Spanish PM open to meeting Puigdemont to secure Junts' support for 2026 budget

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez said on Monday that he is open to meeting with former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont in a bid to secure support from the pro-independence Junts party for the approval of new state budgets in 2026.

“I am going to meet with all the political parties involved. The amnesty law is precisely intended to overcome the situation that unfolded in 2017 in our country. This is a country that looks forward to 2027, not 2017,” Sánchez said.

The prime minister also confirmed his intention to present a new state budget in 2026, something not achieved since 2022. “We will propose a budget that is stronger from a social point of view,” he stated.

However, Sánchez will need backing from a broad coalition of parties, including both Junts and Esquerra Republicana, to pass the budget. In this context, a potential meeting with Puigdemont, currently residing in Belgium, could prove crucial.

“We are a coalition government without a parliamentary majority, but we engage with all political forces to convince them that these are good budgets,” he added.

Amid a corruption scandal involving one of his top aides, accused of receiving illegal commissions, Sánchez reaffirmed his commitment to serving out the full legislative term. “Terms last four years,” he said.

The prime minister also praised Spain’s economic performance. “The data doesn’t lie,” he noted, while criticizing the conservative People’s Party for “calling for elections day after day, like a broken record.”