Exclusive: Catalonia halts the budgets while Montero and Illa maneuver between political pressure and social urgencies
Catalonia faces a political and financial struggle of maximum tension. According to exclusive sources from Demócrata, the decision to halt the approval of the Govern's budgets responds to a strategic calculation that transcends the strictly economic: it seeks to gain time and, among other movements, to protect María Jesús Montero from an adverse electoral scenario in Andalusia. The polls anticipate a weak result for the socialists, which makes every step of the central Government, and especially Montero, carefully measured.
The minister arrives at the campaign with a heavy backpack: she has never managed to concretize the reform of the autonomous financing system, and the autonomous communities observe her with growing distrust while Catalonia, through bilateral agreements with the State, has achieved significant advances.
In parallel, the negotiations between Salvador Illa and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya keep the Govern in an extremely delicate balance. ERC has raised its demands to place fiscal sovereignty at the center of the conflict, demanding a singular financing model for Catalonia, similar to the Basque quota, that grants more resources and powers, and that leaves other communities in a comparative position of disadvantage.
The pressure from this party is not limited to the technical negotiation: it conditions the entire political agenda and forces Illa to maneuver, balancing ERC's demands with the need to preserve parliamentary stability and keep open the possibility of an agreement.
Time until July
The time factor has become decisive. PSC and ERC have decided to give themselves until mid-June to finalize the budgets, preventing the Andalusian campaign from interfering in the Catalan negotiation. Montero has publicly insisted that the temporary withdrawal of the accounts does not respond to a concession of singular financing for Catalonia, but sources consulted by this newspaper confirm that ERC's red line remains clear: more resources and more autonomy for the Generalitat, an objective that conditions all decisions and generates friction with the other autonomous communities.
Outside the Parliament, tensions multiply. Employers' associations and business owners demand certainty and the urgent approval of the budgets to guarantee economic stability, while the citizenry pressures through protests in sectors such as education and other public services, reminding that the blockade has a tangible impact on daily life.
In this context, every move by Illa and every word by Montero are analyzed with a magnifying glass: Catalan politics moves in a terrain where electoral deadlines, the demands of ERC, the demands of the Comuns and social pressure intertwine.
The negotiation of the budgets is thus shaping up as a key indicator of the Govern's capacity to balance internal and external interests, consolidate advances in financial autonomy and ensure the functioning of public services. Every day that passes increases the complexity of the board: Catalan politics is in constant motion, and the last turn, as always, is yet to be written.