Salvador Illa, on the eve of the Diada: "Catalonia wants to exercise its self-government with the resources to which it is entitled."

BarcelonaHaving completed the first year of his term, Salvador Illa faces his second Diada and his second year as president of the Generalitat with several issues on the table awaiting resolution. Not least, the new funding agreement with the Catalan Left (ESC), which at this point is stalled. The next Generalitat budget and, consequently, the health of the Catalan (and state) legislature depend on the progress made on this issue. Therefore, it is not inconsequential that Isla wanted one of the messages of his institutional speech this September 11th to be a demand for Catalan self-government, but also the "deployment" of the powers that "fall to it" in Catalonia. "Catalonia wants to exercise its self-government with the resources that correspond to it to improve the lives of Catalans, to contribute to shared prosperity with the rest of Spain, and to help guarantee Europe's strategic autonomy," he argued. The Catalan socialists defend, among other things, applying the principle of ordinality, an issue that the Spanish government has not assumed.

In the face of furious criticism from the men of the PP and also the PSOE regarding the new financing, Illa stated that "Catalonia will make its voice heard." "Not because it calls out more, but because we will be an example to follow for the benefit of all citizens," he added. The president's message was not only directed outside of Catalonia, but he also called for the "maximum possible unity" among the Catalan political forces. Isla has been looking to Junts for some time to join the consensus on the new financing agreed with ERC. The members of the judiciary are suspicious of the pact because they see it as insufficient and because they don't trust that the State will be able to comply with it. Indeed, this week the Republicans also complained that the PSOE is dragging its feet when it comes to taking steps to materialize this portfolio. The proof is that Esquerra presented alone, and without the endorsement of the Socialists, the law that must legally protect the Catalan Tax Agency so that it can collect personal income tax..

"Center Catalonia"

Beyond funding, Isla has made no mention of another pending issue: the full implementation of the amnesty law. A week ago He met with former president and leader of Junts, Carles Puigdemont, in Brussels, in the first meeting between the two leaders since Isla became president. The head of the Socialist government wanted to emphasize the priorities he wants to dedicate his efforts to in the coming months. In addition to "protecting" Catalonia from fires and the threat of climate change, he is committed to "strengthening" public services and the health of the Catalan people, but also focusing on "guaranteeing" access to housing and security and "boosting" research, universities, and the business community. "It's time to focus on Catalonia," he concluded.

A year ago, in his first Diada as president, Isla decided to focus his speech on the migration phenomenon to defend Catalonia as a land of welcome and contrast it with the xenophobic messages of the far right. A year later, the head of the executive has once again referred to it. Specifically, and in the face of "an uncertain world with alarming signs of dehumanization," he defended a Catalonia "committed to building a Europe of democratic values and progress toward a world at peace," especially in the face of "the genocide suffered by the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli government." Isla, in parallel, called for "strengthening coexistence" to "guarantee the plurality of Catalan society." "We want a Catalonia for everyone and with everyone, within the legal and institutional framework we have granted ourselves," he said, after assuring that the "vast majority" of Catalans want to "look forward." This is the second Diada post-Process and without an independence government in the Palau de la Generalitat.

The President of the Generalitat delivered his speech from the Palau de la Generalitat for the second consecutive year, specifically from the Virgen de Montserrat Hall. This was not a random location, but one that also represents a message in itself, given the commemoration of the millennium of Montserrat, which is being celebrated this year. For the President, the image of the Moreneta, the origin of the Hall, represents the roots of Catalonia, the universal values of humility, acceptance, and solidarity. Therefore, Illa concluded his speech by calling for the celebration of the Diada with "hope, civic spirit, solidarity, and honesty."