They already had it drafted in case it was needed, but in the end, pressing the red button was not required. They left the possibility open until the last minute and not till 1:55pm, five minutes before the deadline, did the decision come out. Thus, the Republican Left (ERC) decided not to register their rejection of the entirety of the Spanish budget, unlike its Catalan pro-independence colleagues in Junts and the CUP. After intense negotiations with the Spanish government, the Republicans have hacked out agreements in two areas: compliance with commitments made in the past and quotas for Catalan language in the proposed audiovisual law. While he praised the understanding that had been reached, spokesperson Gabriel Rufián also warned that this is just the beginning of negotiations. They have agreed not to reject the whole budget, but the clause-by-clause fight can now begin. Nevertheless, the admission of the accounts into Congress will be approved next week with votes from ERC and the Basque parties PNB and EH Bildu.
On the one hand, ERC has obtained an agreement from the Spanish government to comply with three commitments made in the past. First of all, the "immediate full transfer" of university scholarships, worth 18 million euros. Second, to continue working for the transfer to Catalonia of the management of the Minimum Income scheme, as also agreed with the Basque nationalists in this negotiation. Finally, they have agreed to invest in cooperation and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor.
On the other hand, it has been concluded that the future state audiovisual law will include a quota for the Spanish state's co-official languages. The percentage has not been set, but Gabriel Rufián explained that it will be agreed jointly and the Republicans will take the lead, with the collaboration of the Basque and Galician parties. "There will be a quota and we will set it. If it is passed, it will be with the backing of ERC", the ERC spokesperson stressed in a press conference from the Congress. “An entire industrial sector is in play, 26,000 jobs,” he warned once again. It will be decided before 31st December, which is the deadline set by Brussels.
With these two fronts agreed, Rufián made it clear that this is only the "first phase" of the budget negotiation, the minimum to facilitate the admission to debate of the Spanish public accounts. From now on, Republicans will put on the table "social demands that are very easy to assume by a progressive executive," without giving any additional clues.
Negotiations dragged on until the last minute. In fact, Rufián appeared at two o'clock, just as the deadline was about ot be reached for tabling the so-called "amendments in full" - the term used for a rejection of the entire budget bill before it enters parliament. At the last minute, then, the Spanish government managed to save its match ball and stay onside with ERC and the PNB, whom it considers its two "priority partners". The debate itself will take place on Wednesday and Thursday next week.
Pro-independence division
Junts (Together for Catalonia), unlike last year, tried to negotiate budgets with the Spanish government, without much success. In recent weeks, the contact between minister María Jesús Montero and her Catalan counterpart Jaume Giró has intensified. But, given the lack of results, they opted for the rejectio of the whole bill. So did the CUP, which decided a few days ago that it would not even sit down to negotiate with the Spanish government, declining to meet with minister Felix Bolaños. The anti-capitalists see no desire to put left-wing policies in place or to resolve the Catalan political conflict through an amnesty and self-determination. On the other hand, the fourth sovereignist Catalan party in Congress, PDeCAT already agreed two weeks ago not to obstruct the budget, asserting that they wanted a "constructive path of dialogue" and not to create a front of opposition that "does not contribute anything" to Catalonia. Sources in the party state that they will wait until next week to decide their vote "depending on how the scenario and the balances look."
Basque votes
The admission to debate of the state budget will be achieved with a large majority, which will also come from the Basque Country. This Friday morning, both the PNB and EH Bildu announced that they would not reject the bill in its entirety and would facilitate the passgae of the bill. The Basque nationalist party spokesperson Aitor Esteban announced that they would facilitate the accounts after reaching an agreement for the "full management" of the Minimum Income scheme, something that had been previously agreed. For her part, the spokesperson for EH Bildu in Congress, Mertxe Aizpurua, explained that they have "positive feedback" and want to "give continuity to the talks of recent weeks."