Emiliano García-Page again distances himself from Pedro Sánchez in one of the most sensitive debates for the autonomous communities. The president of Castilla-La Mancha has asked the Government to convene a Conference of Presidents before moving forward with the new autonomous financing model, a proposal he considers born from the “blackmail of the independentistas”.
Page launched the warning from Albacete, during the inauguration of the Alzheimer's and other dementias Reference Center. The setting was not minor for his message. The socialist baron has placed financing in the field of health, education, and public services, precisely where communities play a large part of their real margin of government.
“Let them have the courage to convene a Conference of Presidents, so that we can discuss face to face”, he demanded in a more than defiant tone. Page maintains that Moncloa cannot advance in a reform of this caliber without first bringing together the regional presidents and without separating that debate from the negotiation of the General State Budgets.
His position is clear. Castilla-La Mancha will not accept a model that, in his opinion, opens the door to territorial privileges. “It cannot be that we are all against it, except precisely those who want privileges for themselves”, he pointed out, in a direct reference to the role of Catalan independentism in the negotiation with the Government.
Budgets first, financing later
The Castilian-Manchegan president wants the order to be different. First, Budgets. Then, autonomous financing. Page believes that advancing in the new system without approved public accounts fuels the suspicion that territorial equality is being used as a bargaining chip to move the legislature forward.
“Let the Budget come first, so we know if we are talking about something serious or fireworks”, he insisted. In his speech, he even spoke of an “outrage to equality” and asked the Executive to make it clear that the financing of health and education does not enter into what he calls the “blackmailing market” of the independentistas.
The clash comes as the Treasury prepares the next step in the autonomous debate. The Government wants to take the reform to the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council before the end of July, in a very difficult climate. The majority of communities view the new model with suspicion and Castilla-La Mancha has already warned that it will vote against it if the proposal maintains its current approach.
The political problem for Moncloa is that Page does not speak from a community governed by the PP. He speaks from within the PSOE, with an absolute majority in Castilla-La Mancha and with his own line that has been clashing with Sánchez for years on Catalonia, amnesty, funding, and parliamentary pacts. Every time the Government needs Junts or ERC, Page once again becomes the most uncomfortable socialist voice for Ferraz.
A front that the right takes advantage of
The PP has quickly moved to exploit the rift. In Castilla-La Mancha, they accuse Page of raising the tone against Sánchez while his deputies in Congress continue to support the Government. This is the criticism that the popular party has been repeating for years: a lot of verbal clashes with Moncloa, but few practical effects in Madrid.
Page tries to move in another lane. He presents himself as a defender of equality between territories and of funding designed for extensive, aging, and dispersed communities like Castilla-La Mancha. His message connects with a discomfort that other autonomies also share, although each one translates it into its own political interest.
The day has not helped to silence the noise either. The Constitutional Court this Wednesday rejected the appeal by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha against the Amnesty Law, another of the major open fronts between Page and Sánchez. The court referred to its previous doctrine and ruled out that the norm violates the separation of powers, territorial equality, or legal certainty.
The president of Castilla-La Mancha also took the opportunity to link the territorial debate with the NATO summit and Donald Trump's demands. He defended that Spain should not fall into the "arms business trap" of the US president, although he admitted that spending on security is necessary because "insecurity is much more expensive."
Page once again places Sánchez before an uncomfortable photograph. A socialist regional president asks to speak "face to face", accuses the Government of subjecting equality to independentism and demands Budgets before touching the regional distribution. Hacienda has a calendar. Page wants a halt, debate and presidents at the table.
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