A three-hour meeting, the confirmation of the political nature of the conflict between Catalonia and Spain and, consequently, that the solution can only be political; the recognition that any agreement adopted at the dialogue table will be formulated within the framework of legal certainty and the holding of monthly meetings between the two governments' negotiating teams with the presence of both leaders, prime minister and president, every six months; these are the four agreements reached at the first summit held in Moncloa between the executives of Pedro Sánchez and Quim Torra.
With these public commitments we can say that the skeptical phase of the negotiation has now begun, in which there is an agreement on the timetable and an open discrepancy on the issues to be addressed. The Catalan government emphasized the right to self-determination, an amnesty and the need for a mediator, while the the Spanish government, through its spokesperson Maria Jesús Montero, acknowledged something obvious: "We are still at opposite ends of the spectrum in the key points for the resolution of the conflict."
The fact that Catalan president Torra could clearly and unconditionally express Catalan demands at a government-to-government table provides an institutional vision of the conflict that is undeniable. At the same time, it presents the challenge of how the monthly meetings can continue, as it is obvious that this is not the existing commission for the transfer of competencies, but another, which is responsible for addressing the conflict. In any case, this is the great weapon of the Catalan government since it is clear that the Spanish government will play the game of confusing one with the other. Neither Torra nor Aragonès must allow this, because, for example, the Basque government did not need to set up a dialogue table to assume a competency as important as the management of Social Security. That, of course, will be dealt with by the transfers commission.
One last question. Listening to the Spanish government spokesperson saying that the next meeting with the leaders present would be held within no more than six months, it is easy to think that Torra would want to use up the full margin he has until the Catalan election is held, whether or not it brings results, but so that the Catalans have this information when they go to the polls. All this does nothing more confirm that if the Supreme Court does not derail the timetable by disqualifying the Catalan president for holding office, the date of October 1st as election day is the most likely.