Why does Junts want to summon Isidro Fainé to Parliament?

BarcelonaTogether they have surprised everyone by asking him to appear in Parliament the recently re-elected president of the La Caixa FoundationIsidro Fainé. Why has he done this? The request comes directly from the national leadership of Junts, chaired by Carles Puigdemont, according to sources familiar with the matter consulted by this newspaper. The reason? They want him to explain "the project" he has to continue leading the main Catalan foundation. But this request for "transparency" shatters the state of relations between Junts and La Caixa.

Sources familiar with the institution of the Miró star have expressed their surprise at the initiative of the Junts party. In fact, they explain that there is no precedent for summoning a company or private entity (the foundation is one) to explain its plans in the Catalan Parliament. Furthermore, the La Caixa Foundation approved and announced its strategic plan through 2030 last June and adapted the plan of its investment arm, Criteria—the company with the largest portfolio of business holdings in Spain—in November to its objectives, which focus on generating dividends to fund its social programs, set to reach a record 4 million this year. Together, they have been rebuilding relationships with economic powerhouses, such as Foment, Pimec, and companies listed on the Ibex 35, which were particularly damaged during the most intense months of the independence movement. With La Caixa, "there is room for improvement despite some overtures from President Puigdemont's circle," acknowledge the sources consulted. One of the criticisms leveled by Junts is that CaixaBank has not relocated its headquarters to Catalonia since 2017, even though both the La Caixa Foundation and Criteria have done so. In any case, the party emphasizes that the appearance they are requesting is not so different from that of other social actors, and they even point out that Fainé already appeared in 2020 before the Catalan Parliament, in the commission of inquiry into the application of Article 155 of the Constitution.

Will Fainé have to appear?

The Foundation, which originated from the former savings bank, is governed by state law, and the Catalan government has no jurisdiction over it. La Caixa signs an agreement annually with the Catalan government, stipulating how a portion of its social welfare funds will be allocated within Catalonia. Last year, La Caixa contributed €250 million, an 11% increase, of which €99 million went to programs for the most vulnerable groups. Appearances by business leaders or bankers in the Catalan Parliament are infrequent, focusing on specific projects or investigative committees such as the one in 2020, where, in addition to Fainé, the president of Banc Sabadell, Josep Oliu, also appeared. They were summoned by pro-independence parties to explain why they moved their social events outside of Catalonia and whether they received that decision from outside Catalonia. Since last year, Sabadell, which had located its headquarters in Alicante, has returned them to its city of origin. And the La Caixa Foundation and Criteria, which had moved their headquarters to Palma, returned them to Barcelona. Only CaixaBank's remains.

Junts' request is unlikely to succeed this time, and even if it did, Fainé wouldn't be obligated to appear before Parliament. Junts sources, in fact, assume they won't have enough votes to pass ("perhaps only those of the CUP," explains a resigned party source).