Catalan president praises return to 'plural Spain' after meeting with Spanish PM in Madrid

Catalan president Salvador Illa praised the return of "Catalonia taking part in a plural Spain" after meeting with Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez in Madrid on Friday morning. The two leaders met at La Moncloa, Spain's government headquarters, for around one and a half hours.

During the meeting, both politicians agreed to re-activate four joint committees between the Catalan and Spanish governments during the first quarter of 2025, probably in February, as Illa explained during a press conference after speaking with Sánchez.

These groups have been suspended for several months or years. The joint group debating financial and fiscal aspects met in July 2024. The executive committee last met in February 2022, similar to the talks on infrastructure, also in 2022, but it has been over 14 years since the last meeting on power transferring between the cabinets.

Both leaders took advantage of the gathering to strengthen their relationship. Illa was Sánchez's health minister between 2020 and 2021, during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since taking office in August, Illa has continually pushed to improve relationships with all Spanish and institutional administrations after years of pro-independence governments in Catalonia. He wants better coordination and cooperation between the Catalan and Spanish executives.

"Institutional normality is holding a meeting between both leaders, not an exception. And this was the will of most Catalans in the last election," Illa said during the press conference.

"Catalonia has returned to participate in the construction and improvement of a plural and diverse Spain, where Catalonia will take an active part with proposals, listening, working, and reaching agreements," Illa added.

The territory is ready to "offer its economic dynamism and added value, as when Catalonia improves, Spain improves, and we are all part of a shared project," he continued.

Aside from re-activating the bilateral committees, Sánchez and Illa agreed to design a plan against repeat offenders in December and invest around €160 million in innovation projects such as building microchips.

"The national and international context pushes us to work and take urgent decisions to prepare ourselves for the future," Illa said, adding, "We must take advantage of all the institutional tools that we have."

Security is one of the biggest concerns among residents, and the plan to solve repeat offenders is by reducing the number of pending trials.

Innovation was the other major topic between Illa and Sánchez, who agreed to promote Catalonia and make it "one of the 50 most innovative regions in the European Union."

The meeting was part of a round of talks held by Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez with Spain's regional presidents where many politicians raised concerns about Catalonia's new financial model, which plans to give greater fiscal autonomy to the territory.

This deal on a new model was part of an agreement between pro-independence Esquerra Republicana and the Socialists to name Salvador Illa the Catalan president. 

Illa already ruled out discussing the financial model during his first international overseas trip to Brussels, focusing on the initiatives both cabinets have "worked on during the last few days," such as housing. "Everything is already agreed on, and it is public, so there is no room for discussion," he said during a visit to the EU Parliament.

In fact, they both spoke "very briefly" about the financial model, as everything was already agreed on, Illa said during the press conference.

While speaking at the Catalan parliament general policy debate in October, Salvador Illa announced his cabinet plan to build 50,000 social housing units by 2030. 

No transfers since 2011

After Illa and Sánchez's meeting, Spain's territorial policies minister Ángel Víctor Torres said that both cabinets do not transfer any powers since 2011.

However, Víctor Torres announced that they are working on agreements that could change this trend in 2025. Some of these transfers would be scholarships and aid for students, as well as scholar insurance or new judicial organs.

Both cabinets will also transfer ownership of Barcelona's Civil Register building.

The minister took his time after the meeting to thank Illa, who confirmed his attendance at December 13's meeting between all Spanish presidents in the municipality of Santander, north of Spain.