Yesterday, Pedro Sánchez and Pere Aragonés signed the agreement transferring the management of the Minimum Vital Income to the Generalitat. The Minister of Social Security, Elma Saiz, and the Minister of Social Rights, Carles Campuzano, then appeared at a press conference to explain the content of the agreement by which Catalonia will open a one-stop shop to assist people in situations of severe poverty and child poverty, uniting the Minimum Vital Income –for which it will receive 2.8 million– and the Guaranteed Citizen Income of the Catalan Government.
This is the “official” content of the visit by the President of the Government to the head of the Catalan Executive. Because the unofficial content was to capture in a photo the relations of trust between socialists and republicans and to convey to the ERC bases the message that the PSOE is a reliable party that fulfils its commitments, because the 8,700 members of Esquerra are the ones who have the say to ratify the agreement with the PSC that would take Illa to the Generalitat. It was the photo that ERC demanded as the culmination of the process started this week, to get out of the deadlock in which the conversations with the PSC were found, which has led to the transfer of the R-1 line of Rodalies, funds for research and scholarships, the forgiveness of 15,000 million of debt and the transfer of the Minimum Vital Income.
After their meeting with Aragonès, Salvador Illa and Pedro Sánchez had lunch together for two hours in the El Raval district of Barcelona. A lunch at Ca L’Isidre, a well-known restaurant serving contemporary Catalan cuisine, also with a message for the Republicans: the negotiations are being led by the PSC, Illa is leading them.
Sánchez and Aragonés have met five times since the Catalan president took office in 2021, and yesterday was the first time since the Catalan elections and the approval of the Amnesty Law. The meeting, according to both governments, “has taken place completely normally and in a cordial atmosphere.” Aragonès received President Sánchez with the Mossos guard in gala at the entrance to the Palau, they allowed themselves to be photographed in the Gothic Gallery and later in the Torres García room, where they talked for an hour. In adjoining rooms, the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, met with Vice President Laura Vilagrà.
The actual content of the meetings is unknown beyond the official versions. Moncloa said that “this Government has always worked with respect for diversity, the Catalan language and culture, always prioritizing progress on issues that concern the citizens of Catalonia on a daily basis,” and added with intent: “That has been the Government’s vocation until now and that will be the vocation that will be maintained with the future Government that is decided in Catalonia.”
Financing remains the Gordian knot of the negotiations. ERC, formally, maintains its demand for a Basque-style agreement, while the socialists want to develop the consortium between tax administrations, the incorporation of the principle of ordinality in the LOFCA to occupy the same place in the ranking as contributor and recipient, and compliance with the additional provision that guarantees the rebalancing of investments according to GDP. All of them constitutional.
The one who was not in the photo, but was always present, was Carles Puigdemont. At first he was proud of putting Sánchez in check by knocking down the spending path and justified his vote against because the investment execution in Madrid is 212% and in Catalonia 45%. The truth is that with his no, Catalonia loses 1.5 billion euros. Hours later, Junts announced talks with the Treasury, which can present the spending path again in a month.
ERC has reserved the date of August 1st for the referendum that must ratify the agreement with the PSC. If this date is confirmed, the agreement would be public at the latest next Monday to carry out an internal campaign. The result of the referendum is uncertain and Puigdemont is trying hard to deepen the contradictions, even considering the possibility of his return, as promised and unfulfilled as many times. A return that, therefore, would be immediate if it were to occur, as those around him say, although they do not specify whether before the ERC referendum or at the investiture plenary session. At the moment, a large event is being prepared in the south of France in support of the fugitive president, although Junts is lowering expectations given the difficulty of mobilising its militants, who are already enjoying their holidays. Last week, the ANC called a demonstration in Barcelona that failed: only 1,500 people attended.
Oriol Junqueras, a candidate to repeat as president of ERC, yesterday made a move to support a possible agreement with the PSC. A manifesto with more than 2,000 signatures is underway in favour of “repositioning ERC” so as “not to depend on Puigdemont”, according to his entourage, who accuse Rovira of being too dependent on Junts. Rovira’s group, the hard core negotiator, is in favour of reaching an agreement, because a repeat election would be suicide for the Republicans, but they are aware of the discontent of the rank and file, who may vote against the agreement simply as a vote of punishment.
Yesterday’s photo was good, the message was clear, everything points to an agreement, but everything is hanging by a thread.