Pro-indy leader says Catalonia's financing model includes 'principle of ordinality' after Spanish PM meeting

Pro-independence Esquerra Republicana (ERC) party leader Oriol Junqueras has pledged that Catalonia's new funding model includes the "principle of ordinality," despite him saying earlier it was something "very difficult" to achieve.

Junqueras met with Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez on Thursday in La Moncloa, the cabinet's headquarters in Madrid. After talks with the Socialist leader, the Esquerra Republicana president said that the deal is "a good financing model," and that "no one loses, everyone wins."

The ERC leader will meet with Catalan president Salvador Illa in Barcelona on Friday.

Speaking on Catalunya Ràdio ahead of the meeting, the leader of the left-wing pro-independence ERC stressed that the pact will ensure that Catalonia retains its share of resources rather than them staying in Madrid.

Junqueras also issued a warning to fellow pro-independence party Junts, which has said it will withhold Congress support if the deal does not include an economic arrangement similar to that used by the Basque Country: "Voting against this agreement will be voting that these resources stay with the Spanish government."

The new "singular" financing system could channel an additional €4.7 billion to Catalonia, part of a broader pact between ERC and the Socialists that helped install Salvador Illa as Catalan president in 2024.

ERC says the deal will respect the principle of ordinality: if Catalonia ranks third in contributions to the Spanish state, it will also rank third in what it receives under the new model.

The Spanish government said the new deal is to revamp an expired model that has been in place for the past 13 years. 

The new model "proposes several solutions to the current system and complies with what had been promised to all Spaniards," sources from the Spanish cabinet said.

They say that "all territories will receive more funding transfers" to "strengthen the welfare state."

During the meeting between Sánchez and Junqueras, the Spanish PM said that the new system is focused on public services, as the Socialist-led cabinet wants "to prioritize the public health system, more public school options, and more financial aid for citizens."

Spain's First Deputy Prime Minister María Jesús Montero is expected to present the model on Friday and call a meeting with Spain's Autonomous Communities at the Council of Fiscal and Financial Policy next week.

Illa predicts "good news" 

Catalan President Salvador Illa expressed optimism about a new regional financing system, forecasting "good news" for "all of Catalonia and Spain."

Speaking just before the Sánchez-Junqueras meeting on Thursday, Illa urged patience as talks unfold.

"Let's see how things develop today, tomorrow, the day after, and next week," he said.