Junts and Socialists hold talks in Switzerland to rebuild relations

The influence of the seven MPs from the pro-independence party Junts in Spain’s 350-seat Congress has become increasingly apparent in recent weeks.

The party of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has successfully blocked two key pieces of legislation supported by the Socialist-led government and its coalition partner, left-wing Sumar.

First, Junts joined the opposition to prevent the reduction of the working week from 40 to 37.5 hours, and then they helped overturn the creation of a new anti-corruption office.

Both measures were rejected in collaboration with the right-wing People’s Party and far-right Vox.

These consecutive “no” votes follow a warning from Puigdemont earlier this summer, when he said the Socialists had already been “given enough time” to comply with the investiture agreement that secured Sánchez a second term as prime minister.

“Things that have not happened yet will happen,” Puigdemont cautioned for the fall. And although summer is technically still ongoing, these two rejections show that those “things” are already beginning to unfold.

Among the points Junts says have not been fulfilled are the full implementation of the amnesty law, the transfer of migration powers from the Spanish government to Catalonia, and the approval of Catalan language use in the European Parliament.

In an effort to rebuild trust and regain Junts’ confidence, Catalan president Salvador Illa met with Puigdemont in Brussels at the beginning of September—the first meeting between the two since Illa took office.

On Friday, Socialists met again with Junts in Switzerland, where the pro-independence party reiterated that talks are not going well and warned that further decisions will be made in the fall if pending issues are not addressed.

The meeting comes just days before the next clash between the parties: a debate on the Socialist proposal to delegate migration powers to the Catalan government, one of Junts’ key demands.

However, the measure is likely to be blocked again, this time by left-wing Podemos, which has labeled the law “racist.”

Another key demand of Junts—the official use of Catalan in the European Parliament—also suffered a setback this week.

PM Sánchez met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz but was unable to convince him to lift the veto on a measure that requires unanimous approval.

Reacting to the latest developments, Spain’s minister for the presidency, Félix Bolaños, said that negotiations will continue “in secrecy.”

“Engaging with parties that do not share our views and trying to reach agreements with them is a defining feature of this government,” he added.

The minister acknowledged that this legislature is complex in terms of congressional support but reminded that 47 laws have already been approved.

Despite the Socialists’ calls for calm, Junts’ votes remain crucial for the stability and continuity of the government.

Junts’ Congress spokesperson, Míriam Nogueras, asked Sánchez this week whether he believed he could continue governing under the current circumstances.

The key question this fall will be whether Junts’ warning that “things will happen” comes to pass, or whether a new agreement can be reached with the Socialists that satisfies the pro-independence party.