Junts is not satisfied but encourages Sánchez to continue fulfilling the agreements to rebuild the relationship

Barcelona"All of this doesn't change Junts' position; we're where we were." This was the reaction on Wednesday from the Junts spokesperson in Congress, Miriam Nogueras, to the shift in position by Spanish President Pedro Sánchez. After 24 hours without any official reaction, Carles Puigdemont's party finally assessed the situation this morning. gestures by the state's chief executive to try to "restart the dialogue" The coalition has been broken since the end of October. In a press conference, Nogueras commented that "what was approved yesterday is part of what should have been approved a long time ago, but the list is long" and "half-measures are not acceptable." In fact, he added that they have already "made a decision" regarding the break, which they would only reconsider if the Socialists resolved all the breaches. Thus, he pointed out that "there is time to negotiate, there is time to fulfill commitments, and there is time to make decisions," but added that Junts has already decided to break and that the ball is now in the court of the national government to address all the agreed-upon commitments that have not yet been fulfilled. "From now on, it is the PSOE that must make decisions," he concluded. However, at this time, "there are no negotiations or talks" with the Socialists, he said. This is one of the factors that, in his opinion, has demonstrated the "weakness" of the national government, which is "cornered" and without much room to maneuver. But if Spain agrees to fulfill all the outstanding issues, which are considerable, there could be a significant shift: "I hope our problem is that in a month we have to call you all [journalists] together again to explain what we'll do because the Spanish government has fulfilled all its outstanding obligations," he declared.

The point is that negotiations will not resume until this happens. And the unfulfilled agreements include not only the legal reform against repeat offenders, but Nogueras also cited the Catalan language in Europe—a complex issue that depends on the position of all EU member states—the full implementation of the amnesty law—closer to being implemented, but still in the hands of the courts—and the transfer of more—and I'm going to go even further—the law against illegal employment and the fulfillment of state investments in Catalonia, among others.

The demand for the Socialists to fulfill pending agreements if they want to rebuild relations has also become a barb, because measures approved on Tuesday, such as support for SMEs and aid for landlords, have been shelved for some time and, according to the Junts party, "it shows that it wasn't that they couldn't, but rather that the break was the reason." But it also opens a loophole that could be exploited by the Socialists to mend relations with Junts: "It has been shown that Spanish parties only react when they are cornered," Nogueras pointed out, just before reiterating that they maintain "their position" regarding the break and that everything depends on Sánchez. This does not prevent the Spanish government from retaining a relevant tool, which is presenting measures agreed upon with Puigdemont's party in Congress, which Nogueras has insisted will have their support.

The Spanish government's shift

The Spanish president admitted on Tuesday for the first time the "delays" and "breaches" with the Junts party, and the Council of Ministers approved a package of measures including some of the Catalan party's demands, such as streamlined processes for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as aid for property owners. "After weeks of denying this breakdown and the breaches, Pedro Sánchez acknowledges these breaches and that the relationship between them and us is broken," said the pro-independence spokesperson in Madrid. Sánchez's move, which comes amid pressure from the People's Party (PP) on Junts to join a no-confidence motion, seeks to get back on track a legislature that is teetering for the Socialists, without a stable majority and with cases of alleged corruption piling up in the courts. "We will honor the agreements we signed," Sánchez promised on Tuesday in an attempt to regain the support of Puigdemont's party, even going so far as to call the understanding with the Catalan party a "historic opportunity." This gesture has prevented the resumption of negotiations in Switzerland, which began over the last two years but were interrupted by the breakdown in talks. In this regard, the Junts party voted against the spending cap, a key element for future budgets, and on Wednesday they reaffirmed that Sánchez's weakness remains unless there is a surge in compliance with the list of pending agreements, from the national to the sectoral level. Following Nogueras's appearance, the Spanish Vice President and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, expressed confidence: "I hope that fulfilling the commitments will restore trust with Junts," she asserted. Similarly, the PSOE issued a statement maintaining that it continues "working to fulfill the commitments made" and that it is focused on "the agreed roadmap." With an "outstretched hand" to Junts and "dialogue" as their solution, the Socialists emphasize that they do not want to "downplay the political situation with Junts," and that they are facing it "with complete clarity and responsibility." They also prioritize "understanding" in order to "complete the political normalization" that motivated the pact. For its part, the PP has lamented that Sánchez has acted in a "pathetic," "submissive," and "shameful" manner, in their view. "He has groveled for nothing" before Junts, the PP spokesperson in Congress, Ester Muñoz, stated in declarations to the lower house. The PP interprets Nogueras's appearance as "a slap in the face" from the Spanish president, but they remain unchanged regarding the initiative for a motion of no confidence. He also wanted to stir things up again with the leader of ERC in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, who told RAC1 that he finds the back-and-forth between Junts and the Spanish government incredibly boring. The ERC spokesperson celebrated the end of Sánchez's "ridiculousness" when he said the break with Junts didn't affect him, and Nogueras's when he said voting with the PP and Vox didn't affect him. Nevertheless, he defended the "responsibility" of wanting to "delay" the far right's arrival in the Spanish government.