has been fulfilled one year from the granting of pardonsa necessary and courageous decision on the part of the Government of Spain, but since then there has been no progress in the resolution of the Catalan question. Naturally, it can be argued, and rightly so, that the effects of the pandemic first, the rise in energy prices later and those of the war in Ukraine lastly have kept governments very busy, and it can even be argued that the elections in Castilla y León and Andalusia advised caution in this regard, but the truth is that the Government of Spain seems to have removed the issue from its priority agenda.
The arrival of Pedro Sanchez to Moncloa four years ago allowed to deflate the situation after the events of autumn 2017 and open a new stage in the management of the conflict. And this was reflected in the 44 points contained in the Reunion Agenda made public in February 2020. But it was above all after the investiture of Pere Aragones as president of the Generalitat when the path of harmony seemed to be embarked upon through the reactivation of the Dialogue Table, despite the reluctance of Junts per Catalunya, which led this formation to distance itself from it. However, the balance of the reunion is very poor.
Due to laziness and partisanship, a golden opportunity has been lost to tackle some of the structural problems that fuel grievance discourses in Catalonia
There is no dialogue about the future of Catalonia, only a juxtaposition of monologues before a Government that does not move from the referendum and the amnesty and a Government that offers no alternative beyond the ‘no’. Nothing has been done to prevent the judicialization of political life. There is no progress in promoting regeneration or democratic memory. The regional financing system is still not renewed and the Government continues to refrain from the matter. The investment commitments remain unfulfilled by the Government of Spain, as was made public weeks ago. In addition, infrastructures are not being promoted to the point that, due to the lack of agreement between ERC and Junts per Catalunya, the forecast to invest 1,500 million in El Prat airport was withdrawn. Not to mention the almost imperceptible defense of the 2030 Winter Olympics bid, by the Government of Spain, with a completely absent Minister of Culture and Sports and with a deathly silence in the face of the disloyal attitude of President Javier Lambán. So, reunion nothing. Most issues remain deadlocked and relations between executives are severely strained as a result of the ‘Pegasus case’.
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For this reason and after the scare of the Andalusian elections, the Spanish Government has rushed to invoke dialogue again and schedule the meeting for this Wednesday between the Minister of the Presidency, Felix Bolanosand the ‘consellera’ of Presidency, Laura Vilagra. However, beyond recovering institutional normality, one year before the municipal and regional elections and little more for the general elections, it is difficult to believe that with the Announced meeting between Sánchez and Aragonès Significant progress can be made in nowhere because the PSOE, in a moment of weakness like the one it is experiencing, will not lend itself to appearing as a government that makes concessions to independence. With the return to the dialogue there will be staging and even, as usually happens, there will be promises but few results.
Due to laziness and partisanship a golden opportunity has been missed to deal with some of the structural problems that fuel grievance discourses in Catalonia and to minimize the judicial effects of the ‘procés’. The judicial front continues to be an open wound and the Government has not even fulfilled its commitment to reform the crime of rebellion in the Penal Code. The situation of Carles Puigdemont and the rest of the fugitives, as well as European resources, continue to be a hot potato and the resolution of the pending lawsuits as well as the decisions of the Court of Auditors may end up raising the temperature in Catalonia again. Especially if, indeed, last Sunday’s elections end up opening a new cycle in Spanish politics to take the PP back to Moncloa, alone or accompanied. But that will no longer be the problem of the PSOE, although it will be of the PSC.