CUP maintains complete amendment motion stance against budget bill

Far-left pro-independence CUP will maintain its position of presenting a complete amendment motion against the Catalan government’s proposed 2022 budget. 

The party facilitated their pro-independence allies getting into power after the last election, but remain as part of the opposition

MP Eulàlia Reguant explained to media on Saturday afternoon that the budget plan is "insufficient" in CUP's view as it lacks the shift to the political and social left and towards self-determination.

Nevertheless, anti-capitalists call on the government to continue working on an "alternative" while admitting that it is "increasingly complicated" after positions between both sides have not come close in the last week of talks.

The budget includes record spending on social issues, such as housing and the jobs market, accounting for 74.6% of the total. However, CUP criticized that this was an insufficient amount. 

After the party polled its members last week on how to respond to the government’s planned disbursement, 68% of its members opted for filing a complete amendment motion against it, but at the same time, offering a margin for negotiation.

However, negotiations were not successful enough for CUP leadership to support Esquerra Republicana and Junts per Catalunya’s financing.

The announcement will mean that the Catalan government, a coalition between pro-independence parties ERC and JxCat, will be forced to seek support from an opposition party not explicitly in favour of independence if they want to see their budget bill approved. 

The Socialists and En Comú Podem have both indicated that they would be willing to cooperate with the parties in power and see the budget passed. 

However, this could bring a separate set of issues, as Junts per Catalunya may not be willing to work with parties not in favour of Catalan independence. 

The minister for finance, Jaume Giró, previously said that "it would be a pity" if "partisan interests" were to block the 2022 budgets from being approved, as he says they are "the most important ever presented in history." 

The government had indicated before that their priority was to agree a budget deal with their pro-independence allies CUP. 

2022 budget

The proposed 2022 Catalan budget will see record-high expenditure, with a historic increase aimed at consolidating the pandemic recovery and reactivating the economy. 

In total, public spending will rise to €38.139 billion if the bill is passed, an increase of €5.618 billion (+17.3%) on the 2020 budget.

European ‘Next Generation’ funds, aimed at stimulating the economy across the continent and aiding the recovery after the pandemic, accounts for €2.142 billion of the budget.