The government replaces the Perpignan delegate after the controversy with the Catalonia North region.

BarcelonaThe government has relieved the director general of the Generalitat in Perpignan, Christopher Person, after he refused to speak about Northern Catalonia. In his place, the executive has appointed former mayor of Puigcerdà, Albert Piñeira (of the PDECat and later of Junts). According to the government, Person resigned "at his own request for personal reasons." However, the refusal of the former delegate in Perpignan to refer to the region for which he was previously the delegate as Northern Catalonia He raised a storm and former delegates from that same territory called for his dismissal.. The pro-independence parties (Junts, ERC, and the CUP) and Catalanist entities in Northern Catalonia also demanded it.

Despite the controversy, the Government "thanks" him for the work done so far and emphasizes its support for Bressola, which will receive 800,000 euros. The regional minister for Territory and government spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, did not want to enter into the controversy over Northern Catalonia and used the press conference after the executive council to also highlight the "wide and extensive experience" in the institutional sphere and also with "cross-border projects" of Piñeira, who will take over. The new delegate in Perpignan is a member of Junts and even considered lead the local executive of the party in Puigcerdà Following the party's split in this town, the leadership led by Jordi Turull imposed a management committee, and Piñeira's candidacy was shelved. Now, he has decided to make the institutional leap back into Salvador Illa's government. Sources within the Junts leadership assure that Piñeira remains a party member and for now, no investigation has been opened.

Person's replacement also represents a shift from what the Catalan government had initially stated. After the pro-independence parties demanded his dismissal, spokesperson Paneque herself assured that the government maintained its full confidence in Person. However, as the days passed, the Catalan government no longer took his continuity for granted until it finally dismissed him this Tuesday. In fact, government sources admitted to ARA that Person was experiencing a complicated personal situation following the criticism. The government appointed him in October 2024, a few months after the change of executive in the Generalitat. Since then, this isn't Person's only controversy. During the Christmas holidays, he sent greetings in French rather than Catalan, which caused controversy. At the time, the delegate explained it as a technical problem.

The term "Catalunya Nord"

Although Person refused to talk about Catalunya Nord, Paneque assured a few days ago that the socialist executive had "no problem" in using this term. The spokesperson insisted this Tuesday, adding: "We will not be hindered by the noise that a parliamentary debate might generate." "When the Government thinks about Northern Catalonia, it thinks about how to strengthen the language, culture, and cross-border relations," Paneque emphasized.

However, although Paneque reiterated that the Government "has no problem" referring to Northern Catalonia, it is also true that the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has not used this term at any time so far. He did not do so a few weeks ago when he visited Northern Catalonia, and he did not do so in Parliament a few days ago when he had to answer questions from pro-independence groups on the matter. "I do not deny any denomination nor do I enter into any nominalist debate," the President of the Generalitat simply stated.

Be that as it may, Person's dismissal has satisfied the three pro-independence parties. The spokesperson for Junts in the Catalan Parliament, Mònica Sales, called the now former delegate a "disastrous character" and lamented that the executive had been "late once again." The leader of the ERC group in the Catalan parliament, Josep Maria Jové, also welcomed the dismissal and stressed that it "was self-evident." Meanwhile, the CUP deputy, Dani Cornellà, said he trusts the government will "take note" of this incident. However, the spokesperson for the PP, Juan Fernández, accused President Isla of having been "forced" to make this decision by Puigdemont.