The Generalitat of Catalonia has extended its budgets for the second consecutive year, but Salvador Illa does not give up having its own accounts agreed with Comuns and ERC for the beginning of 2025. Although the Executive Council this Tuesday has approved the extension, the Government spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, has assured that they hope to have them “as soon as possible.”
At a press conference, Paneque urged ERC to negotiate the budgets, although he admitted that the Republicans “set their rhythms and tempos” since they have just left the congressional process in which Oriol Junqueras was re-elected as president. In any case, Paneque has defended that the Government is currently complying with the investiture agreements.
In this sense, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, plans to present the Government’s action plan for the legislature this Friday, in a meeting with the general secretaries, general directors and senior officials of the Departments and public companies. The Executive Council is expected to approve this plan on Monday.
During the press conference Paneque admitted that they would have liked to have the Generalitat’s budgets on January 1, but he assured that the extension will allow them to “continue working” and “not waste a second” when the year begins.
The executive has been defending in recent weeks that the negotiations had slowed down because ERC was immersed in the congressional process. Now, with the leadership election resolved, the Government wants to resume negotiations and direct the agreement. “The Government complies and will continue to comply,” he insisted, and has defended that “week by week” the Executive Council approves agreements that are included in the investiture pacts.
Although Paneque did not want to place himself in a scenario in which there are no budgets in 2025, he did point out that without them it would be difficult to carry out some policies. In the case of the housing plan, which contemplates 1,100 million euros each year of the legislature, he has indicated that, of the total, 600 million are funds linked to the Catalan Institute of Finance that, therefore, would be maintained. This also includes 100 million from the emancipation fund. Of the 500 million of own resources, 250 million would be carried over from the 2023 budgets. Therefore, of the 1,100 million of the total housing plan, 250 million would remain uncovered if there are finally no budgets.
Another of the projects that the Government has committed to carrying out with the new budgets would be the Neighborhood Plan. If there were no new accounts, it would remain to be seen if the Executive can manage to create a budget item for the latest budgets.
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