We don't play with the language

As with language, there are issues we cannot play around with or speculate about; they must necessarily be addressed on the basis of consensus, not confrontation or tactics. The latest "Perspective from Catalanism" by Puertas Abiertas del Catalanismo (Open Doors of Catalanism) addresses this. The opinion piece prepared by the association's board considers these priority issues to be three for now: language, self-government, and immigration.

There is a wave of confrontation and polarization in political and social life, which has reached a climax with the new presidency of Donald Trump and is affecting all the countries in our region. Catalonia is also affected by this tense and polarized climate. We are certainly not an oasis isolated from the world. But after a very difficult period marked by the Process, it seems that the circumstances are right—and I would say also the need—to enter a phase of greater dialogue between the various Catalan political actors.

At Open Ports of Catalanisme, we are aware of the sometimes quite contradictory rivalry between the two main forces of the independence movement (Juntos and ERC), which conditions too many decisions and often impedes progress. We are also aware of the deterioration of institutional activity that has taken hold in Spanish politics and the enormous difficulty in finding spaces for collaboration between the Socialist Party and the Popular Party. But despite this, we believe that the new climate brought about by the presidency of Salvador Illa begins a period that could be quite positive for Catalonia (and also for Spain) if the parliamentary groups were able to find ways to collaborate with each other.

Many of the issues that should occupy the Catalan agenda must be the subject of debate and, eventually, of compromise or agreement, although there are programmatic aspects that make this difficult. This should not surprise or alarm us. In major infrastructure projects (railway networks, airports, highways, or energy facilities) or in the social agenda (development of labor reform, shorter working hours, housing policy, etc.), there are differing points of view that respond to distinct approaches, ideologies, or visions of the country. Disagreement, which should not impede dialogue, is part of democratic logic.

However, the issues I mentioned at the beginning of this article (language, immigration, self-government) should be part of—and this is what we at Puertas Abiertas del Catalanismo propose—new national consensuses, beyond tactical confrontation and the legitimate interests of each political force.

In the case of language, we believe that a national consensus is possible based on four points: recognition of the defining role of Catalan in the national personality of Catalonia and, at the same time, recognition and respect for the country's sociolinguistic reality; support for the necessary measures to promote the social use of Catalan, especially in areas such as communication, technology, economic and financial activity, and the legal world; Respect for the objectives in the school environment, which are none other than ensuring that by the end of compulsory education, everyone knows, understands, uses, and appreciates both of the country's languages; and, finally, the rejection of any action that seeks to position Catalan as a secondary language or Spanish as a foreign language.

We say the same about improving our self-government, which can and should be improved by strengthening the powers of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) and its financial and regulatory capacities. This improvement in self-government must contribute to improving citizens' living conditions and should be part of the logic of the territorial reforms that Spain needs.

And, finally, a consensus on immigration that considers migrants as holders of the same rights and duties as the citizens of Catalonia today. It also recognizes the need and urgency to properly manage the phenomenon, that is, to have public policies and means that ensure that public services are adequately sized to serve the entire population.

These are consensuses that would help create a more favorable atmosphere for coexistence, national cohesion, and the capacity for progress in our society, and to avoid the systematic, impoverishing confrontation that is so damaging to democratic life and its prestige.