The former Catalan government coalition partner, Together for Catalonia (Junts), has been demanding it since last November: that president Pere Aragonès appear before the Parliament of Catalonia to explain the reform of the Penal Code which he and his Republican Left (ERC) party agreed with the Spanish government. And the Catalan executive accepted the gauntlet, committing itself to give an explanation. But the weeks go by, filled with judicial news - much of it very negative - linked to this reform, and the Popular Unity (CUP) party also adds its voice to the call. And yet the promised clarification has not materialized. From the Palau de la Generalitat they consider that the president "has already given all the explanations" that have been required of him. This was confirmed this Tuesday by the executive spokesperson Patrícia Plaja, who said that, for this reason, it is not among Pere Aragonès's priorities at present to appear before the Catalan chamber. And she turned the spotlight onto the Spanish government, which "cowers in the face of the most rancid right". In addition, taking into account the pre-electoral context, she also stated that the Catalan government did not foresee a meeting of the dialogue table in the near future.
In the press conference following the weekly Catalan cabinet meeting, Patrícia Plaja responded over this issue that president Aragonès "never has any problem answering questions and giving explanations" and that this matter "will not be different". If it has not happened until now, she said, it was because of the uncertain negotiation of the budget, in which "he is now focused". Having said that, from the Palau they avoid putting an exact or approximate date for the parliamentary appearance and reiterate that "he has already given all the explanations that have been required of him".
Junts continues to demand the appareance, after the Supreme Court's recent review of the pro-independence leaders' convictions or the prosecutors' demands for Josep Maria Jové, Lluís Salvadó and Natàlia Garriga in a trial that is still to come. Despite the judicial setbacks - which it paradoxically regards as international reinforcement of its arguments - the Catalan government "highlights" the "very clear results" of the negotiations with the Spanish state. "Today the political prisoners are out of prison, the coup by the Court of Accounts has been stopped, the crime of sedition has been eliminated and that of misuse of funds has been modified", defended Patrícia Plaja. The government spokesperson admitted that "we are not where we wanted to be" but that this is why we must continue to fight against the "general case" against the independence movement. And she turned the spotlight towards the Spanish government, which needs to "show courage in the moments when it is necessary to do so", and not "cower before the extreme right and the most rancid right".
However, the ERC-led executive does consider that the dialogue table with the Spanish government is frozen: they do not anticipate that any meeting due to the context of the municipal elections. "There is no date and we won't set a calendar", Plaja made it clear. What they do want to resume after the budget is finally through its parliamentary process is the Clarity Agreement, a project that that the Aragonès government plans to promote and about which it will share information in the coming weeks.
Renfe leadership changes
The situation of Rodalies - that is, the Catalan suburban and regional trains run by the Renfe operator - continues, said Plaja, "to be shameful". That was the spokesperson's response when asked about the leadership changes at the Spanish rail operating company, also noting with regret that the Catalan government did not have any expectations of the new managers. "In Catalonia we have not yet had trains that don't fit, but we continue to have a massive deficit in railway infrastructure, a grievance that has gone on for years which results in daily incidents", denounced the spokeswoman of the Government, adding that "Up till now all that has been cost-free [for the Spanish authorities] and has not cost them resignations".
Fourth Beltway, the Mobile and Ireland
Other items raised at the press conference were the so-called Fourth Beltway, the Barcelona metropolitan highway which the Catalan executive agreed to put back on the planning schedule in order to tie up budget support from the PSC (Catalan Socialists). The government does not plan to attend the protest mobilization against the proposed new infrastructure to be held this Sunday in Sabadell, and neither will the ERC party attend despite the fact that the current territorial minister, Juli Fernàndez, was one of the biggest opponents of the plan when he was mayor of Sabadell between 2015 and 2017. That same day, president Aragonès will be attending the welcome dinner for the Mobile World Congress, with the presence of Spanish king Felipe VI and prime minister Pedro Sánchez. And before that weekend date, this Thursday and Friday, president Pere Aragonès and minister Meritxell Serret will make an institutional trip to Ireland, where they will have official meetings in both the Republic and the North.