The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, has taken advantage of the state of the nation debate in the Spanish parliament to announce a 100% rebate for Renfe commuter and medium-distance train tickets and also a new tax on banks. "Tickets for more than one trip will be free between September 1 and December 31," announced Sánchez, who just before had pointed out the need to promote the use of public transport as one of the keys to fighting against the increase in energy prices. It should be borne in mind that the Spanish government had already announced a 50% discount on season tickets, but now it will be increased to 100% on trains operated by [state operator] Renfe. The measure joins the 30% rebate on metropolitan transport, which the Catalan government will complement to achieve a 50% in reduction in fare prices from September 1.

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Independence Referendum, Parliament approved a motion in defence of the negotiating table with the State as the best way to resolve the political conflict between Catalonia and Spain. The resolution was approved with the votes of the ERC, the PSC and En Comú and with the abstention of JxCat. This coincidence in time may be disappointing for some, but in any case it is consistent with everything that has happened in the last four years. Although with some nuances, the majority of pro-independence supporters has gone from considering the 1 October 2017 vote as a binding referendum that justified a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, to, in the words of Jordi Cuixart during the Independence bid trial, defining it as "an act of mass disobedience". This act of mass disobedience involving more than two million people has surely been the most disruptive political act of the last few decades in the Spanish state and perhaps in Europe. Four years later, however, it is clear that, despite the brutal media, political and emotional impact it had, the Referendum did not meet the necessary standards to achieve international recognition and, therefore, cannot be used to justify any democratic mandate that is externally recognised.