Salvador Illa's first budgets passed their initial parliamentary stage this Thursday. The debate on the entirety of the accounts once again highlighted the alliance that brought the socialist president to the Palau de la Generalitat and which the Government intends to serve it to reach the end of the legislature. Thus, the budgets have begun to be processed with the support of the two investiture partners, ERC and Comuns, with whom the Government reached an agreement two weeks ago. The executive, however, has not managed to secure the 'yes' of any of the opposition groups: Junts, the CUP, Aliança, the PP, and Vox had presented amendments in their entirety, four texts that have been rejected. The words of the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, asking them to come out of the "trench" and defending accounts that reach almost 50 billion euros and grow by 22% compared to those of 2023, have not served to convince them. And even more so when, during the debate, the news broke that teachers rejected the unions' agreement with Education. Junts and the CUP have taken the opportunity to attack the executive, while the partners have asked the Government to reopen negotiations.

The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has surprised both allies and adversaries at the Cercle d'Economia by announcing that this very week the order for the elaboration of the 2027 budgets will be published in the BOE. Needless to say, in the midst of a judicial storm against the PSOE and with the legislature about to enter its final year, the possibility of these accounts moving forward is almost non-existent. If it wasn't possible in 2024 and 2025, when there was still half a term left, it's even less so now. What, then, is behind this plot twist from the Spanish President?

Now that the Illa government has managed to move forward with theirs, it is a good time to point out that, both in Catalonia and in Spain, the negotiation of the budgets has become a little theater of gestures, pretenses, and bad scripts of drama or comedy. It seeks to find twists that are exciting, because politics is reduced to a fair of emotions and politicians live waiting to find their moments –fleeting, ephemeral– of display. This applies as much to the parties in government and their partners as to those in opposition. Within this dynamic of fanfare, the coup de effect, and unbridled populism, budgets appear as a golden opportunity to gain prominence.In Catalonia, budgets were always approved during pujolism, and also with the two tripartite governments (with more problems: they were the years of the Dragon Khan, and the first effects of the crisis began to be noticed). From 2011 onwards, when Artur Mas stopped counting on the votes of Alícia Sánchez Camacho, budgets entered a period of uncertainty: these were the years of the Procés, and instability was in crescendo until the referendum of October 1st and the application of Article 155. From 2018 onwards, with the presidency of Quim Torra (then Aragonès, now Illa), and with governments of Junts, ERC and PSC, the difficulties in approving budgets were not due to truly exceptional situations – as the Procés was – but to simple calculations and staging by the different political parties. Or to politicking, if you prefer. Something different, yet at the same time similar, is seen in the Spanish case: González and Aznar were almost always able to approve budgets punctually, Zapatero with some problems, and with Rajoy an era of uncertainty began (his government had to manage the global financial crisis in Spain, and did so in such a grotesque and corrupt way that the Spanish government ended up with its accounts overseen by Brussels). With Sánchez, the uncertainty has been accentuated by having had to govern in minority and with the ultra-nationalist right in a state of total political warfare.All this does not mean that politicians from the past were more tepid, but rather that they saw the negotiation and approval of the budget law as what it is: the law that allows the normal functioning of the entire public system, a matter important enough not to put obstacles in its way unless for reasons, let's repeat, truly exceptional. Lately it has become an occasion for exhibitionism and overacting: those who vote in favor of the budgets want to assume that they have managed to wrest great advances from the government in power – even if they are railway lines fifteen years away – and those who oppose them denounce the budgets as an act of betrayal and vassalage (they would approve them in the same way, or a similar one). So much comedy is not only sterile: it is also a contempt for the understanding of citizens, and an abandonment of the public responsibility that one is supposed to want to exercise.

If there is one thing that defines the budget agreement between ERC and the PSC it is that its fulfillment will basically depend on the Spanish government. Specifically, on the PSOE continuing in La Moncloa. The orbital train line, which should be financed by the corresponding ministry; the investment consortium so that Catalonia has decision-making capacity; the change of statutes in the Zona Franca Consortium; the co-management of airports and, obviously, the transfer of IRPF or the approval of a new regional financing model.

The approval of a budget always has two dimensions. The first is that it allows administrations to function normally and have more resources to carry out specific policies. From this point of view, the approval of accounts is always good news, because it is a measure that positively impacts both public services and the economy in general due to the flow of resources, for example for infrastructure, that it entails. The second dimension is political. In the case of the accounts approved yesterday by the executive council and presented to Parliament, they represent the cornerstone that will allow Salvador Illa to complete his term.

