This Monday, the heads of the 16 ministries officially took office, including former convergents Miquel Sàmper and Ramón Espadaler.
Salvador Illa has already formed his new government, five days after being sworn in as president, and has assured that “the search for the common good and the defense of Catalonia” will be the “sole criterion for action”.
This was stated by Illa during the meeting at the Palace of the Generalitat, where the councillors take office, adding that it is a “transversal” government that must take charge of the “third great transformation” of the country.
The President stressed that they had chosen people for the government because of “their proven competence, their recognized professional career, their independence of judgment and their social-democratic values.”
The Socialist leader has positioned “the defence of the Catalan language” as the “backbone of the Catalan nation”, but “part of the common and shared space that is Spain, a plurinational Spain, and of a Europe with a federal horizon.”
16 council members
Illa has formed a government that expands the number of departments and maintains equality (with a small majority of women), in a mix of profiles ranging from socialists loyal to the PSC leader to technicians, experts and two former CiU councillors.
Of the fourteen departments of the government of Pere Aragonès, Illa begins to lead an executive body with sixteen councilors. eight men and nine women.
Several names stand out who, due to their position or personal interest, could become heavyweights of the government: Núria Parlon (Interior and Public Security), Albert Dalmau (Presidency), Sílvia Paneque (Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, and also spokesperson), Alícia Romero (Economy and Finance) and, signing on behalf of the Ministry of European Union and Foreign Action, Jaume Duch, until now spokesperson of the European Parliament.
What is striking is the high number technical and specialized profiles in their management areas, such as Olga Pané (Health), Mónica Martínez Bravo (Social Rights and Inclusion), Francesc Xavier Vila (Language Policy), Núria Montserrat Pulido (Research and Universities), Sònia Hernández (Culture) and the basketball player Berni Álvarez for the new Sports Department.
Illa stressed during and after the election campaign that his priority would be to guarantee the proper functioning of public services and to achieve this he has mainly opted for professional profiles.
Among the most notable signings we must also emphasize the exconvergent Miquel Sàmper, who became Minister of the Interior in the government of Quim Torra and who will not be the only member of the new executive with a past in the old CiU, since Ramón Espadaler, historical leader of Unió Democràtica, returns to the Generalitat to take charge of the Justice and Democratic Quality Portfolio.
Two also stand out wink towards ERC: for the Department of Language Policy – included in the investiture agreement between Republicans and Socialists – Illa has chosen Francesc Xavier Vila, an expert in Catalan sociolinguistics who already worked for the government of Pere Aragonès, while for Culture the current General Director of Cultural Heritage, Sònia Hernández, is being promoted.
Illa’s team is completed by profiles with extensive experience in the PSC and specialisation in their respective fields: Esther Niubó (Education and Vocational Training), Eva Menor (Equality and Feminism) and Óscar Ordeig (Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food).
The municipal apparatus of the PSC has given Illa some important names, such as the mayor of Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Barcelona), Núria Parlon, the socialist leader in Girona, Sílvia Paneque, the manager of the Barcelona City Council, Albert Dalmau, and also as former mayor of Badia del Vallès (Barcelona) Eva Menor.
After signing their appointment and publishing it in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat of Catalonia (DOGC), the sixteen councillors They took office this Mondayduring an institutional event in the Sant Jordi Hall of the Palau de la Generalitat, chaired by Salvador Illa.
In this way, on Tuesday 13 August, Illa will be able to chair the first meeting of its new director, who will take up his duties five days after the plenary session of the investiture in which the President of the Generalitat received the support of PSC, ERC and Comuns.
Source: EITB
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
