The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, attacked this morning from the rostrum of Parliament, during the first ordinary plenary session of the legislature, those who in matters of financing “only intend to make noise, here and there”. Between the flank of the rest of the Spanish autonomies that fear a loss of resources, and that of the pro-independence parties that warn against a new round of “coffee for all”, Illa recovered a phrase that he used abundantly during the electoral campaign: Catalonia does not want to be more than anyone else, but not less either“.
In this sense, Illa, 18 days after taking office, tried to send a message of tranquility to the rest of Spain, insisting that “Catalonia is united and wants to continue to be so.” For the Catalan president, the region he presides over will be involved “in the improvement of Spain“without giving up having a “strong autonomous government, with the resources necessary to provide the public services that its citizens need.”
Almost as if in response to the Senate’s warning from the ERC yesterday, Illa insisted that his government would comply with the financing agreement achieved with the ERC, although he assumed that “it will be expensive.”
During his appearance this morning, at his own request to explain the composition of his government, he reviewed the main lines of action of each ministry, including that of the Language policy -a claim of ERC-, emphasizing in this regard that Catalan is “the most complete and plastic expression of our collective personality”. “I take the promotion of the social use of Catalan“, added the president, assuring that “defending Catalan is not attacking anyone or any other language.”
In the turn of response, the Spokesperson for the Junts groupAlbert Batet, clarified that the announcement of the energetic opposition that they say they want to practice translates, mainly, into the denunciation of what they consider to be the Government “the most Hispanic in history“In this regard, he regretted appointments such as that of Jaume Duch (External Action), who fought “Catalonia and the independence movement” from his previous position at the European Commission, Batet assured.
Regarding the financing, Batet responded that “the one who generated it was President Sánchez and Minister Montero, who did not even take fifteen days to reject the financing agreement, announcing that it was a financing agreement.” coffee for everyone“.
The spokesperson for the ERC group, Marta Vilalta, also intervened, reminding Illa that the agreement reached is “only for the investiture”, announcing a vigilant opposition to respect it. Vilalta, on the other hand, valued the agreement signed with the PSC, while Catalonia now has “the key to the box”. In this regard, Illa evaluated the transfer of ERC on certain points on this subject, in the same way that he recognized that socialism “has moved” in this area due to the political situation.
During today’s plenary session, the chamber will debate and vote on the validation of Decree-Law 8/2024, granting a supplement to the Budgets of the Generalitat of 2023, extended in 2024, to guarantee the regular activity of the health system.
Similarly, MPs will debate and vote on the formal constitution of the parliamentary committeesone for each of the 16 ministries of the Generalitat, although that of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition will be split to separate Ecological Transition, on the one hand, and Territory and Housing, on the other.
More precisely, the commissions These will be: Institutional Affairs; Economy and Finance; Business and Labour; Equality and Feminism; European Union and External Action; Education and Vocational Training; Research and Universities; Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food; and Internal and Public Security.
The Territory and Housing commissions complete the list; Ecological Transition; Health; Social rights and Inclusion; Culture; Justice and democratic quality; Sports; and language policy. Finally, the plenary session will also vote on the creation of two monitoring committees: the Children’s Committee and the Youth Policy Committee, which will have to be established in the same way once created.
