Ministers face backlog
The new executive faces reversing the effects of Article 155 and renewing the call for dialogue with central government; main priority is economic control
The first statements yesterday from all of the newly sworn-in “consellers” or ministers, in the Catalan government, included the word dialogue. While the intentions of Spain’s new prime minister Pedro Sánchez are still uncertain, there are signs of hope for the recovery of provisions which were cut from Catalonia’s Statute, and laws dealing with social issues dismembered by the Constitutional Court (TC) as well as the list of grievances that Carles Puigdemont defended with Mariano Rajoy. Much of this is still insufficient for those favouring independence, but the president himself, Quim Torra, has set as a priority the recovery of 16 Catalan laws suspended by the TC. Above all, the government must address the most peremptory need: to reverse the effects of article 155, imposed jointly by the PSOE, PP and Ciutadans. “Let’s get to work”, Torra ordered his team of 13 ministers following the official ceremony yesterday.
One of the fist moves the department leaders will make is to meet with the previous holders of their portfolios to forge a smooth transition. In the case of the departments of Agriculture, Culture and Territory and Sustainability, along with others, that will mean travelling to Brussels or Madrid to make contact with their predecessors in exile or imprisoned.
The vice-President, Pere Aragonès will be first to face the urgency of regaining full control of Generalitat finances, even before Article 155 is officially rescinded by the Senate. His job will be to create the budget which will provide the departments with the necessary resources so that the country can begin to operate normally again.