ERC strengthens ties with PSC

This Wednesday, ERC's parliamentary group in Congress confirmed their support for PSOE in the special session on corruption threatening President Pedro Sánchez. Gabriel Rufián's group is consolidating as the most reliable partner for the socialists in Madrid. Meanwhile, Esquerra is strengthening their support for Salvador Illa in Generalitat and tightening their ties with Jaume Collboni in Barcelona's city council.

Socialists and republicans have once again shown good harmony with two agreements in Generalitat and Barcelona city council. Oriol Junqueras has tried to show a tough stance with PSOE and PSC. However, it's clear that right now ERC isn't considering any strategy other than continuing to support socialist governments.

In their attempt to isolate Junts in the institutions, Esquerra is helping Illa expand his hegemony in Catalonia. This questions the official narrative of the new leadership headed by Junqueras, who want to pull PSC to the left and toward Catalanism.

Heading toward the 2026 budget

PSC has agreed with ERC and Comuns on a bill to prevent the return of aid granted by mistake. This will prevent citizens with essential needs from having to return money from aid granted due to an administrative error. It was approved after the report from the Audit Office, which warned of the diversion of €167 million (167 millones de euros) between 2016 and 2024.

Beyond the content, the agreement reflects the solidity of the legislative bloc in Catalonia among PSC, ERC, and Comuns. The three parties consolidated their alliance with the housing decree approved in April. Since then, republicans and ecosocialists have approved three credit supplements for Govern to make up for the lack of a budget.

This will be the next issue to finish stabilizing the legislative term. Govern is finalizing the definitive proposal for the approval of the unique funding they committed to with ERC. This should pave the way for republicans, this time, to approve Salvador Illa's 2026 budget.

Barcelona, key to the alliance

The other front of the alliance between republicans and socialists is in Barcelona. Even though an alliance among PSC, PP, and Comuns left the independents without the mayoralty, ERC and PSC have been getting closer. To the point that republicans are now Jaume Collboni's preferred partner.

During all this time, there has been speculation about the possible entry of ERC into the municipal government. Esquerra ultimately ruled out this option, due to the wear and tear it would cause just two years before the next municipal elections. The reality is that they don't need it either.

ERC and PSC are showing great harmony with strategic agreements like the one they reached this Wednesday. The two groups have agreed to allocate €20 million (20 millones de euros) from the extended budget to 58 projects in ten districts. This includes investment in sports facilities and improvements to public spaces, as well as infrastructure works like the bike lane on Maragall promenade.

The alliance in Barcelona is key to ERC's strategy of institutional isolation of Junts. This, in turn, definitively confirms the shift from the national axis to the ideological axis in Catalan politics.