Catalonia, at least from its government, will do everything possible to make itself liked by the Spaniards in the rest of Spain who think that, if this community achieves its own financing system, it will be to the detriment of the rest of the autonomous communities. The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, will help the president of the central government, Pedro Sánchez, in his campaign to convince that the eventual financial recognition of “the singularity for Catalonia” will go hand in hand with extraordinary contributions to each and every one of the other fourteen autonomous communities of common regime. “Nobody will beat us in solidarity,” said the president this Sunday. president at the Rose Festival of his party, the PSC, in the Barcelona town of Gavà.
Documents, figures, numbers… That is what is not available at the moment. In the preparations for the conference of presidents to be held in October in Cantabria, with no date set yet, there is no doubt that regional financing will be included as demanded by the PP presidents, and it will not be just a monographic conference on housing as the central government intended.
It will not be easy to fulfil the PSC’s agreement with ERC that Catalonia should have its own financing system and that the PP and the president of Castilla-La Mancha, the socialist Emiliano García-Page, do not rebel. Or that other regional socialist leaders do not become extremely worried, such as the president of Asturias, Adrián Barbón. Therefore, Sánchez and his Executive, a coalition of socialists and Sumar, should not be alone in their difficult campaign of explanation and persuasion. In this case, President Salvador Illa will help them in the task.
The Catalan leader offers every day examples of the meaning he wants to give to his proclamation of “Catalonia has returned”… to Spain. Last Wednesday he attended the celebration in Madrid of the Diada, the national day of Catalonia, which served as the presentation of the new delegate of the Generalitat, Nuria Marín, who replaces the former ERC deputy, Joan Capdevila, present at the event to welcome her successor and greet the Catalan leader. president of the Generalitat. Capdevila, like Esther Capella before, former parliamentarian and former councilor of the Pere Aragonès Government, have maintained a correct relationship with the central Government. But Illa’s presence at this Diada in Madrid, with the PSC in the Government, revealed substantial changes, not only in the forms – with the presence of seven ministers of the central Executive and a large representation of the diplomatic corps accredited in Spain.
From the podium, the Catalan president – who was Pedro Sánchez’s Minister of Health during the coronavirus pandemic – announced his decision to travel around Spain to meet with the regional presidents – most of them from the PP – and “commit” and “get involved” with the governability of Spain. “Catalonia has returned to help improve Spain.” He reiterated this declaration of intent this Sunday at the Catalan Socialists’ Rose Festival. With the PSC, he said, “Catalonia will be at the forefront of solidarity.” This is what it is all about. If Catalonia has its own funding, its contribution to the solidarity fund will no longer be decided by the State but by the Generalitat itself. But, according to sources from the Sánchez Government, no community will lose out, but thanks to European funds and the significant revenue collected by the State from economic activity, there will be resources for all and in a proportion never seen before. All of this will be discussed at the conference of presidents, which will include Salvador Illa, just as all Catalan councillors will be present in all the State’s autonomous representative bodies. This has not been the case for ten years.
For its part, the PP front for special negotiations with Catalonia is very powerful, although each community is betting on its needs, and all are willing to dialogue with Pedro Sánchez, except for Madrid.
What matters most is what happens closer to home. To make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe.
KEEP READING
The other front, no less rocky, is that of Junts, without downplaying what may happen in ERC. None of the candidates for the leadership of Esquerra are campaigning for the end of the Government headed by Pedro Sánchez. Nor the opposite. But they are clinging to the former in the central Executive to give themselves a certain margin of confidence until the Republicans hold their congress on November 30, coinciding with that of the Socialists.
The government’s analyses of Junts per Catalunya are of a different nature. Carles Puigdemont has not been able to benefit from the amnesty until now, since the Supreme Court has refused to apply it to him; and the socialist Salvador Illa governs in Catalonia. Various interlocutors from Catalan parties agree that these two circumstances completely discourage Puigdemont from authorising the seven Junts deputies to join the government bloc, regardless of what is voted on and which social sectors are harmed.
Whatever happens in Madrid, Illa has undertaken what he calls “the revolution of normality”. This includes his visit to the Zarzuela Palace on Wednesday as president of the Generalitat to show his respect to the head of state, Felipe VI. The generous smiles of both were recorded.
#Illa #focus #guaranteeing #solidarity #Catalonia #rest #autonomous #regions