"Let's talk on the street": tension in Parliament over the green light for the Generalitat's foreign action unit
The Spanish right and far right denounce the "erosion" of the state and go so far as to call Puigdemont a "criminal."
BarcelonaThe Parliament has approved the law to create the Generalitat's foreign action and European Union body. This initiative by ERC, in fact, came from the previous legislature with the aim of Government chaired by Pere Aragonès, which was passed this Wednesday with the endorsement of the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Comuns (Communs), and CUP (Cup). For their part, Junts and Aliança Catalana (Catalan Alliance) distanced themselves with one abstention, and both Vox and the PP (People's Party) expressed their outright rejection. Even the right and the Spanish-speaking far right engaged in a turbulent debate, and there was a heated exchange of serious accusations between the Popular Party and the Republicans.
The bill added a provision to create a civil service corps attached to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the European Union to carry out its responsibilities. It also establishes the public selection process for members of this corps, the necessary professional and knowledge requirements, and their functions. This corps will be extended to all ministries, providing a cross-cutting approach to foreign action inherent in all of them. Specifically, the corps aims to strengthen the Principality's outreach and the Government's relations with other executives and international organizations. Therefore, it also aims to attract and retain talent in the field of international relations in the country.
Jordi Albert, ERC's deputy spokesperson in the Parliament, defended his party's long-standing "demand" in the plenary session for a leap forward in foreign action with a body that provides "support to all entities and citizens that have a relationship with the world." It was precisely the Republican who had a strong connection with the PP and Vox, after these parties had harshly attacked the proposal that "erodes the State" and even branded former presidents such as Carles Puigdemont—according to the far-right deputy—Manchón, as the head of a "gang of criminals." Albert exploded: "Life is much better when there is authoritarianism," he said, adding that models such as Miguel Primo de Rivera's dictatorship were more comfortable for them.
These models, in his opinion, want ERC to have no "voice," or for the Parliament not to even exist, and which opt for "jail" or "death" when there are dissents. This has scandalized the PP bench, with complaints from Manchón and spokesperson Juan Fernández, who have denied the accusations of being an "anti-democratic" party and have even denounced Albert's "spiny attitude." "The deputy addressed a deputy in my group and said that, if I didn't agree, I should go out into the street and talk to him," Fernández retorted. He also stated that "perhaps ERC should provide more explanations about what happened 50 or 60 years ago." The Speaker of the Parliament, Josep Rull, has pointed out that there is the option of referring the Committee on the Statute of Deputies to the House of Representatives if there is inappropriate behavior by elected representatives.
From nuance to scuffle
The PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) gave its approval, with a speech by MP Alberto Bondesio, who asserted that it is necessary to "have a civil service body with a foundation, competitive examinations, and competitive examinations to select people." Commons MP Andrés García Berrio agreed, adding that it is necessary to "strengthen collective bargaining" with this body's personnel, a body that will serve to "strengthen cooperation policies." Despite criticism of the economic model inherent to its operation, CUP representative Laure Vega also endorsed the law.
On the other hand, Junts criticized the government's approach. Junts MP Francesc de Dalmases said they are "surprised" by how the initiative's process has gone: "This is not how things are done; we haven't even been able to talk," he complained. In her opinion, "the creation of an external body is very important," but they do not want to be "complicit in mediocrity," and she lamented the lack of "national ambition" at the service of those who want to "turn the page on 1-O." For her part, the leader of the Catalan Alliance, Sílvia Orriols, also criticized the law for "whitewashing autonomism."
