The Government and the PSC have reached an agreement to approve the 2024 budgets, which provide for a 10% increase in the education budget, the construction of 10,000 social rental homes, the creation of 25 new judicial units and 144 million of additional euros for primary care. In addition, 120 million euros will also be allocated to help municipalities cope with the drought. The agreement, which will be formalized this afternoon at the Palau de la Generalitat, does not include any reference to the Hard Rock, the tourist and leisure complex project in Camp de Tarragona that the PSC defends and the commons reject.
An agreement with the PSC, but without the commons
The executive of Pere Aragonès has secured the support of the main opposition party, the PSC, to go ahead with the 2024 accounts, but still needs the abstention of a third group to guarantee its approval. The commons, who already facilitated the budgets for 2023, have not yet reached an agreement with the Government and maintain their demands regarding housing, the environment and Hard Rock. The Vice President of the Government, Laura Vilagrà, has stated that she is confident of reaching an agreement with the commons and has remarked that the budget does not have “a single euro” for the Hard Rock.
The axes of the agreement
The agreement between the Government and the PSC includes the following main measures:
- A 10% increase in the education item, after the negative results of the PISA report, which placed Catalonia below the Spanish and European average in basic skills.
- The construction of 10,000 social rental homes until 2026, with an investment of 1,000 million euros, to deal with the housing emergency the country is suffering.
- The implementation of 25 new judicial units throughout Catalonia, with an endowment of 50 million euros, to improve the efficiency and accessibility of justice. This measure depends on the Spanish government adopting the necessary decisions to make it possible.
- An increase of 144 million euros for primary care, which represents 25% of the health budget, for strengthen the first level of care and the prevention of diseases.
- A 120 million euro item to help municipalities cope with the drought, which is seriously affecting the water supply and crops in many areas of Catalonia.
The Hard Rock, out of the deal
The agreement between the Government and the PSC makes no mention of the Hard Rock, the tourist and leisure complex project that is being promoted in Camp de Tarragona and which is generating strong controversy between the different political and social actors. The PSC is in favor of going ahead with the project, which it considers an opportunity to generate employment and wealth in the area, while the commons reject it as an unsustainable and predatory model of the territory. The Government, for its part, maintains an ambiguous position and is waiting for an environmental report that must determine the viability of the project. The PSC assures that it has the commitment of President Aragonès to comply with the 2023 agreements, which included the Hard Rock, but the Government does not confirm this.
The useful policy of the PSC and the minority Government
The leader of the PSC, Salvador Illa, appeared in Parliament this morning to assess the agreement with the Government and defended his commitment to “useful politics” that benefits the country. Illa said that faced with the challenges facing Catalonia, such as the drought or the education crisis, his party did not want to leave citizens without resources and that is why it has supported the budgets. “We like to think more about the country than the elections,” he said. Illa emphasized that the agreement mobilizes 4.5 billion euros to improve public policies, but also reminded the Government that it remains in the minority and that it must seek consensus with other forces.