Pedro Sánchez decided not to focus on Catalonia when designing the composition of his new Government, in the face of a legislature in which Catalonia can monopolize a good part of the political debate, with the processing of the controversial amnesty law already underway and the essential role of Junts and Esquerra to sustain a mandate that is already fighting its first battles.
With this first coalition Executive between the PSOE and Sumar, the number of Catalan ministers has decreased. There have been three - Miquel Iceta in Culture, Raquel Sánchez in Transport and Joan Subirats in Universities - in the previous legislature, only two - Jordi Hereu in Industry and Ernest Urtasun in Culture - in the one that is now starting.
But that does not mean a decrease in the Catalan imprint or influence in the Moncloa, at the highest level. To begin with, because the connection of the President of the Government with the leader of the PSC, Salvador Illa – who in turn was also his Minister of Health – is absolute and direct. And with the great common determination to win the presidency of the Generalitat again after the next Catalan elections, after having already recovered, with Jaume Collboni, the mayor of Barcelona. Nor does it mean that Catalonia loses weight in the structure and ins and outs of the new Government.
In the upper hierarchical rank of the Cabinet there are, therefore, two ministers of great political weight, both for the socialists and for the minority partner of the coalition, Sumar, led by the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz. Recently landed from Hispasat, the former socialist mayor of the Catalan capital (2006-2011), Jordi Hereu (Barcelona, 1965), is thus the new head of the powerful Ministry of Industry and Tourism, which plays a capital role in the management of the funds European recovery programs and in the strategic projects deployed, with the great priority of promoting the reindustrialization of Spain. Next to him, as cabinet director, Germán Rodríguez returns, who previously held the same position with Carme Chacón in Defense and with Salvador Illa in Health, and was also a deputy for the PSC in Congress.
The diplomat Ernest Urtasun (Barcelona, 1982), who already served in the cabinets of Miguel Ángel Moratinos and Trinidad Jiménez in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was a European parliamentarian for many years, takes the reins of the Ministry of Culture, one of the departments assumed by the minority partner of the coalition, Sumar, a formation for which he is also spokesperson. The baton in Culture was passed on to the veteran socialist Miquel Iceta (Barcelona, 1960) before being appointed the new ambassador of Spain to UNESCO, based in Paris.
In addition to these two ministers, the new Executive has three secretaries of State who are also Catalan. Francesc Vallès (Reus, 1971) repeats his position as Secretary of State for Communication, another veteran leader and former PSC deputy. And Eva Granados (Barcelona, 1975) joins, who after being the spokesperson for the socialist group in the Parliament and later in the Senate is now the new Secretary of State for International Cooperation, attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In turn, Jordi Martí (Barcelona, 1965), former leader of the PSC in the Barcelona City Council who later made the leap to En Comú with Ada Colau, of which he was deputy mayor, is the new Secretary of State for Culture with Ernest Urtasun.
In the great investment ministry, that of Transport, the Pucelano Óscar Puente took over as head of this portfolio from the Catalan Raquel Sánchez (Gavà, 1975), who is in turn awaiting a new assignment. But this ministry did not lose much of its Catalan accent.
To begin with, Puente confirmed in office the president of Renfe, the Catalan Raül Blanco, another veteran leader of the PSC who has already held management positions in the City Council of L'Hospitalet and in the Generalitat of Catalonia. The figure of Blanco – who replaced Isaías Táboas in office, who was in turn José Montilla's right-hand man in the Ministry of Industry and then in the presidency of the Generalitat – will now be a key piece in the negotiation of the transfer of Rodalies to Catalonia in this legislature.
In this ministerial sphere, another veteran Catalan socialist, Maurici Lucena (Barcelona, 1975), also remains in charge of the public company Spanish Airports and Air Navigation (Aena), with extensive management experience in the public and private sectors, and who He was also spokesperson for the PSC in Parliament. In addition, Montserrat Mestres from Barcelona is the director of the State Aviation Safety Agency (Aesa).
And, among the large public participation corporations, the Catalan Marc Murtra, who was also Joan Clos's chief of staff during his time as Minister of Industry (2006-2008), continues to head Indra.
The Government delegate in Catalonia is Carlos Prieto (Barcelona, 1975), a member of the PSC executive. Meanwhile, in the Ministry of the Interior, the incombustible Pere Navarro (Barcelona, 1952) remains general director of Traffic, and Elena Garzón (Barcelona, 1968) is the general director of International Relations and Immigration.
