Spain • • • 🌿 Progressive

Dos políticos conversando en una mesa con Barcelona al fondo.
Conversación política con Barcelona como telón de fondo. · Imagen generada EPM

Trias urges Junts to be shrewd and talk if it benefits Catalonia

Xavier Trias advises Junts to be shrewd after 29 November and to talk to the PSOE and the PP only if their proposals benefit Catalonia, without renouncing its…

--- The context --- Former Barcelona mayor Xavier Trias has set out in an interview how he believes Junts should position itself after the general election on 29 November. His starting point is a single test for any talks or agreements: what benefits Catalonia, above any preference between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo. --- The facts --- Trias advised Junts to be shrewd after the election and to talk to both the PSOE and the PP if the proposals they put on the table benefit Catalonia. He explained that agreements may be necessary, but that the party is not willing to support just anything without measures in return that benefit Catalonia, and that influence must be exercised from firm positions. The former mayor regretted that most of the commitments Sánchez made to Junts during this legislature have not been fulfilled. He pointed to the failure to deliver investment in Catalonia as an example and argued that any renewed trust will have to be demonstrated with deeds rather than promises that lead nowhere. --- The positions --- On the PP, Trias said it was a party Junts could collaborate with, but he rejected its alliances with Vox and expressed disappointment with Feijóo since he took over the leadership. He also argued that Junts should not renounce its principles and that it is for the Socialists and the Popular Party to come forward and explain how they will act on Catalonia and rebuild trust. On the left, Trias said Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun acts correctly, while he sharply criticised the conduct of former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, whose behaviour he described as highly incorrect and driven by self-interest. On the amnesty, he said its full application would end up benefiting the PSOE because it makes visible a gesture of generosity, and he argued that Spanish politics should be normalised, while acknowledging that this is not easy. --- What remains unknown --- It is not yet known what concrete proposals the PSOE and the PP will put to Junts after the election, nor on what terms Junts would be willing to support them. It also remains unclear how outstanding investment commitments would be delivered in practice and what practical scope the full application of the amnesty would have in any path to dialogue with the Popular Party. --- Unanswered questions --- What concrete proposals will the PSOE and the PP present to Junts after 29 November? How will delivery of the investment promised to Catalonia be verified before any support is given? On what conditions would Junts accept an agreement it considers beneficial for Catalonia without renouncing its principles? --- EPM analysis --- Trias combines openness with a clear condition: he does not close the door to talking to anyone, but he places the burden of proof on Spain's two main parties. His emphasis on shrewdness seeks to avoid both isolation and support given for free, in a context shaped by distrust over unfulfilled commitments and by rejection of certain alliances. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, Trias is sketching a pragmatic but conditional Junts: willing to talk to everyone, yet unwilling to hand over support without concrete benefits for Catalonia. That condition matters after a legislature marked, in his account, by unfulfilled commitments, including on investment. It forces both the PSOE and the PP to bring verifiable offers rather than promises and to take the first step themselves. If Junts holds that discipline after 29 November, influence can become tangible results; if it yields early, it will lose the very leverage Trias wants to protect.
📤 Share on Telegram

¿Te gustó este artículo? Recibe cobertura global en tu correo.

Suscríbete gratis / Subscribe free