Illa considers the approval of the General State Budgets viable and asks parties to be "up to the circumstances"

Salvador Illa assured this Monday, in the fifth edition of "Los Desayunos" by RTVE and Agencia EFE, held at the Instituto Cervantes in Madrid, that the General State Budgets "can be approved", rejecting that it is a simple "procedure" or a political "excuse". In his opinion, they respond to a "fundamental approach" necessary given the end of European funds this year, a moment he has described as a "turning point" for the legislature.

Asked about the possibility that Junts might end up supporting these accounts, the Catalan president showed confidence, appealing to a practical argument in which voting against would mean renouncing more public resources, something he considers difficult to justify to the citizens. Illa has asked all parties to be "up to the circumstances" and not to make "impossible" demands, with a final warning that "Junts will have to make decisions, but we are in one place or another, in progress or involution."

Catalan budgets, "with scope" for the entire legislature

In an autonomous key, Illa has defended that the Generalitat Budgets for 2026, approved by the Parliament at the beginning of July, offer sufficient stability for the rest of the mandate. As he explained, the accounts provide a "wide margin" of action and allow planning the management of the 2027 and 2028 fiscal years.

Although he avoided confirming whether the Govern will immediately begin preparing next year's budgets, he assured that his priority is to execute the already approved accounts, without closing the door to future budgetary scenarios.

"Catalonia does not have to ask anyone for permission to lead and will not ask for it"

Illa dedicated another part of the interview to defending Catalonia's role in the territorial debate, with a more assertive tone than in the rest of the conversation. The Catalan president has asked to leave behind what he considers a systematic distrust towards initiatives originating from his community and has claimed its capacity to lead without depending on anyone's approval. "Enough of distrust with Catalonia," he declared, adding that "Catalonia does not have to ask anyone for permission to lead and will not ask for it." 

"Judges should feel called upon"

Illa has also entered judicial territory during the interview. He has maintained that the amnesty does not admit complicated interpretations, since its meaning is, in his words, evident, and he has given as an example pending resolution that of Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan president and top leader of Junts. Although he has assured that he maintains his confidence in Justice, he has recognized that an important part of the citizenry questions the actions of the courts in certain cases and has considered that judges "should feel challenged" by that perception.

Asked about how the party experiences the corruption cases that affect it, he has recognized a certain "disappointment" among socialist militants, although he has clarified that there is satisfaction with the way the party has reacted to try to stop that type of behavior.