The bilateral State-Generalitat agreement will expand the Catalan treasury in offices and personnel.

There are still important aspects to be finalized between now and July 14th, when the bilateral commission between the State and the Generalitat (Catalan Government) will meet in Barcelona. However, what will almost certainly be finalized at this meeting is the resizing of the Catalan Tax Agency (ATC) in terms of offices and staff. Legislative changes are also expected to be outlined so that Congress can facilitate the new financing model. And ERC will have to approve all of this, if everything goes as it believes.

For now, the funding proposal for Catalonia is in a sufficiently optimal state for the ERC to affirm that it is no longer a matter of having an "agreement or disagreement, but rather of understanding that the timing [for approving it] is complicated," because the Santos Cerdán case represents interference. "There is work done, a broad and sound agreement at the Catalan level, and progress is being made with the government," admitted ERC deputy spokesperson Isaac Albert yesterday.

The Esquerra spokesperson assures that the new model "is quite similar" to an economic agreement.

The Republican leader was very clear when describing the status of the funding project: "We have a pool of water; there's not enough to dive into, and what we need is the will to continue filling the pool with water. A few weeks ago, we had some doubts, but now there's the will to continue moving forward along these lines."

So, "the basics" have been settled, and Albert expressed optimism. So much so that he stated that the financing system negotiated to date "is very similar to an economic agreement," like the Basque or Navarrese regional models.

But ERC remains on alert. The Spanish and Catalan governments are meeting at the bilateral meeting, so they won't be able to participate directly in what is discussed. Albert believes it remains to be seen whether "the new proposals we finalize" between now and that meeting "end up modifying the Lofca" (Organic Law of September 1980 on the Financing of the Autonomous Communities).

"This must lead to agreements that are sufficiently important to justify this bilateral meeting; the meeting is a secondary element; what matters are the agreements that emerge from it," Albert emphasized, while pointing out that what will be put on the table at this bilateral meeting is what was negotiated three-way: between the Spanish government, the Catalan regional government, and the ERC (Republic of Catalonia). Therefore, a period of talks will open until July 14th, so that, following the meeting in Barcelona, ​​the Spanish and Catalan governments can present "the master plan for developing Catalan nationality, increasing its physical space and human resources, and the legislative amendments to make [the financing] a reality."

These are key issues. The Republicans claim that, for now, we're only talking about Catalan financing. The proposal is to later propose this new model to other territories. Whether the other regions can adopt it or embrace it is another matter. Albert put it this way: "I don't know if all the communities will be willing to have what Catalonia is asking for: to collect 100% of their taxes—because it's not easy—to maintain the ordinal system..."

"We'll have to see how this financing system evolves, because just because something can be extrapolated to other communities doesn't mean it isn't unique," Albert noted. "From a technical perspective, the picture is quite similar to what a financial agreement would be," he reiterated, because it includes, he said, tax collection, payment to the State for services rendered, and a solidarity contribution.

In all of this, there is an added difficulty in the Cerdán case: whether the vote in Congress for Catalonia to have a new financing system will achieve a majority. Oriol Junqueras already appealed to the government on Saturday to work for its success. In this regard, the Republicans estimate that the State will have to contribute to the common financing system a larger amount than the current one, around €24 billion. A figure that should compensate for Catalonia's hypothetical exit from the common system.