The Government resumes contacts with the opposition for the 2023 budgets

The day after the opposition decided to block the legislative activity of the Government in the Parliament that prevented the processing of two important bills, the Catalan Executive has decided to resume contacts with PSC, Junts y Comunes for the next budgets, calling two meetings for this week.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
16 November 2022 Wednesday 12:32
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The Government resumes contacts with the opposition for the 2023 budgets

The day after the opposition decided to block the legislative activity of the Government in the Parliament that prevented the processing of two important bills, the Catalan Executive has decided to resume contacts with PSC, Junts y Comunes for the next budgets, calling two meetings for this week.

The appointments arrive after two weeks since the last meetings with these parties. It was on November 7th when the delegations of the PSC and the commons met for the last time in Palau with the Ministers of the Presidency, Laura Vilagrà, and of the Economy, Natàlia Mas. Before they met with Junts.

The new round of contacts, of a technical nature and without the presence of the ministers, will be seen today with the PSC and on Friday, with Junts y los comunes.

In the midst of this hiatus, the agreement between PSOE and ERC to reform the crime of sedition in the Penal Code has broken, bringing a possible agreement with the PSC closer.

But the delay has raised the pessimism of the eventual partners about the success of the negotiations. They denounce the "little rush" of the Government to approve some accounts that would increase the capacity to fight against inflation and the lack of services such as primary care by 3,100 million euros.

Only a few full-speed negotiations, cheered on by the ERC's definitive yes to the state budget next week in Congress, would spur the chances of an agreement around the Catalan accounts.

In any case, Minister Mas stressed yesterday her willingness to negotiate because "the opportunity cost of not having budgets is extremely high," she argued, although in her nod to the groups she stopped at who seems to have the least expectations -Junts-, to ask him to put aside the "strategy" and accept the pact for having "participated from the beginning in the preparation" of the accounts.

PSC and comunes demanded from Mas “a real and sincere process of dialogue” to approve them because “it will be impossible” to manage the situation of 2023 without a budget”, they warned.