The Government and the Generalitat will officially present the funding proposal for Catalonia on July 14.

Green light for the singular financing proposal for Catalonia. The Govern announced this Saturday that the Bilateral State-Generalitat Commission will be held in Barcelona on July 14 to formalize the agreement, which will then embark on the long and uncertain path to be sanctioned by Congress. The investiture agreement with Esquerra stated that this step should take place in the first half of this year, but Oriol Junqueras himself has agreed to be flexible. “If the PSOE needs a few more weeks, let them take them,” said the republican leader during a speech in Bellpuig d’Urgell (Lleida).

“Dates are important, but so is the content. We want the best agreement for Catalonia, but also for those who will have to vote on it in Congress,” Junqueras assured during the National Council of his party, the highest body between congresses. While the republican leader made these statements, the Generalitat sent out a press release providing the date for the meeting of the Bilateral Commission. Sources from the Executive emphasized their commitment to fulfill the agreements made with the investiture partners.

The creation of a singular financing model for Catalonia, which would mean that the Generalitat collects, manages, and inspects all taxes, is the cornerstone of the agreement that allowed Salvador Illa to reach the presidency of the Generalitat. That document stipulated that “in the first half” of 2025, the financing model would be approved in a meeting of the Bilateral Commission. For weeks, among other things due to the explosion of the corruption scandal affecting the PSOE, ERC feared that the established timeline would not be met.

The work between the Ministry of Finance and the Government of the Generalitat, with the participation of ERC, has continued despite the challenges. An expert committee has also participated. The goal is for the Catalan Tax Agency to be able to collect the personal income tax next year and, progressively, cover all taxes. The Generalitat would pay a part to the State for the services it receives and would also contribute an inter-territorial solidarity quota. Both would likely be paid with a percentage of the taxes collected.

How much those two amounts would be and the effects they would have on the autonomous financing model are some of the questions that remain open regarding the model agreed upon between the Government and the Generalitat. The mere announcement, almost a year ago, that Catalonia would have a singular model unleashed anger from other autonomous communities and a profound debate among experts about its viability.

“The PSOE is not in the best moment to make brave decisions,” Junqueras added, thus accepting that negotiation in the Cortes will be very complicated, especially considering the uncertainty of whether there will be enough time to reach the debate. The ERC leader also warned that there will be no new “great agreements” with the socialists unless they first fulfill the pending ones, referring indirectly to the Generalitat’s budget for 2026.

The Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, referred to the meeting, clarifying that it does not yet have an agenda. “Where there was once institutional conflict between the Government and the Govern, today there is shared work and loyalty, which benefits all Catalans and all Spaniards,” he assured.