Tense countdown to the first big vote of the legislature: the Government sees it feasible to incorporate changes from Junts but not from the PP

There is just one day left until Congress holds a crucial vote for the Government. And, for now, the validation of the three decrees approved at the end of December by the Council of Ministers hangs by a thread. The Executive does not have the simple majority necessary for the plenary session to ratify the texts, on which both the continuity of the anti-crisis measures and the receipt of 10 billion euros of European funds depend. The Moncloa is speeding up contacts with both Junts and the PP, two of the groups that most resist taking the initiatives forward. Both have imposed their conditions. But, after studying them, government sources see it as feasible to assume only some of the demands of Carles Puigdemont's party.

The decrees that the Government wants to validate are three: the one that extends a large part of the anti-crisis package to 2024, the decree bus which includes other measures related to the receipt of European funds – such as the digitalization of justice – and a third promoted by the Ministry of Labor. The Executive needs to obtain a simple majority, more yeses than noes, not yet convened. Confirmed, for now it has the vote in favor of the 121 seats of the PSOE, the 26 of Sumar, the 7 of ERC, the 5 of PNV, the 6 of EH Bildu and the Canarian Coalition, for the decree of anti-crisis measures. That is, 166 supports of the total parliamentary arc made up of 350 deputies. Regarding the other two texts, the equation is repeated except in the case of training abertzale, that asks to study the document that affects Justice and process the third as a bill. In any case, its deputies will not be an “obstacle.” Podemos, with its five seats in the Mixed Group, remained uncertain about its position this Monday. If Junts voted in favor and those of Ione Belarra voted against, the decree would not go ahead, since it would collect 176 votes against and only 173 in favor.

The Government has shown this Monday its willingness to incorporate changes in the three decrees in contention by subsequently processing them as a bill. All decree laws must be validated by Congress within a period of one month from when they are approved by the Council of Ministers. Until that time, they are temporarily valid. But there is also the possibility that the Government promotes their subsequent processing as bills in order to incorporate amendments – that is, changes – requested by the parliamentary parties. This route is approved during the plenary session in which the decree is voted, and then the processing process begins, which can last months. During this entire period of time, the decree will remain in force as is.

In the tense negotiation between the Government and various parties, there are several parties that have requested changes to the texts. But not all in the same way. To begin with, Junts is not willing for the decrees to be processed as bills: it demands that the texts be withdrawn and six new monographic decrees be drafted. Government sources completely rule out this request and this was confirmed by the Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, Santos Cerdán, at a press conference at the party headquarters this Monday.

Furthermore, regarding the content, Carles Puigdemont's training calls for several modifications. Junts maintains that the text that affects justice “endangers” the application of the amnesty because the changes provided for in article 43.bis of the decree bus They would cause judicial cases to be paralyzed when a magistrate raises a preliminary question to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). However, and despite Junts' rejection, the decree does not seem to imply changes with respect to the measure of grace, because jurisprudence is well established in community law, and the courts always leave the procedures on hold when a preliminary question is raised that affects you.

Along these lines, sources from the socialist leadership rule out negotiating this point, a demand that is given by the European Union, the Executive insists. A position that clashes head-on with that of Puigdemont's party. “No crack can be given to the judicial leadership to postpone the application of the amnesty law. If someone needs to be forgiven before the judicial leadership, that is their problem, but they will not do it, in any case, with the votes of Junts,” said the party's spokesperson, Josep Rius, this Monday in Barcelona. ERC does not believe that there is a problem with the amnesty or with the prejudicial issue, as the Government maintains, which is why it voted in favor.

Junts also proposes among its requests to maintain the 5% VAT reduction on electricity and gas, instead of raising it to 10%. It also aims to receive a higher percentage of financing than the rest of the autonomous communities to digitalize Justice and negotiate powers that, in the opinion of the pro-independence supporters, are being curtailed by some measures. The Government is willing to study issues related to financing and regional powers. The problem is that the Executive wants to incorporate whatever the changes are by incorporating them as bill amendments. Junts refuses.

Regarding the PP, the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, spoke with the general secretary of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, whom he telephoned twice—once this Sunday and once on Monday morning—to negotiate her support for the initiatives. , according to sources from both formations. The second vice president and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, in turn contacted the PP spokesperson, Borja Sémper, according to sources in Genoa.

The Popular Party only proposes abstaining from the decree of anti-crisis measures if the Government processes it as a bill and incorporates three amendments: lowering personal income tax for people with incomes of less than 40,000 euros, lowering VAT on meat, fish and canned goods. , and reconsider the increase in VAT on electricity and gas —5% instead of 10%—, especially for lower incomes. The Government believes, after studying them, that the conditions of the PP are unaffordable because it would mean reducing the state's income by 9,000 million. “If the Government really wants to implement anti-crisis measures, it is easy, why not support measures in favor of families. “We are going to provide solutions, but not to fix the internal problems of misgovernment,” said the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, this Monday at an informative breakfast organized by Europa Press.

Some words that Santos Cerdán responded to later: “Feijóo is saying: 'We are not going to save Sánchez.' And the main people affected are neither Sánchez nor his Government, they are the citizens of our country. After discarding the conditions of the PP, the Executive focuses during this last day on reaching an agreement in extremis with Together.

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