Spain Moves to Cut €83 Billion in Regional Government Debt
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Catalan Leaders Meet in Brussels Amid Spain's Debt Relief Plan
Above: President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa (L), and Carles Puigdemont (R), during a meeting in Brussels on Sept. 2, 2025. Image copyright: Jasper Jacobs/Europa Press via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
This meeting marks a crucial step toward political normalization and democratic dialogue in Catalonia. By meeting Carles Puigdemont, like all the other former Catalan presidents, Salvador Illa has rightfully chosen to heal the wounds of the past following Catalonia's failed bid for independence in 2017 and open the door to the former leader's potential return.
Government-critical narrative
Illa travels to Brussels as Sánchez's puppet, surrendering institutional dignity to maintain power at any cost. This meeting grants undeserved political legitimacy to a fugitive from justice while Spanish taxpayers foot the bill for separatist demands. Sánchez's government is capitulating repeatedly to parties that openly seek to destroy Spain's unity.