Sánchez offers self-government and tax management to Catalonia but without a referendum

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has shown himself receptive to “an exercise in transparency” regarding fiscal balances. Something that he has explained has not been done since the time of the former Minister of Economy, Pedro Solbes (2004-2009). Furthermore, he has declared himself receptive to the creation of its own tax agency for Catalonia, regarding the transfer of 100% of taxes to this autonomous community. A point that is expressly included in the investiture agreements between Junts and the PSOE. Some statements that he made during an interview on RAC1, prior to the meeting that he will hold today in Barcelona with the president of the Generalitat Pere Aragonés.

But the dominant theme has been the inevitable Catalan question and, specifically, the hypothetical holding of an independence referendum. Sánchez has pointed out that the nationalists must put aside their “maximum” stance with the referendum and carry out an “exercise in pragmatism” to facilitate agreements that allow “strengthening the self-government” of Catalonia. In this sense, he has denied that it will be the next step after the approval of the amnesty law in line with the claims of Government partners such as ERC and Junts.

Regarding the amnesty, he has clarified that “the counter is being reset to zero”, but not “the memory is reset to zero”, since “lessons” must be drawn from 2017. The self-determination referendum, he reiterated, is the “proposal for maximums”. “of the independence movement”, but “it does not fit in the Constitution” and is “counterproductive to overcoming the fracture that has been alive during the past decade” because “it does not solve the political problem.”

Transfer of Rodalies

One of the topics that he will address this Thursday with Aragonès – with whom he maintains a “fluid and cordial” relationship – is the comprehensive transfer of Cercanías, which will be “complex”, although they will “try” to close it before the end of this term. Regarding the meetings that he has already announced that he will hold with the former president of the Generalitat Carles Puigdemont and with the leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, he has indicated that “the logical thing” is that they be held after the amnesty law is approved.