Collboni links the ERC's core to the budget

BarcelonaAgreement between ERC and the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) at Barcelona City Council. For the third consecutive year, Jaume Collboni's government has managed to secure the votes of the Republicans for its budget. Fourth Deputy Mayor Jordi Valls announced this Wednesday that they have accepted the requests of Esquerra (Spanish Left), which on Tuesday had conditioned its vote on the inclusion in the budget of measures such as a compensation fund for the neighborhoods most affected by tourism.

Specifically, the leader of ERC at Barcelona City Council, Elisenda Alamany, had conditioned her group's position on the inclusion of several of her proposals in the budget. These include creating a €10 million tourism return fund to compensate neighborhoods with the greatest tourist pressure, increasing the housing budget by more than 30%, and increasing the allocation for Catalan to €7 million.

The agreement also includes aspects that the government had already announced when it presented the budget. This consolidates the City Council's €50 million contribution to transport fare discounts through 2026, as well as a 30% increase in the housing budget. In addition, 35 new stations will be added to the Bicing network and 1,000 electric bicycles will be added. The agreement also provides for a €21 million investment in sports facilities in the districts.

The document signed by both groups also establishes an increase in funding for children aged 0-16 to €14.5 million, a new call for 100 Urban Guard officers, and the deployment of the Catalan Office, one of the points of the first budget agreement between the Socialists and Republicans.

Together votes against

So far, the votes from ERC have been insufficient for Jaume Collboni's government, which has yet to approve any budget through ordinary channels. The initial debate on the 2026 financial statements is scheduled for this Thursday, and at this point the ball is in the court of Barcelona en Comú, which has conditioned the negotiation on the ban on seasonal rentals and the halt to evictions in Vallcarca. In the coming hours, Janet Sanz's group will decide whether to reject the budget outright or allow it to be processed and allow time for negotiation until the final debate. If they ultimately fail, the government has already announced that it will launch a vote of no confidence to have it approved automatically.

This Wednesday morning, Junts had already formalized its rejection of the financial statements and the tax ordinances. The leader of the council members in the council, Jordi Martí, has confirmed that his group will vote against it. In a press conference, he said the budgets are "continuity-oriented" and do not address the problems of Barcelona residents.

Martí was highly critical of Collboni, reproaching him for, on the one hand, encouraging the option of restoring the 30% reduction in social housing, but on the other, not sitting down to negotiate the tax ordinances to include a 4% reduction in property tax. "During Xavier Trias's administration, we put an end to the con artists on Las Ramblas, but now we have them inside City Hall," he said.