Sánchez wants to meet with Feijóo before the end of the year to renew the CGPJ and address regional financing

He says that if the blockade persists, we will have to look for other options and one of them is to reduce powers, as Guilarte proposed.

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, intends to meet with the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, before the end of this year and will call him soon to close the meeting. Sánchez intends to address the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), the reform of article 49 of the Constitution and also discuss the new regional financing system.

This is what Sánchez pointed out in conversation with journalists in the Congress of Deputies, after the solemn event to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Magna Carta, celebrated this December 6.

The head of the Executive has announced that he wants to discuss these three issues in his meeting with Feijóo, since the governing body of the judges has completed five years of expired mandate and the PSOE has rejected the last offer launched by the PP: to renew the CGPJ at the same time that they change the law to modify the system of election of members.

Sánchez insists on rejecting this option because he does not see it acceptable for the PP to try to impose its position when it does not have a sufficient parliamentary majority. He therefore asks the 'popular' to assume the current balance in the Chamber.

In that sense, remember that the 'popular' already tried to carry out this legal reform, to modify the way of electing the members of the CGPJ and they lost the vote. He therefore insists that it is time for the PP to put aside excuses and undertake renewal.

YOU WILL NOT ACCEPT CONDITIONS TO BE PLACED ON YOU

In any case, Sánchez assures that he wants to reach an agreement, although he makes it clear that he is not going to accept conditions and reiterates that the PP has no arguments to continue blocking.

Given the lack of agreement between both parties and the formula that can be used to relieve the members if PP and PSOE still do not reach an agreement, Sánchez says that options will have to be looked for, but insists that he will not modify the necessary majorities to undertake it.

In this sense, he admits that one of the proposals that is on the table is the one launched a few days ago by the substitute president of the CGPJ, Vicente Guilarte, who proposed reducing the powers of the body to facilitate its renewal. Sánchez points out that the governing body of judges in Spain has more powers than in other surrounding countries.

The reform of article 49 of the Constitution to eliminate the term 'disabled' and replace it with "person with disabilities" is an issue promoted by Carmen Calvo and that has been on the table since the first meeting between Sánchez and Feijóo in April 2022. Both parties had shown their willingness to carry it out, but the PP now states that they see no guarantees to undertake this constitutional reform given the parliamentary fragility of the socialists.

AUTONOMOUS FINANCING, THIS LEGISLATURE

The new regional financing model is another of the major pending issues that the Government intends to move forward during this legislature. This reform will be marked by the forgiveness of part of the debt that the PSOE agreed with ERC in the investiture agreement and that the socialists want to extend to the rest of the communities.

Furthermore, Sánchez has recently stated that he is committed to a regional financing system that takes into account objective criteria in terms of adjusted population, as stated in an interview on TVE. In this way, as he indicated, he intends to avoid criticism from any autonomous government.

For her part, the Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, has also confirmed her intention to present to the communities the need to address the reform of the system and explore the plans of each of them.

In an informal conversation with journalists, Montero recalled that this reform would be carried out through a law that would be processed in Congress, so, beyond what can be analyzed in the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council, it is Feijóo who must clarify if you are willing to take that step and seek an agreement.

Sánchez and Feijóo have met twice in recent months, in the rounds of contact prior to the investiture of Feijóo, which was unsuccessful, and of Sánchez, who finally achieved the necessary support for re-election.