Puigdemont on the immigration agreement: "Without integration, there is no nation"
The former president assures that the "distrust" with the Spanish government has diminished, but that progress must continue to be made in complying with the Brussels agreement
BarcelonaAfter much back and forth, Junts and the PSOE have closed an agreement to delegate powers on immigration in the Generalitat, beyond what is already provided for in the Statute. And to give it significance, Junts has presented the pact in the most solemn way: the former president and leader of Junts, Carles Puigdemont, has been in charge of outlining the understanding, together with the general secretary, Jordi Turull, and the leader of the ranks in Congress, Míriam Nogueras. "Without integration, there is no nation," the former president made clear, while also stressing that "without immigration there is no progress." For Junts, the agreement with the PSOE is a "comprehensive delegation of powers," since "everything that has to do with the life of a foreigner who arrives in Catalonia goes through the Generalitat." However, he also admitted that it will be by applying Spanish regulations, which is - he has made clear - what European legislation provides for in terms of entry and exit of migrants in the free movement area. In the same vein, they also boasted that the Mossos would now work on the border, but recognising that there must be coordination with the state security forces. "It is not about whether the Civil Guard and the National Police lose powers, but about being effective," said Puigdemont.
For the junteros, this delegation of powers are new "tools" that will provide the Generalitat with greater capacity to address the phenomenon of immigration, which Puigdemont has assured cannot be pretended not to exist: "Denying the importance of the phenomenon is an obstacle to working for the country." In his opinion, until now the Generalitat did not have sufficient capacities to deal with it - he has spoken of "overflow" of public services - and he has assured that they will be "vigilant" so that the Catalan government, of the PSC alone, exercises these new capacities diligently, such as the granting of residence permits in compliance with all the requirements it sets.
In this sense, they have predicted that the Catalan Parliament will also "have work to do", foreseeing that Junts, from the opposition, will propose new legislation to develop this delegation of powers. It will have to be limited to the areas in which, according to the Statute, the Generalitat has the capacity to legislate, such as education, health and language, as well as the "normative capacity" that, according to Nogueras, the Parliament can deploy in matters of immigration.
How does this affect relations with the Spanish government? For Puigdemont, as the investiture agreement is fulfilled, the so-called Brussels Agreement, the legislature will advance, admitting that with the pact on immigration the "distrust with the Spanish government has diminished". Of course, he has made it clear that the rest of the files are open: he has mentioned financing, the extension of the spending ceiling or the Catalan in the European Union. That is, party by party, also in the case of the Spanish budget. As for the Spanish government, it was aware that the "complexity" of the legislature remains, although it expressed optimism after an agreement that improves the relationship with Junts.
Catalan, a requirement?
One of the key points for Junts was that Catalan should be a requirement for renewing the residence permit. Thus, with the agreement in hand, Junts assures that from now on the Generalitat will be able to assess knowledge of the Catalan language as an indispensable element. Even so, they have not clarified to what extent it will be an obligatory necessity, that is, if the permit can be denied to someone if they do not know Catalan, taking into account that the Statute ruling left the duty to know Catalan in a second level with respect to Castilian and that the Generalitat will apply the state regulations in this area. In any case, Puigdemont has made clear what his political will is: "Catalan is an indispensable element for full integration. Therefore, there can be no favourable report from the Generalitat" without knowledge of the language.
Regarding the management of the Foreigners' Internment Centres (CIE), Junts has also opened the door to rethinking them, since in Catalonia their closure had been demanded. "The situation is humanly unacceptable. It is shameful," it has stated, assuring that there must be a "comprehensive" change in these centres.
What does the Government say?
While waiting for the reform to pass the process in the Cortes Generales, the Government is already preparing to assume the new powers: this Tuesday, the executive council has approved the creation of a working group led by the Ministry of Social Rights. The departments of the Presidency and the Interior will also be represented. In any case, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has assured that the executive will do so with "rigor" and "responsibility": "Any advance in competences and improvement of self-government is always welcome," he said during an event this Tuesday.
The additional increase of 1,800 agents to the 25,000 announced by the Government a week ago (therefore, the number will reach 26,800) will also force the Generalitat to reorganize the calendar. The regional minister and spokesperson for the Government, Silvia Paneque, framed this agreement in the need to accompany the transfer of powers and resources that will allow the Generalitat to assume these new functions, which it will do with the vocation of being a "land of welcome."
