Fewer procedures, new competitive exams and protected managers: what is the Government doing to reform the administration?

BarcelonaReforming the administration is, as acknowledged by the Catalan government, an "enormously slow" process. That's why the PSC (Socialist Party of Catalonia) began its work shortly after taking office at the Palau de la Generalitat (Government Palace). In October 2024, he created a group of experts The Catalan Institute for Transport (Cetra), commissioned by President Salvador Illa, has studied the necessary changes to modernize and improve the efficiency of the public sector. Now, the 68 experts at Cetra have completed their work, and its president, Carles Ramió, presented Illa with a report on Monday containing 50 proposals to revitalize the administration. Their objective is to improve the quality of public services while also ensuring their viability in Catalonia, which, according to their projections, will have nine million inhabitants and an aging population by 2040. The measures range from simplifying administrative procedures to a new proposal for regulating professional public management. The final report was officially presented at an event in the Palau de la Generalitat with Illa and the Speaker of the Parliament, Josep Rull. "This isn't about deregulation, but about simplification. A mature and modern society like ours requires rules," Isla emphasized, and Rull stressed the need to legislate at a faster pace to provide society with the tools it needs to manage today's challenges. Improving the quality of regulations is a shared objective of both the Parliament and the Government, which recently removed 800 provisions from the Catalan legal system that remained despite having been repealed. The executive branch wanted to make it clear that the starting point for this reform has nothing to do with the offensive against the public sector launched by Donald Trump in the United States or Javier Milei in Argentina. In this regard, the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, warned that the goal is for the public sector to become more efficient and effective, but not to promote the emancipation of the administration from the citizens. It is the democratically elected political representatives who must dictate the roadmap for that public power, he emphasized.

Shock and long-term plan

The reform is progressing at different speeds: some measures are simpler and have already begun to be implemented through a crash plan approved a year ago, while others are planned for the long term. As the Catalan government studies the proposals, it will determine which require legislative changes and which it can approve on its own, by decree. A general directorate for AI has already been created to accelerate the digital transformation, and processes are being implemented. headhunting to select top management positions in the administration. By the end of the year, the Executive will approve two decrees to streamline and simplify competitive examination processes, and this November it will give the green light to a new guide to promote "clear" communication from the Generalitat (Catalan government). In dialogue with foundations, unions, and other entities, 31 priority procedures have been identified for redesign to make them simpler, and the network of citizen service offices will be expanded, guaranteeing that every request receives a response regardless of whether the correct channel was used. Furthermore, starting in January, the 012 helpline will be open on weekends from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. A new competent unit will also be created for public-private partnerships, because another objective of the reform, Illa said, is to support companies in generating "prosperity." Public managers

However, measures such as the right to care without an appointment or enhancing the interoperability of data held by the administration do require legislative changes that must be approved by Parliament. the recognition of the right to make a mistakeThis principle, present in legal systems such as the French and Polish, gives citizens and officials the opportunity to correct errors during administrative procedures without reprisals, provided they were made in good faith. A first legislative package with this and other measures will reach the Catalan Parliament this week, with the final debate on the proposed law on proper and good administration.

Another point Dalmau has focused on since arriving at the Ministry is the professionalization of the top management of the GeneralitatThe idea is to be able to recruit public managers—directors general, top executives of public companies, and deputy directors—through a selection process (not by appointment) that will narrow the field to three potential candidates. The chosen candidate will sign a five-year contract—renewable for a maximum of three or five years, depending on their rank—which will protect them from dismissal if a government of a different political persuasion comes to power. According to the executive branch, dismissals should be for "objective" reasons (for example, failure to meet minimum targets, although insubordination towards the new councilor would also be considered a valid reason). Furthermore, a variable compensation system will be introduced, which could reach 20% of gross salary if 100% of the targets are met.

Generational Renewal

On the other hand, the Catalan government intends to modify the current competitive examination system to address the generational renewal that will occur in the Catalan administration in the coming years: of its 250,000 public employees, 24% will retire before 2030. Both the group of experts and the executive branch believe that, as things stand, the system places undue emphasis on other important responsibilities for people who must work in the public sector. In March, the executive branch aims to finalize the draft public employment law with these changes, which will then have to be processed by Parliament. In parallel, improvements to oversight are being considered. the fulfillment of the officials' objectivesStrengthening the evaluation of public policies through Ivalua and incorporating internal consultants into the Generalitat to reduce external audits. Among Cetra's recommendations is also the adoption of an instruction by the Secretariat of Administration and Public Service, which has already clashed with the officials for the elimination of teleworking for senior positions, to "balance compensation with the functions actually performed." This aims to "prevent professionals within the organization from choosing to remain in their administrative comfort zone, minimizing their commitment to service," according to the group's executive summary. Cetra has already completed the work, but this Tuesday the Reform Advisory Council (CARE) will be created to monitor the complete plan, which is over 700 pages long. "It was a completely hectic ten months," said Ramió.