Leaders of main pro-independence parties agree to 'open new phase' in Belgium

The main leaders of the two major Catalan pro-independence parties, Carles Puigdemont and Oriol Junqueras, met on Thursday for the first time since being reelected as their parties' presidents.

During the meeting, held in Waterloo, Belgium, accompanied by their parties' secretary generals – Elisenda Alamany for Esquerra and Jordi Turull for Junts – the presidents agreed to "start a new phase of relationships that help recover the strength and initiative of the independence movement," a joint statement shared after the gathering read.

"The meeting takes place as part of the required relationship between two pro-independence parties that, despite their differences, share a lot of objectives," the statement read.

Both parties have agreed to "launch joint working spaces to debate those questions that affect Catalonia's future and its social progress."

Meeting between reelected presidents

Puigdemont, the Catalan president between 2016 and 2017, was reelected as leader of Junts in late October.

Junqueras, vice-president under Puigdemont's administration, was chosen by party members to return as president of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) in mid-December.

After arriving in Waterloo, Junqueras said that the new "Esquerra board has the will to have the best relationships with all parties." Before the Junts meeting, they met with members of the European Parliament, he said, and in the future, they will "for sure meet other political parties."

"Our goal is to have a good and productive relationship with everyone that benefits Catalonia and its society," Junqueras told journalists before entering the meeting, as his party "will work towards reaching the best deals for Catalonia."

This is not the first recent meeting between the leaders, as they met in the summer after the Catalan and European elections. However, neither Puigdemont nor Junqueras were the leaders of their parties at the time.

Return to 2017

The Catalan independence push is far from its 2017 peak, as the strength of sentiment for Catalan identity has decreased over the last decade.

In fact, for the first time in over 14 years, the government is led by the Socialists, and for the first time in over a decade, pro-independence parties do not hold a majority in parliament.

Puigdemont and Junqueras were the main political figures of the pro-independence push during the months before the 2017 independence referendum held on October 1, which was deemed illegal by Spanish authorities.

Since the referendum, Puigdemont has lived in exile in Belgium, and returned there after a five-minute in-person speech in Barcelona last summer. Junqueras faced trial and prison time before being pardoned by the Spanish government.

Since then, both parties have had different leaders, including, for Esquerra, former Catalan president Pere Aragonès, who stepped down after election defeat, and, for Junts, former parliament speaker Laura Borràs, who was found guilty of corruption.

After the meeting, which lasted around two and a half hours, Puigdemont and Junqueras left the 'Casa de la República,' Puigdemont's house in Waterloo, in the same car. The plate had been modified to read 1 - O - 2017, in a reference to the October 1, 2017 independence referendum.

Negotiations pending

The meeting took place amid negotiations both in the Spanish Congress and in the Catalan parliament.

The Socialists in Spain and Catalonia are trying to negotiate their government's budgets for 2025.

In Spain, however, the situation could derail after Junts called for a no-confidence motion. The Congress bureau was expected to decide on Thursday, coinciding with Puigdemont and Junqueras' gathering, however, the bureau decided to postpone the request.

Junts has already warned of consequences that "the Socialists will not like," Jordi Turull said on Tuesday, threatening that the term could abruptly end.

Meanwhile, Esquerra has already told the Catalan Socialists that they will not negotiate a 2025 spending plan if their previous agreements are not fulfilled.