel we are also working on compensatory measures at an environmental level.

Woman, of course there will be an impact.

— We are trying to keep it as small as possible and in any case improve the entire environment. It is a European requirement and it would be incomprehensible to build an infrastructure that does not have the highest standards of preservation.

The percentage of the population that has Catalan as their first language has dropped to 32.6%. How do you rate this?

— With concern, because language should be a backbone and should be seen as an element of personal enrichment and personal advancement. I am the daughter of a person who migrated from Andalusia. My father learned Catalan very quickly because he believed it was enriching and useful and that it allowed him to advance professionally and socially in a small town in Girona.

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