A delegation of MEPs from the European Parliament's petitions committee started yesterday a three-day visit to Catalonia not without controversy because it analyzes the Catalan school's language immersion model. The first meeting took place in the afternoon with the Assembly for a Bilingual School (AEB), with three families who asked to increase the teaching hours in Spanish and with the Ustec teachers' union.
The information visit has been organized to respond to the requests received by the parliamentary commission, which is chaired by the popular Dolors Montserrat. Requests that have been processed by the Popular Party, Vox and Ciutadans. It is in this scenario where the controversy is located, in a delegation that the Socialists disowned on Friday because they understand that it is a partisan move on the part of the PP. And, in addition, as MEP Cristina Maestre explained, her group's proposals have not been heeded. Proposals that sought, as indicated, a wider and more plural range in the places chosen for the MEPs' analysis.
The MEP and former president, Carles Puigdemont, yesterday sent a letter to the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in which he warned of the "bias" of a mission promoted by Dolors Montserrat "against the Catalan education system". He also asks to investigate the expenses incurred by the treasury.
The delegation of MEPs is chaired by Yana Toom (Renew Europe, liberals) and there is no representation from left-wing parties. The companions are Dolors Montserrat, Rosa Estarás (PP), Maite Pagazaurtundúa (Renew Europe, Ciutadans), Diana Riba (ERC) and Jorge Buixadé (Vox).
Today they are scheduled to meet with the president of the TSJC, Jesús María Barrientos, and with the one of the administrative litigation room, Javier Aguayo. They will also visit a special education center and an institute where a 25% immersion in Spanish is applied by judicial decision. There will be a meeting with the Jaume Bofill Foundation, which defends immersion, and teachers for bilingualism. On Wednesday, among other meetings, they will conclude with councilor Anna Simó, who considers that the delegation's agenda is biased.