After almost three months of budget negotiation, ERC and Comuns have managed to commit 893 million euros from the 2026 budget, 1.8% of the Generalitat's total spending of 49,162 million euros. Broadly speaking, however, the main figures of the accounts that the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, brought to Parliament this Friday are the same as in February: 49,162 million euros in budget spending, 4,146 million in investments, and 329.6 million in deficit (0.1% of GDP). Even the dossier presented as a summary of the project approved by the executive council this same Friday has been practically identical to the one from February. Where do these 893 million come from, then?

Images from this morning, when the Government met in extraordinary executive council to approve the budgetsMeanwhile, the teachers' strike continues, as we explain. The teachers' unions are not letting up. The negotiation between the Government and the union representatives will continue today: they remain stuck on improving salaries and, despite the wear and tear that maintaining the stoppages means, the unions are determined to continue them.

"Since they improved the [Rodalies] service, it takes 20 minutes less, and without having to go through Barcelona". This is one of the phrases heard in the presentation video of the Metropolitan Commitment 2030, the strategic plan for the metropolitan region of Barcelona approved three years ago, explaining what the metropolis should be like at the turn of the decade. A phrase that condenses a dream for many people: to be able to move between the main cities of the so-called metropolitan arc without Barcelona being mandatory on any journey.

The Government already has all the support to approve the budgets for 2026. After this week's agreement with ERC, validated this Wednesday by the Spanish government, the executive and Comuns have signed their definitive pact for the accounts this Thursday morning, which includes 2.5 billion for housing and rethinking the R-Aeroport, among others. Salvador Illa and Jéssica Albiach have sealed the understanding at the Palau de la Generalitat and this Friday the Government will approve the numbers in an executive council, with the aim that Parliament definitively validates them in the first fortnight of July.

After a four-hour debate, Jovent Republicà, the youth wing of ERC, has decided to endorse Salvador Illa's budgets. The vote of deputy Mar Besses, who represents the organization in Parliament, was essential for the accounts to go through. The national council met this afternoon to decide the direction of their vote and, after a long debate, opted to "preserve the unitary space with Esquerra Republicana" and "maintain the direction of the parliamentary group's vote out of responsibility". However, in a statement, the organization admits that the decision implies "assuming important contradictions" and asks ERC to carry out a "profound review" of the investiture agreement and its compliance.

Conversations had been on track for days, but the Government did not want to formalize an agreement until after the Andalusian elections. Well, it was just the next day when Esquerra officially gave its yes to Salvador Illa's first budget after explaining the pact first to the executive, and then to the national council. Salvador Illa and Oriol Junqueras will sign the agreement this Tuesday at the Palau de la Generalitat. The pact has not been put to a vote, but according to various sources consulted, and the party has "informed" the national councilors of the pact's content.It is in the national council meeting where the voices of the party's critics have been heard. With ERC's yes, the Government only has to finish negotiating with the Commons on the updating of its pact.

Esquerra had agreed on three issues to reach an agreement on Salvador Illa's budgets. On the one hand, the orbital railway line which, as explained by ARA last Monday, socialists and republicans have reached an agreement to materialize it in the next fifteen years. On the other hand, the commercial company that is to oversee state investments has also been agreed upon. And there was a third issue, a transfer that ERC had not yet revealed and that it is finishing closing with the socialists. Well, it concerns the Consorci de la Zona Franca: PSC and Esquerra are finalizing an agreement so that Catalonia will have the majority of the entity, which until now was entirely state-owned, according to what Agencia Efe has reported and ARA has confirmed.

Catalan employers' associations and trade unions will participate in the decision-making of the parity consortium for investments between the State and the Generalitat. The budget agreement ratified by the Govern and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya this Tuesday foresees the creation of an advisory council to "guide the functions" of the body, as well as the investment company that must be established to guarantee its execution. This was confirmed by the executive to the most representative economic organizations –CCOO, UGT, Pimec, and Foment del Treball– in the meeting they held, the four of them, with the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero, and the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, this Tuesday. The representatives of workers and employers have welcomed the proposal, although they have assured that "the small print still needs to be read".

