Two weeks. This is the countdown that is already underway in the Palau de la Generalitat to reach an agreement that allows the 2023 budgets to pass the first process in Parliament before the end of the year. Neither the calendar plays in favor nor that the Government in a minority of Pere Aragones has not consolidated alliances with other groups since Junts broke the coalition and opened a new stage in the opposition. Still, the agreement with employers and unions to increase the Income Sufficiency Indicator of Catalonia (IRSC) by 8%, which EL PERIÓDICO DE CATALUNYA has advanced, in the list of claims both from the PSC and from the ‘comuns’, can be a shock that gives a turn around nut to the situation.
The ‘president’ faces a kind of ‘puzzle’ in which time, the give and take of proposals that all the actors will want to exhibit for the agreement and the scenery are a obstacle race decisive to emerge victorious from this time trial and not end up in an extension. The initial approach is that the project be endorsed by the Government next week so that the entire debate in Parliament occurs before eating the grapes, but its negotiators question these dates and warn that, now, they are not going to run.
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Attitudes towards the spotlight are now almost antagonistic. While the Government shows confident In achieving its objective, especially now with a sealed alliance with the social agents that will be an element of pressure to speed up the negotiation, the opposition puts the brakes on its expectations. Neither the PSC nor the ‘communs’ see an entente close, despite the fact that the rhythm of meetings has accelerated and that the Government began this Tuesday to pave the dialogue with the Socialists.
In fact, the Executive is ugly that, now that it has seen the State budgets and the repeal of sedition channeled, it is in a hurry with the numbers of the Generalitat after months circulating at idle. And Junts rubs his hands warning that a budget tripartite which is inconsistent with its support. Next, the difficulties that grip the budgets.
A schedule that squeezes
The risk of budgets derailing increases the longer it stretches negotiation and lack of agreement and the closer are the municipal elections. Neither the Government nor the opposition question this reality. But the processing calendar conditions, especially since both the PSC and the ‘communs’ demand that there must be an agreement before the Executive Council approves the accounts, an action that Aragonès wants to take place next week.
But it is that after this first endorsement, to the political intentions we must add the procedural vicissitudes. To activate the admission for processing in the Parliament, it is necessary to convene the Board and the meeting of spokespersons -added difficulty if it occurs in the middle of a long weekend with two holidays- and, from here, activate a minimum of ten days natural resources so that amendments to the whole can be presented. Besides, all the ‘consellers’ must appear to explain the budgets during those first seven days.
That supposes a puzzle for the Parliament’s agenda, which already has ordinary plenary sessions set for both the week of December 12 and 19. “Practically everything is full”, acknowledge parliamentary sources, who recall that 45 days is the shortest period in which some accounts have been definitively approved. In any case, pressing the accelerator and stretching the days to the maximum, the debate could reach its entirety during the last days of the year. The final approval would remain for the beginning of next year, already in February.
The check of the ‘commons’
Although they are the ones with whom the Government sees the agreement closest, the ‘communs’ take pains to set a profile and insist that they will not give “a blank check”. In fact, with the departure of Junts from the Executiu, they have made their support more expensive. Jessica Albiach seeks to be the pivot of an alliance with ERC to which the PSC joins and marks a turning point in the legislature, but at the same time he wants his eight deputies not to be swallowed up by a photo with Salvador Illa. Precisely for this reason whoever that his stamp weighs in the accounts with claims such as tax increases for high incomes, a rescue plan for public health and a billion shock plan in the context of inflation that plagues citizens.
“An agreement this week is practically unfeasible,” said the leader of the ‘communs’ in Parliament on Tuesday, who places the responsibility of the ‘tempos’ in Aragonès. Albiach added that, in fact, the pact is “far away” and that to say the opposite -as the Government insinuates- would be “lying”. In the meeting that they will hold this Wednesday with the ‘conselleria’ of Economy, they expect a return to their proposals on mobility, housing and energy and they hope to address the health and social care folders.
The notice of the ‘communs’ is that they will not run now so that the Government’s calendar expectations are met, but at the same time they do not consider it ruled out that it will be next week when they end up shaking hands. “Catalonia needs budgets but not any budgets“, they sentence.
The Gordian knot, PSC or Junts
Beyond the ‘communs’, the Government need either the PSC or Junts to add up enough to get the budgets passed. Aragonès does not even renounce that both could join an agreement that for ERC would be more uncomfortable if it only had the Socialists. But neither with Illa nor with the group that presides Albert Batet the negotiation has been unsuccessful. To unblock it, the ‘Councillor’ of Economy, Natalia Mas and that of the Presidency, Laura Vilagra, They have joined some meetings that until now the opposition confined to the technical field.
They were present, in fact, at the meeting on Tuesday -the fourth that takes place- with the PSC delegation, headed by the spokeswoman Alicia Romero. Sources from Illa’s party assure that the meeting went well enough to already have all the information and analyze it to transfer their proposals. However, they see it as very unlikely that the pact can take place as soon as the Government approves the accounts next week.
“Nothing is impossible, but it is quite difficult that there be an agreement this week”, said the socialist leader shortly before facing the meeting. Above all because, she pointed out, a negotiation cannot be closed “in four days” that will not start until they sit down with the proposals on the table.”Our attitude is the same since August 22. In any case, that of ERC will have changed, “said Romero, who continues to call on the ‘president’ to publicly state that he wants to agree with the PSC.
The Socialists are not bothered by the fact that an alliance with the ‘communs’ is closed beforehand or that Junts may be in the final agreement, but the post-convergents, who are finalizing the proposals that they will send to the Economy, do come incompatible their presence if the Government incorporates Illa in the photo. “The pact with the PSC is done,” they say from Junts. And the Socialists say the opposite, that a lot remains and that, in any case, the holidays in the Parliament can be shortened and enable the first half of January. But that would be another calendar.