Illa on housing: “I prefer to be wrong and correct, than to do nothing”

BarcelonaTwo days after the general strike, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, defended his housing policy. Before the audience at the Economists' Conference in Barcelona, he opted for public action on this matter. "I prefer to make a mistake and correct it than to do nothing," he stated.

After reviewing the subjects that drive his policies, Illa highlighted that housing is the priority. He also recalled his strategy of seeking "shared prosperity." In this regard, he warned that if they do not work along these lines, people "may fall into populist and authoritarian approaches." The President delivered this speech at the opening session of the 2026 Economists' Conference, under the theme 'New global environment: the Catalan economy at stake,' which lasts all this Friday and will be attended by about 1,200 participants.

And within the shared prosperity he defended, the most relevant aspect is housing because it is also an issue that affects the economy and the mobility of talent, he explained during his speech. At the same time, he also said that "it is key" that Catalonia leads Spain economically in order to be influential and have a voice in Europe.

Regarding priorities beyond housing, Illa largely agreed with those raised by the Dean of the College of Economists, Carles Puig de Travy, in his inaugural speech, such as infrastructure, "very particularly the Barcelona airport," as well as road and rail infrastructure.

From the airport to renewable energies

In his list of "levers", the president has also included energy and, therefore, increasing the capacity for renewable energy generation, generating talent, and simplifying administrative procedures. "I am not in favor of deregulation, but I am in favor of simplification," he declared.

In this vein, he highlighted the importance of approving the bill for professional executives in the public sector, which is one of the pillars of the reform and modernization of the administration. This regulation has the support of more than 200 economic and social entities and organizations that are part of the FERA forum, which, although it does not share 100% of the text, demands that at the very least it be allowed to be processed in Parliament so that partial amendments can be included.

During the morning, the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, held a dialogue with Dean Puig de Travy, during which she defended dual vocational training (VET) and also encouraged increasing the size of companies, which allows for increased productivity. She also opted for collaboration with the private sector which, according to the OECD, allows for savings of up to 5% of the cost of investments, she stated.

Resources and controversies

Puig de Travy, in his inaugural speech, also pointed out that the current challenge is for Catalan companies to gain scale and increase their productivity. But this is not the only pending matter; it must be reconciled with housing, transport, energy, and water.

“It is not enough to announce projects and announce resources, they need to have those responsible, we must know what has been executed and what remains pending. It is not enough to make a list of works and defend any project, it is advisable to prioritize investments,” he added. At the same time, he said that all the challenges facing Catalonia “cannot be subordinated to any political calendar nor be trapped in controversies that prevent progress”.