Together, Isla blames Podemos for the immigration veto: "What educational measures have you taken to prevent it?"

BarcelonaPodemos' veto leads to failure The transfer of immigration powers to Catalonia, agreed between the PSOE and Junts, will be voted on in Congress this Tuesday. Carles Puigdemont's party has lashed out at the purple party, accusing it of "Catalanophobia" for refusing to endorse the text. However, today the party's secretary general, Jordi Turull, also pointed the finger at the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, as the culprit behind the announced failure of the vote. During a breakfast briefing, Turull accused the Catalan prime minister of not having lifted a finger to counter Podemos's rhetoric, which maintains that the text is "racist" and goes against the interests of migrants. "What pedagogy has he done to prevent this? He has done nothing," he asserted. He also did not spare criticism of Podemos, whom he reproached for wanting to apply a "155" in Catalonia on immigration matters, aligning himself with the PP and Vox.

But have there been negotiations between Podemos and Junts to try to reach an agreement to allow, at least, Congress to debate the text? The secretary general of Junts has said that the purple party is lying when it says they haven't been in contact to get the bill past consideration. "It didn't go through." screenshots, but I have had calls with Ione Belarra," he added. Sources from the Lilac party admit that there have been contacts, but deny that they can be considered negotiations. In fact, they blame Juntos for having "shut down" on the mass regularization of immigrants that arose from the Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) of the collection, subject to considering lifting the veto on the transfer.

Junts, on the other hand, links Podemos's "no" vote to the transfer more to an electoral issue than to the real problems they find with the law. Although the same sources from the Lilacs explain that the PSOE has pressured them in recent hours to change their minds, their leader, Ione Belarra, has reiterated that they maintain their vote against. In a press conference this Tuesday in Congress, Belarra countered that it is Junts and Turull who are "instrumentalizing the legitimate aspirations of the Catalan people for self-government to spread their racism." In an interview on TV3, former minister and Podemos MEP Irene Montero insisted that the bill is part of the electoral competition between the judiciary members and the Catalan Alliance.

Sumar, divided

Podemos is not the only party to the left of the PSOE that will oppose the bill's consideration. Compromís MP Alberto Ibánez, within Sumar, confirmed that he will break the unified vote for the same reasons. Despite the internal division, the official position of Yolanda Díaz's party is in favor, as they separate Junts's discourse on immigration from the content of the bill to delegate powers to Catalonia.

And what does Salvador Illa's government have to say? Spokesperson and minister Sílvia Paneque lamented at a press conference this Tuesday that the initiative would not go ahead, because "it was good for Catalonia" and there was "no element of racism." "It would be good if the groups' expressions focused on the substance of the texts and not on who the author is," she said. He also responded to Turull that the Catalan executive has done its homework regarding the possible transfer, despite the proposal not originating with the Catalan Socialists. For example, with a working group led by the Ministry of Social Rights, which has estimated, among others, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) needed to assume the delegation. However, Paneque did not provide further details about the work and conclusions of this group, which also included the Interior Ministry and Justice.

Decisions in the fall?

Turull's criticism of Salvador Illa reflects Junts' discontent with the Socialists. According to Turull, relations with the PSOE are currently in a state of "total mistrust," despite the last meeting between former President Carles Puigdemont and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to bridge the gap (which, according to Turull, did not take place in Switzerland). Beyond the immigration transfer, the party is calling on the PSOE to comply with the agreement for the official status of Catalan in Europe, but also to guarantee the full implementation of the amnesty and the return of exiles. now in the hands of the Constitutional Court.

In this scenario, Turull has reiterated that this autumn Junts will make "decisions" on whether it is "worthwhile" to continue with the Spanish legislature, as already stated. Puigdemont did this summer, assessing what has and hasn't been fulfilled in the 2023 investiture agreement for Sánchez. "Autumn started yesterday," the moderator, journalist Joan Maria Morros, reminded him. The Secretary General did not specify when they will make a decision, but assured that it will not be "hastily." Therefore, it is not expected that after Tuesday's vote, the Junts will announce that they are breaking relations with the Socialists.

The negotiation of the General State Budget will be the next step to test this relationship. However, Turull has warned that Junts will not sit down to negotiate unless the Spanish government first sends a "check" to the Generalitat with the money for the pending investments from the previous year. "We are not willing to negotiate the stamp scam, no. We have a lot of work to do," he asserted. The main complaint of the regional council members is the budget execution deficit: Catalonia was at the bottom of the list of state budget execution, with 20% of the budget being executed. in the first half of 2024, while in Madrid this figure was almost 60%.

The mayors and Puigdemont

At the breakfast briefing organized by the Nova Economia Fòrum, Turull spoke alongside the mayor of Olot, Agustí Arbós, who dedicated part of the event's presentation to discussing the challenge of immigration. The secretary general took up the challenge, asserting that Junts is a party that listens to the region, which is why it has included issues such as the fight against multiple reoffending, occupations, and the control of electoral roll registrations on its agenda. According to him, they did so because these are the issues that concern the "angry" middle classes, and not to prevent a flight of votes to Alianza.

After, as ARA reported, Junts mayors questioned the party's direction and asked to meet with Puigdemont, he took advantage of Arbós' presence to emphasize the rapport that, he says, the leadership maintains with the municipal representatives. "We will hold the meeting, and it is just another meeting," he argued.