- When there were a few hours left to form the Spanish Courts, Pedro Sánchez has put on the table the issue of minority languages in order to obtain the vote of the necessary nationalist parties. The President of the Bureau of the Spanish Parliament, Francina Armengol, was appointed as a candidate for the PSOE by 178 votes after reaching agreement with the Boards.
"Spain speaks Spanish, but Spain speaks Catalan, Basque and Galician, and therefore our mission is to stabilize the spaces of substitution, use and knowledge of the Spanish languages". This has been said by Pedro Sánchez, a socialist candidate for the Spanish represidency.
Sanchez needs the votes of the nationalist parties, especially the Catalan group Junts, so he has put the issue of minority languages on the table. Using the Spanish presidency of the European Union, it undertakes to promote the use of co-operative languages in the European institutions.
But the reaction is immediate. Marta Rovira de Esquerra says "like no", and Aitor Esteban of the PNV reminds him that he cannot compromise to the outside what he does not do inside, because the use of Euskera, Catalan and Galician is still not regulated in the Spanish Congress and the Senate.
The Platform for LL for Catalan has also explained that Sánchez's proposal "is not enough" and has claimed the official status of Catalan in Europe.
Decision of the meetings
In any case, the issue of the use of languages is perfectly related to the composition of the Spanish Courts and the Congress table. Junts announces first hour Thursday that she will support Francina Armengol as president of this table, PSOE candidate. And he has done so, Armengol was appointed at noon on Thursday, with 178 votes, including Junts, ERC, EH Bildu of the PNV.
It therefore appears that the Carles Puigdemonte party has taken the decision in favour of Sánchez, after having held negotiations until the last hour. The pre-agreement has agreed, among other things, to set up a committee on the Pegasus case and the attacks of 17 August, and one last important point: the use of Catalan in Congress.
At its inaugural session of the Spanish Courts, Armengar himself announced that it would allow the use of official languages from now on.
Co-official language in the European Union
Puigdemont asked the PSOE for "evidence" to get his votes, and El Diario.es announces that something like this has arrived on Thursday morning: The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albars, has submitted a written request for Catalan, Basque and Galician to be cooperative languages in the European Union.
The subject will be dealt with by the European Commission on 19 September, when the next meeting is scheduled.