Sánchez Returns to Catalonia to Reactivate PSOE Voting and Meet with Illa

The President of the Government visits Catalonia with the new regional financing as the focus, alongside an agenda that includes a meeting with Illa, lunch with business leaders, and the La Vanguardia awards.

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, returns to Catalonia this Monday in a visit marked by regional financing. According to elconfidencial.com, Sánchez will meet with the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, and will later have lunch with representatives of the self-styled G-8 business group, which brings together some of the main Catalan associations.

The day also includes attendance at the awards presented by the Godó group through La Vanguardia. Illa will accompany Sánchez throughout the day, demonstrating the harmony between the two socialist leaders.

This visit comes at a time of difficulties for the central government, with the crisis in Ceuta and the legal challenges affecting the president's wife, Begoña Gómez, and his predecessor, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. In this context, Catalonia presents itself as a politically favourable space for Sánchez.

The endorsement from the Constitutional Court for the Amnesty Law has cleared the way for the return of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, which could happen within a month, according to political sources.

Sánchez's agenda includes a visit to a public housing project alongside the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez. Illa's housing plan is the most advanced in Spain, and the visit is framed within the controversy surrounding the eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old woman whose case has sparked significant social outrage.

The lunch with business leaders is expected to include the participation of the President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Josep Santacreu; the President of the Cercle d’Economia, Teresa García Milà; the President of Femcat, Tatxo Benet; the President of the College of Economists, Carles Puig; the President of Barcelona Global, Josep Lluís Sanfeliu; the President of the RACC, Josep Mateu; and the President of the employers' association Pimec, Antoni Cañete. The CEO of Fira, Pau Relat, is not expected to attend due to a clash with the entity's board meeting.

The new regional financing is the central theme of the visit. The PSC claims that the system will provide 4.5 billion euros in additional funding per year for Catalonia. Socialist sources assert that Junts, despite its public opposition, is not entirely closed off to negotiations. In fact, the independence party has shifted in two days from declaring its relationship with the PSOE broken to sitting down to negotiate the housing decree that Moncloa could approve next week.

Sánchez's visit comes eight days after his participation in the Fiesta de la Rosa of the PSC in Gavà on September 20, where he coincided with Illa. This Monday, the President of the Government and the Catalan president will once again showcase their alliance in an event that will extend throughout the day.