Three ministers in functions come the 18 of November, a week after the general election, the 12th edition of the awards granted by the employer Catalan Foment del Treball. Nadia Calviño (Economy), María Jesús Montero (Finance) and Margarita Robles (Defense) they listen with interest to Pere Aragonés, vice-president of the Catalan government and strong man of CKD. In his speech, offers some tips to unclog a future full of uncertainty: “We have an opportunity, and we are convinced that dialogue is the tool for all. Pedralbes is a base ambiguous but necessary to move forward (…) Is the first step of a journey that will be difficult and long, but I am convinced that it is a good starting point, because it responds to the consensus growing that goes through to resolve politically a political conflict”.
The investiture of Pedro Sanchez is doomed to a failure if not support, among others, the 13 deputies of CKD. The socialists, who have agreed in 48 hours of a coalition Government with United we Can, you know that risk. The acting president assumes that the abstention of Esquerra for his investiture is worth a back-to-Pedralbes, a “base ambiguous but necessary to move forward”, according Aragonès. The declaration of Pedralbes, which took over the Governments of Sanchez and Torra in December 2018, provided the start-up of a dialogue on the future of Catalonia through two negotiation tables, one integrated by the political parties represented in the Parliament and other governments, through the bilateral commission provided for in the Statute, That plan failed almost before it is born and unleashed a furious reaction from the three parties of the right (PP, Cs, and Vox), united in the plaza of madrid of Columbus to protest against a conversation that never started.
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Ten months of blockade and two general elections later, the socialists begin the negotiation with Esquerra giving words that remove obstacles to the agreement. First joint statement of CKD and the PSOE (28 November): “we Share the desire for dialogue that allow the formation of a Government (…) and to manage the political conflict in Catalonia from the understanding institutional”.
The candidate Sanchez had insisted during the electoral campaign on an idea that now bothers me: “The problem of Catalonia is not of independence, but of coexistence.” The PSOE clears your argumentario the problem of coexistence in Catalonia and accepts without problems the concept of “political conflict”. The investiture of Sanchez’s well worth a rectification semantics.
The first meeting progresses despite “determine the existence of differences”. Continue to negotiate. In the meetings, they talk a few minutes away from the issues on which consensus is easy: the labor reform, the repeal of the gag law, of the problems of housing, of the act against the climate change… the rest of The time dedicated to finding the words of an agreement on the future of Catalonia that is digestible for both sides.
CKD begins to iron out the most ambiguous of the declaration of Pedralbes: you want the dialogue between Governments is taken out of the framework of the bilateral commission that provided for in the Statute (“the Government of Spain and the Government of the Generalitat of Catalonia shall establish the delegations of way joint and with the members that both parties agree to”); and there is a commitment calendar (will commence the work within 15 days from the formation of a Government of Spain and will set a concrete time for its meetings and to present their findings”); and that he agreed to be submitted to consultation between the catalans ( “the measures that materialize the agreements will be subject, in their case to democratic validation through consultation of the citizenry of Catalonia, in accordance with the mechanisms provided or that may be expected in the framework of the legal-political system”).
in mid-December, after the second meeting with photo and press release, the agreement is practically ready. The words that can complicate the covenant does not appear in the text: neither the Constitution nor the referendum or self-determination. There are No vetoes to proposals that can make every part, but are included tagline —“in the framework of the legal-political system”— to avoid interpretations that can be given to the fret with what is negotiated. The PSOE agree to the terms Esquerra need to be guaranteed to sell the pact in Catalonia, and put some sentences in the text to be armed against the attacks of his political adversaries. The agreement is based on “the principles of institutional loyalty and bilateralism governing the political framework of the relationship between the Government of Spain and the Government of the Generalitat”.
gone are the unilateral declaration of independence, the adoption of unilateral law to be unconstitutional, the holding of a unilateral referendum of self-determination prohibited by the courts… The way that opens Left with this compact no longer means, apparently, no threat. The negotiators socialists consider that the agreement “establishes a channel for dialogue but in no case it says nothing about the goal of that dialogue.”
The PSOE has a goal: to achieve a consensus on improvements in the self-government through a statutory reform that is to be submitted to a referendum. The objective of ERC is another: to submit to a referendum the independence of Catalonia. The two parties know that they defend objectives very different, but so far they have agreed a truce that allows you to form a Government and end almost nine months of institutional stalemate. “At least we are already here, to see if we talk and we understand each other”, they say.
the first news about the agreement arrive on the 30th of December and turn on the alarms of some small parties that have agreed to support Sanchez. Added a few votes, but may be crucial for the final result. They call concerned about their partners, socialists, and asked if Sanchez has granted a referendum on secession. “That query”, they say, “the event that finally occurs, it will be like those in other communities to reform their statutes. Everything will be done within the Law.” The contact with the presidents of the autonomous region, socialist is permanent. Only Lambán (Aragon) and Page (Castilla-La Mancha) amagan with rebel. But I calm down: “nothing will be done outside of the Constitution, we will not accept to negotiate the right of self-determination”.
The concern is also rife in CKD because that 30 of December anys members of the CDR protest in front of the headquarters of the republicans in Barcelona. They call them traitors and sold. Speak, frightened, with the socialists, but they hold up well under the pressure. Three days later, management of CKD, you get to validate the agreement in its National Council almost without opposition.
In only two months, Sanchez got the quadrature of the circle in the worst possible conditions by rectifying many of its previous decisions. But, as said Mariano Rajoy, is one thing to accomplish the endowment, and another, very different, power to govern.
Requirements unfeasible for most small
In the stages covered by the PSOE to get the necessary votes, the CKD was the most difficult part, but there were other unpleasant. In negotiating with the smaller groups, to which Sanchez also needed to collect more ayes than noes, the PSOE was found with some claims inasumibles. “Some asked for a power tariff cheaper for the citizens of their communities because those territories were surplus in electricity production; others spoke of issues related to Social Security for differential treatment. All of them said that there was a principle of solidarity, of equality between spaniards and unity, established in the Constitution, that we would not skip. Or to Catalonia or to any other community,” said socialist leaders with knowledge of the negotiations.
The agreement with United we Can was the simplest. Once Pedro Sanchez decided to no longer let him out of the dream to form a coalition Government with Pablo Iglesias, the common program was a breeze. The budget agreement of 2018 signed by both parties, and which was shipwrecked in Congress torpedoed by the pro-independence, was transcribed almost verbatim in regard to the main issues: tax reform, repeal of the labor reform, the removal of the gag Law, new legislation on rents, Law of Euthanasia… in Addition, the introduction paragraphs of the commitment dedicated to Catalonia without exceeding red lines.
