Alex Cubero
Barcelona (EFE) it triggered everything: the transfer to accept the B-40.
Pere Aragonès and Salvador Illa staged this Wednesday afternoon the signing of a budget agreement that, together with the one already agreed weeks ago with the commons, will allow the Catalan government to approve the Catalan accounts for 2023 and take oxygen for the legislature, despite its situation of parliamentary fragility.
But, at what point did the final agreement between Esquerra and the Socialists begin to take shape? This is the chronology of how the budget pact was closed, according to what various sources familiar with the negotiations have told EFE:
Wednesday 25: Illa’s anger
After more than twenty meetings since the end of autumn, sources consulted admit that they reached a critical point during the plenary session of the Catalan Parliament last week, when Illa showed her anger in the control session with the president for the ERC’s attempts to pressure to the PSC through Moncloa.
Illa snapped at Aragonès that budgets are processed and debated in Parliament and not in other forums. “It is often better to talk about less than more,” he warned, showing his discomfort at the harsh words of Gabriel Rufián in Congress pressing for the budgets, as well as the fact that Aragonès raised this issue with the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. , during the Spanish-French summit of the previous week.
Thursday 25: The B-40 changes everything
But if all the sources agree on something, it is that the key movement came on Thursday, when ERC gave in and, unexpectedly, voted in favor of a motion by the Socialists in favor of carrying out the works on the B-40 in El Vallès, indispensable condition of the socialists, but that generated strong rejection between the republicans.
The previous days ERC had tried unsuccessfully to agree on an amendment to reach a middle point; Aware that the plenary vote was going to show a majority in favor of this infrastructure, also supported by the main mayors of the area, the Republicans ended up accepting that they had to accept this socialist demand if they wanted to unravel the budgets.
Aragonès appeared to assume the “political cost”. Illa later recognized the Government’s “step forward” and called for negotiations to resume on Monday. The ERC congress on Saturday in Lleida, with a standing ovation from the Republican militants for Aragonès, dispelled possible internal criticism and paved the way.
Monday 30: The negotiating sprint
The resumption of the meetings on Monday evidenced the turnaround in the negotiating dynamics: the councilors Laura Vilagrà and Natàlia Mas and the socialist Alícia Romero, together with their respective teams, locked themselves in for four hours in the morning and two more hours in the afternoon for a in-depth analysis of the budget project.
The objective was to speed up the negotiation. Government sources point out that the attitude of the Socialists was different and their predisposition was more positive; since that formation, on the other hand, they ensure that their mood has always been the same, but they do recognize that the movement of ERC with the B-40 marked a before and after.
In fact, the PSC executive, in her usual meeting that same day in the morning, already gave her endorsement to Illa to close an agreement if necessary. On Monday it ended without that pact, but both parties met the following day. Now, yes, “the last fringes” remained.
Martes 31: El pact, incarrilado
The meeting held by the negotiators between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. yesterday Tuesday is considered almost final and, in fact, after it, Aragonès and Illa (who had already exchanged several messages and phone calls the day before) They held a telephone conversation that the sources consulted interpret as practically serving to certify that the pact is on track.
In calle Calàbria, the ERC management met in an extraordinary way and gave the green light, although in the afternoon contacts between the teams continued, no longer in person, but through emails and calls to refine the last details .
The Republicans breathed easy and this was evident in the relaxed faces during an act by the mayor of ERC in Barcelona, Ernest Maragall, late in the afternoon together with Aragonès. “I have already done my work,” admitted Minister Vilagrà, head of the Government’s negotiating team, in an informal conversation.
Wednesday 1: The announcement
In a movement late on Tuesday, the number two of JxCat, Jordi Turull, sent a letter to Aragonès at midnight offering his party for a pact, a letter that comes to light this Wednesday morning, minutes before Government and PSC announce their agreement.
First thing in the morning, communication issues have just been agreed: at 8:25 a.m., Illa calls an appearance in Parliament, without the agreement having yet been disclosed; 20 minutes later, both parties simultaneously announce it to the press; at 9 am, the leader of the PSC appears before the media; at 10.30 am Vilagrà does it.
In any case, both parties continue to negotiate throughout the morning details related to territorial investments, which will be added in an annex this afternoon, during the signing of the agreement between Aragonès and Illa. Photo, signature and handshake to culminate almost three months of negotiations.
