The validation of the first Government decrees in this legislature is at risk. Junts’ threat to overthrow this Wednesday’s vote in Congress, as well as Podemos’s demands in exchange for giving their vote in favor, has forced the socialists to open a communication channel with the PP to try to explore a variable geometry to that of investiture pacts. A complex path, as recognized by the PSOE leadership, which they complement with the offer to process the decrees as a bill to include new proposals from their partners, but also from the popular ones. “We are negotiating with everyone”Ferraz sources explain to overcome this first litmus test after the formation of the Executive.
The ministers María Jesús Montero and Félix Bolaños, the Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, Santos Cerdán, the Secretary of State for Relations with the Cortes, Rafa Simancas, and the spokesperson in Congress, Patxi López, are involved in the negotiation. Bolaños is interlocuting with the PP, who spoke this Sunday and today with his general secretary, Cuca Gamarra, according to sources from both parties, but also the second vice president. Yolanda Díaz picked up the phone this afternoon to talk with the national spokesperson for the popular parties, Borja Sémper. Negotiations on several sides and with the heavyweights of both the Executive and the party who account for what is at stake. The validation of these decrees depends on the next disbursement of European fundsof about 10,000 million euros, the extension of anti-crisis measures such as the transport subsidy or the reduction in VAT on food, or the revaluation of pensions.
The Government’s red line is not to touch the nuclear aspects of the reforms committed to Brussels. The approval to receive the next tranche of Next Generation funds depends on them. That is, the new unemployment benefit, but also one of the points for which Junts announced their intention to vote against: that the Government torpedoes the application of the amnesty. The article of contention is 43 bis of the decree on justice, which states that a court can suspend the application of a law in a specific matter if it raises a preliminary ruling to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
This is the reason why Junts maintains, today, the veto. In the post-convergent ranks there is discomfort due to the fact that, in a first version sent by the Government, this mention did not appear. “You cannot put any slack on the judicial leadership,” spokesman Josep Rius said at a press conference. And for Junts this is a trick to delay the amnesty and to create obstacles, for example, to the return of Carles Puigdemont. ERC, on the other hand, has confirmed its yes because it sees it differently. The Republicans remember that, before the decree, Spanish judges could already make these prejudicial consultations – the causes of the ‘procés’ are full of examples – and that the only thing the decree does is regulate this figure and definitively incorporate it into the Spanish legal system.
Junts believes that the PSOE has tried to place this note in a “Macedonian” decree, since it contains many other measures of a different nature, and some of them “aggravate the underfinancing” of Catalonia and represent a “cutting” of powers of Catalan autonomy. “Instead of moving forward in resolving the conflict, we are going backwards,” argued Rius. “A fait accompli policy is applied, but our votes They are not a blank check.”, he has argued. The only way to reach an agreement, according to JxCat, would be for the Government to withdraw the three decrees from the agenda and negotiate them one by one with the parliamentary groups. “The ‘in exchange for nothing’ will not work and there will only be stability if there is progress at the social and national level,” he warned.
ERC support
The socialists warn that on this point “There is nothing to change”. Sources from the party leadership also assure that from Junts “they understand” privately the change to adapt to European legislation and because the preliminary ruling questions to the CJEU could already be made without this change to make it explicit in the legal system.
ERC, for its part, has rushed the announcement of its yes so as not to leave room for doubt. The Republican spokesperson, Raquel Sans, has justified that the decrees provide improvements in areas such as pensions, labor agreements, justice and maternity benefits – to name a few examples – and that it does not harm the amnesty, but will give “greater legal certainty” so that, once the law is approved, it can be applied with less room for subterfuge.
From the PSOE they have informed Junts that, in return for their support without major changes, they are open to negotiating other proposals that they put on the table. So far without success. At Junts they have demanded to withdraw the decrees and resubmit them modified with their contributions. Another red line for the Executive.“We are going to put them to a vote even if they may be defeated”explained this Monday the Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, Santos Cerdán, at a press conference from Ferraz after the executive meeting.
Despite the underlying disagreements, the socialists hope to exhaust the negotiation to reach an understanding. In principle, they prioritize negotiating questions relating to “things to eat”, They relate to the decrees that will be voted on Wednesday, but they do not close the door to discussing other issues either.
Changes in “other subjects”
In the conversations in recent days between PSOE and Junts, the Government has also been criticized for its use of decrees to include unconnected measures and without prior time to negotiate their content. Some criticism that, according to direct sources of the negotiations, the PSOE assumes. “They demand other forms and we agree“But on this occasion there was an urgency for European funds,” explain the same sources. Along these lines, they have expressed their commitment to try to agree on their content in future decrees prior to approving them in the Council of Ministers.
The first vice president and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, opened her hand a little more in an interview on TVE when she showed herself willing to negotiate “other matters that concern her.” may be of interest” to Together. After acknowledging that the meeting point is difficult regarding the element of the decree that Junts rejects, Montero explained that the negotiating strategy involves “Explore the perimeter in case there are other issues to incorporate.” On Wednesday afternoon, the socialists said they were still waiting for a response, without losing dialogue with various groups.
CC’s support allows Junts to abstain
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If the PP does not enter into the equation as Alberto Núñez Feijóo was responsible for paying, the only margin for the Government to advance its decrees is the abstention of Junts. Sources from the Canary Coalition management assure this newspaper that they will vote in favor, so together with the rest of the investiture partners the Government would add one more vote in favor than against if it manages to force an abstention from Junts. ERC has already advanced its support and EH Bildu and BNG negotiated the contents of the anti-crisis decree before its approval by the Government. However, the Podemos vote is also up in the air.
To validate the decree of anti-inflation measures they demand a commitment to limit rents, while to do the same in the unemployment decree they demand that it not imply “cuts.” Sources from Ferraz downplay the threat of the purples and explain that “they have always rowed in favor of the social majorities and we hope they continue to do so.”