Before talking about the signing of the budget agreement between Illa and Junqueras, this morning we had two bombshell news. The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested Jonathan Andic, the son of Mango founder Isak Andic, for the death of his father, who died at 71 while hiking in the Salnitre caves. Although initially treated as an accident, a few months ago the Mossos began investigating Andic's son for homicide, who was the only person with whom the businessman was that day. And while we were still processing the news, the political bombshell arrived: Zapatero has been charged with influence peddling, criminal organization, and document forgery in the case of the Plus Ultra airline bailout. The company was bailed out by Sánchez's government during the pandemic with a loan of 53 million euros. Now the National Court is charging Zapatero for having influenced (having received a commission of 10 million, deposited in an account in Panama) this bailout. He has always denied it, and Sánchez has always said the bailout was done correctly. The group that reported Zapatero was the far-right group Manos Limpias. Today, his office was searched, and he will have to appear to testify in 15 days. The first pieces of evidence, which became known this morning when the secrecy of the investigation was lifted, do not seem very solid. He is the first former Spanish president to be charged in Spain (Rajoy has been charged in Andorra). The impact for Sánchez is huge: they are friends, Zapatero supports him - unlike Felipe González -, and if we add to this the result in Andalusia, the funeral in Moncloa continues today. And I would bet anything that within 24 hours someone will remember that Zapatero was negotiating with Puigdemont (like Santos Cerdán). Meanwhile, this morning, at 8 o'clock, President Salvador Illa and Oriol Junqueras were at the Palau de la Generalitat and shook hands again, as a prelude to the photo of the day, that of the signing of the agreement between the Government and Esquerra Republicana by which Junqueras' party will approve the 2026 budgets of Illa's government. These are days of handshakes. Yesterday they already had the first one in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia at the presentation of the orbital train.As always, when a party gives a vote as important as the budget vote to a government, the debate is whether it has settled for little or a lot. Especially since Esquerra is an independentist party and the PSC is not, and it enthusiastically supported 155. Firstly, I think no one should be surprised that Esquerra or Comuns approve accounts for the PSC, because the most important agreement was already made, which is the investiture. If there was any incoherence in ERC's support for the PSC, it was then, not now. I believe that if you vote for someone's investiture, you have an obligation to cooperate with them during the legislature that other parties do not have. Whoever invests is saying they see potential. The fact is that for some time now, we have naturally accepted that, for example, next year there will be no budgets because there are municipal and Spanish elections and, of course, parties cannot support each other. Perhaps this is what is done nowadays, but I find it very selfish on the part of the parties. From this point of view, it is normal for Esquerra to give its vote to the Government. 

It has gone from being a project kept in a drawer since 2010 to becoming the protagonist of the budget negotiations between the PSC and ERC. At ARA we explain what the Orbital Railway Line (LOF) is in seven key points:

Once the Andalusian elections were over, the Government is launching the machinery this week to approve its first budgets. The socialists wanted to let May 17th pass so as not to interfere with the campaign of the former vice-president and former Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, but talks with ERC have been on track for days. The republicans put forward the orbital railway line as a breakthrough after the transfer of personal income tax fell from the demands —at least in the short term— due to the clash with the Spanish government. This Monday, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, and the leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, have formalized the agreement in an event in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia.

Today it is Barcelona's turn in the teachers' protests and the strikers have gathered in one of the most visible places in the city, the Sagrada Família. These strikes that teachers are carrying out by regions are multiplying the effect of the sector in struggle and are making the crisis long for the Government.Meanwhile, the Government is preparing for this week, which will be the staging of the budget agreement between the Government, Esquerra and Comuns.While Esquerra is convening the national council today to give the green light to the budgets, President Salvador Illa is going to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia today to present the initiative for the orbital railway line, the result of the agreement between the Government and Esquerra.

The elections in Andalusia have been held and finally in Catalonia we now have permission to approve the budgets of the Generalitat without bothering the PSOE and its candidate, María Jesús Montero. This waiting period has not prevented, of course, the PP candidate for the Andalusian presidency from attacking the socialist candidate over the new regional financing system, with phrases such as: "[This agreement will cause] the interests of Andalusians to be trampled on again, equality between Spaniards to be broken and, in short, one of the most beautiful coexistence projects, which is Spain, to be cracked".

Esquerra had agreed on three issues to reach an agreement on Salvador Illa's budgets. On the one hand, the orbital railway line which, as the ARA explained last Monday, socialists and republicans have reached an agreement to materialize it in the next fifteen years. On the other hand, the commercial company that is to oversee state investments has also been agreed upon. And there was a third issue, a transfer that ERC had not yet revealed and is in the process of finalizing with the socialists. Well, it concerns the Consorci de la Zona Franca: PSC and Esquerra are finalizing an agreement so that Catalonia gains a majority in the entity, which until now was entirely state-owned.

In terms of budgets, it could be said that Catalonia is not (really) Spain. The balance of parliamentary forces will allow for them before summer. Specifically, so that they can be approved by Parliament in July. It only remains for ERC, which has convened a national council for Monday, to give it the go-ahead. The situation is perceived in the happy faces of some government members, especially the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero.