Following the government's announcement of a new regional financing model, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has convened his party's 11 regional presidents to a summit on January 18 in Aragón. The meeting aims to unify opposition, criticizing the model as favoring Catalan independence, amid defenses from Salvador Illa and Oriol Junqueras.
Building on Vice President María Jesús Montero's January 9 presentation of a reformed regional financing system—involving 21,000 million euros annually, tax cessions, and ordinality ensuring Catalonia's position—PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo announced a strategic summit during a closed meeting with deputies and senators in La Coruña on Saturday.
The January 18 gathering in Aragón, hosted ahead of the region's February 8 elections, will include the 11 PP regional presidents to coordinate opposition to what PP sources call an 'unjust' model prioritizing Catalan interests over interterritorial solidarity. Feijóo remarked: "This is not done to repair anything for the Catalans; this is done so that the PSOE continues to rule in Catalonia and in Spain." General Secretary Miguel Tellado labeled it a "stick for compliant citizens and a prize for the independentists," vowing reversal upon gaining power.
Catalan President Salvador Illa and ERC's Oriol Junqueras countered in national councils, with Illa hailing it as "the best regional financing agreement in history" benefiting all communities, and Junqueras pushing for further VAT management (up to 80%) and FLA debt relief.
PP and Junts opposition hinders congressional approval, despite 70% of new funds going to popular-led regions. The summit will also shape the PP's alternative proposal.
