The XXVII Conference of Presidents held this Friday at the Magdalena Palace in Santander has left a long-awaited photograph: the greeting between the president of the Government, Pedro Sanchezand the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso. The meeting between the two took place at the beginning of the eventwhen the regional presidents have lined up to await the arrival of King Felipe VI.
The head of state was received first by the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and immediately afterwards both they have greetedone by one, to the regional presidents who were waiting.
This gesture has led the President of the Government shake hands with Isabel Díaz Ayuso. This was their first face to face after the Madrid president was the only regional official who refused to attend the recent round called by the head of the Executive at the Moncloa Palace.
After five hours of interventions by the Chief Executive and the regional presidents on housing, immigration, health and regional financing, the conference has finally concluded without specific agreementswith the majority of presidents with a disenchanted tone and with criticism of the lack of prior planning for the meeting.
Two years and nine months after the last Conference, held in La Palma, the popular presidents They have made their disappointment clearconvinced that Sánchez has only called the meeting because they pressured him.
The Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has flatly rejected any bilateral negotiationsl regarding the regional financing system and has warned that debt forgiveness for Catalonia is “lethal” for Spain.
“Are a state of the autonomies, not federal. Therefore, if someone wants to change everything, they should put it in their electoral program and let the Spaniards decide in elections,” Ayuso said at the Conference, according to sources from his Government.
In her speech, the Madrid president suggested to Sánchez that if what he wants is to change the model, he should present himself to the citizens with the message of “we are going to be the Federal Republic and Catalonia is going to be a nation with its own treasury and with its own officials and with its own Treasury.” “We will all take it to elections and let the Spaniards decide,” said Díaz Ayuso, who has defended that Spain “is a single country , 17 regions and everything that belongs to everyone has to be discussed openly in confidence.”
In a press conference after the Conference, Ayuso showed himself against forgiving debts to communities except Valenciaafter the “unsustainable” situation due to DANA and the “unaffordable” debt that it inherited, while demanding that its fiscal autonomy be respected in the face of the Government’s “threats” that they are going to “fry” the region with taxes .
The Madrid president has stated that she has transferred the Sánchez Government at the regional summit to “leave Madrid alone” because the region already contributes 80% of its revenue to the State to finance the common fund.