Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, King Felipe VI, and the presidents of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions gathered in Barcelona on Friday morning for the 28th Regional Presidents Conference.
Even before the event commenced, however, political tensions were already high due to mounting disputes between the governing socialist (PSOE) party and the right-wing People’s Party (PP), the main opposition force in the Spanish Congress.
Although the PSOE lead and control Spain’s minority coalition government with the left-wing Sumar alliance at a national level, the PP governs 11 of Spain’s 17 regions, and which granted them considerable sway over the agenda of Friday’s conference.
If Friday’s summit will be remembered for anything, however, it might be for the attitude of the regional president of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso of the PP, towards the decision to allow Catalan, Basque and Galician to be used as co-official languages during the conference – in addition to Spanish – something never done before. ALSO READ: EU postpones vote on official status of Catalan, Basque & Galician languages.
The regional presidents began arriving at the venue shortly after 8am, where they were received by the regional president of Catalonia, Salvador Illa of the PSC (Catalan Socialists) party. Illa was Spain’s health minister during the Covid-19 crisis, and a close ally of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez – who arrived at the conference with Felipe VI at around 9am.
The conference was held at Barcelona’s historic Pedralbes Palace, with the king leaving after the initial breakfast meetings.
In his opening remarks, Illa urged the participants to ‘argue with common sense’ and underscored the symbolic value of being able to use Catalan at the meeting for the first time. ‘It is a sign of Spain’s rich plurality,’ he said. ALSO READ: New Catalan government sworn in, ending a decade of pro-independence rule.
The inclusion of regional languages meant that for the first time, a system for simultaneous interpretation was implemented to accommodate them. ALSO READ: Spain allows MPs to speak Catalan, Basque and Galician in Parliament – Vox walk out.
Controversy had flared on the eve of the summit when Isabel Díaz Ayuso said she would leave the meeting if addressed in a regional language.
Prior to the conference, Illa had responded by confirming he would speak Catalan ‘with complete naturalness’. The tension was palpable as Ayuso exchanged greetings with both Illa and Sánchez on arrival.
As soon as the Basque Country president (‘lehendakari’) Imanol Pradales began his speech in Basque, Ayuso kept true to her word and left the conference room.
According to Spanish media reports, Ayuso also remained outside the room during Illa’s speech, which was entirely in Catalan, and re-entered when the Galician president, Alfonso Rueda, began speaking. He began in Galician, defending Galicia’s right to have its own language, but continued in Spanish so that he could be understood ‘without intermediaries’.
Many political commentators in Spain referred to Ayuso’s actions as being another example of her ‘seeking to be the centre of attention’, noting that no other regional PP president had supported her actions.
Ayuso also clashed with Spain’s Minister of Health, Mónica García, during the official greeting, until a protocol officer separated them (see social media link below). The clash is centred around another political fallout over the management of nursing homes in Madrid during the first wave of Coronavirus, and an on-going investigation into the deaths of 7,291 elderly people.
During his own speech, Prime Minister Sánchez shared his ‘excitement’ about hosting the summit in Barcelona, noting it was the first time the city had been chosen as the location.
The summit agenda included 14 points, several of which were introduced by the PP. The right-wing opposition party had threatened to boycott the conference unless their proposals were included.
Amid the current highly polarised political environment in Spain, the conference was marked by persistent tension throughout the day.
Prime Minister Sánchez made housing policy a focal point of the discussions. He proposed increasing public housing investment from €2.3 billion to €7 billion over the period from 2026 to 2030. ALSO READ: Sánchez announces new housing measures, including limiting non-residents from buying property.
However, the PP concentrated its efforts on criticising the coalition government’s agreements with pro-independence groups, particularly on issues like taxation and immigration. ALSO READ: Controversial Catalan amnesty law gets final approval in Spanish Congress.
Several PP regional presidents even took the opportunity to call on Sánchez to resign and trigger early elections, accusing him of being unfit to lead.
Andalusian president Juanma Moreno was among the most vocal, declaring that Spain is experiencing a ‘critical and turbulent’ moment and urging Sánchez to ‘end the current situation’ by stepping down.
Sánchez rebuffed these demands. ‘The Spanish government intends to respect the timeline of democracy and hold the general election in 2027, as scheduled,’ he said.
Outside the venue, the political friction found a visual expression as a coach and two vans drove along Avinguda Diagonal, displaying a large image of Sánchez accompanied by the word ‘corrupt’. ALSO READ: Smear campaigns & ‘mafia practices’ – the alleged corruption saga against Spain’s PM rolls on.
These vehicles featured the same design previously used by the Catholic association Hazte Oír – which has an association with Spain’s far-right – in front of the Spanish Congress in Madrid, an installation that was later removed following a court order.
Hazte Oír also claimed responsibility for plastering similar posters with Sánchez’s face and the word ‘corrupt’ across approximately 30 bus shelters in Barcelona, particularly in the vicinity of the Pedralbes area.
In addition, around 20 demonstrators gathered at the entrance to the Pedralbes Palace gardens, waving Spanish flags and holding placards with slogans like ‘Sánchez mafioso’ and ‘Sánchez resign’.
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Un encontronazo entre Mónica García e Isabel Díaz Ayuso obliga a protocolo a intervenir entre la ministra de Sanidad y a la presidente de la Comunidad de Madrid https://t.co/ngAHx6SoHX pic.twitter.com/8BofHb420B
— La Hora de La 1 (@LaHoraTVE) June 6, 2025
El Gobierno llega a esta Conferencia de Presidentes con voluntad de diálogo y soluciones.
Queremos triplicar la financiación y blindar el parque de vivienda pública.
Gobernar es escuchar, proponer y construir soluciones reales. pic.twitter.com/3TjxtZSCtP
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) June 6, 2025
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