Catalonia will not have a parity investment consortium between the State and the Generalitat. The bill presented by Esquerra Republicana to create an entity that would allow jointly planning, deciding, and executing investments in state-owned infrastructures in the Catalan territory will not become a reality after Congress rejected its consideration with the votes of PP, Vox, Junts, PNV, and UPN. In other words, the proposal jointly worked on by ERC, the Govern, and the Government did not even pass the first filter.
Read more A no for nothing
Socialists and republicans managed to gather the support of other investiture allies such as Sumar, Bildu, Podemos, BNG, and Coalición Canaria… but not from the PNV. The ‘jeltzales’ had announced their abstention and ended up voting against. The post-convergents tried to keep the voting intention a secret until the debate, but a few hours earlier admitted they would be “consistent” with what they had defended to date. In the Parliament, this consortium had been voted on twice, and in both instances, they had spoken against it. Yesterday they did the same in the Lower House, which has widened – even more, if possible – the gap between those of Carles Puigdemont and those of Oriol Junqueras.
Govern and republicans maintain budget negotiations despite setback
The spokesperson for Junts in Congress, Miriam Nogueras, pointed out that the problem is one of “concept”: “Instead of demanding that they pay what they owe, it is proposed to create an organization controlled by Madrid.” Nogueras went further and called this entity a “chiringuito” (slang for a shady or informal setup) because “Catalonia does not need a consortium, but rather for Madrid to transfer the money that is due to us.” In fact, that monetary transfer for what has not been executed is what JxCat has demanded as a condition to sit down and negotiate the budgets for the past two years.
From ERC, MP Inés Granollers lamented JxCat’s policy, accusing them of subscribing to the “blockade.” “While some of us are dedicated to bringing forward proposals to solve the challenges of Catalan society and citizens, you entrench yourselves and dedicate yourselves to destroying,” she maintained.
The republican party does not hide its “deep disappointment.” They recall that they have “always” accompanied them, for example, in the delegation of immigration powers, which is why they criticize JxCat for not following the same style: “Catalonia cannot afford this immobility. Junts is the party of no, no proposals, always angry and zero constructive,” party sources indicate.
Throughout the debate, Nogueras branded the initiative as “mistaken” because, in her opinion, Madrid would still retain the decision-making power with the consortium. Furthermore, several voices from Junts believe that it would mean “co-responsibility” for the State’s “non-compliance” in investment. Therefore, the post-convergent leader lamented that, in reality, what was being decided was “whether Catalonia has to continue accepting that its infrastructures remain controlled by Madrid and whether it is reaffirmed that Madrid holds the power and Catalonia renounces it.”
Read more The Government suffers two key defeats at the hands of Junts
Given this, JxCat proposed that the only solution is for the State to “pay or pay, without inventions” that “lower Catalonia’s aspirations to the point of embarrassing anyone who defends it.”
For its part, ERC insisted that the consortium implied taking “a step towards better planning and execution.” Granollers criticized the fact that the post-convergents were not open to presenting amendments and appealed to their voters: “Your people also take a Rodalies train, rent flats, or suffer the collapses of the AP-7. I ask your people to stop being your people.”
PSC MP, José Zaragoza, joined the criticism: “They always ask for everything and in the end, they get nothing. They are the Catalan version of ‘the worse, the better’.” And Cristina Agüera (PP) stated that the Government intended to “replace its lack of management with more structure and distribution of chairs.”
The consortium’s journey came to an end. A legal reservation is required for its creation. This involves Congress. This instrument, already shipwrecked, was part of the investiture agreement between PSC and ERC. However, both parties believe they have tried and done what was up to them. The body was on the list of “advances” in sovereignty that Junqueras’s party demands for the budgets. Now they will not be able to count on it, but they will assess whether the other elements on the table tip the balance (or not) towards the approval of the first accounts of the legislature, if they are presented.
Esquerra Republicana’s bill included a secondary aspect of the investment consortium, which was the establishment of a commercial company participated by the State and the Generalitat for the execution of studies, projects, and works. Its forecast was to create it within twelve months from the start of the consortium’s activity, which was scheduled to begin in early 2027. Despite being included in this republican norm, this instrument could still prosper. Authorization from the Council of Ministers is required, not necessarily from Congress. There is some precedent. An example is Barcelona Sagrera Alta Velocidad, created in 2003 to coordinate and promote the construction of this station. Other examples are management assignments, although this option is not considered due to being “slow.”
Read more Musk accuses Altman of “stealing a charity” in OpenAI lawsuit
