The Govern Uses the Tariff Crisis to Please ERC with the 'Embassies'

Foreign Action was one of the major initiatives of Pere Aragonès's Govern to perpetuate the Procés. One of ERC's conditions for investing Salvador Illa was to keep and continue expanding the network of Catalan delegations abroad (the famous "embassies"). The Govern is now making a significant concession to Esquerra in a key week to consolidate the progressive front.

Illa Takes Over from Pere Aragonès in Foreign Action | Europa PressPSC, ERC, and Comuns have approved the fast-track processing of the bill proposal to create an external action body of the Generalitat. It was a demand from ERC, which has asked Illa to strengthen the Catalan delegations abroad to face the commercial crisis.The President of the Generalitat has replied by affirming his commitment to the delegations in a context of global crisis.



The Govern includes the strengthening of foreign action in its shock plan against tariffs, with the mobilization of 1.5 billion euros.Deputy Ester Capella criticized that "the White House's change of course catches us without anyone leading the Catalan delegation in the United States.

" She demanded the urgent appointment of a delegate in that area. "We must strengthen the delegations abroad and create new ones," she said.For Esquerra, it is clear.

The global crisis must be used to "strengthen Catalan sovereignty abroad." The Republicans demand "economic sovereignty" to challenge the crisis "as we did with the pandemic."President Illa promised to deploy "all the necessary resources" to "protect the Catalan productive fabric.

" But he also said that "a stage is opening in which we will have to consider strengthening the delegations abroad." That's why they supported, along with the Comuns, the proposal to create an external action body, a legacy of the previous government.PSC Fulfills ERC's DreamThe ERC Govern approved in October 2023 the draft bill for the creation of an external action body of the Generalitat.

The hasty fall of the government in March 2024 prevented its parliamentary processing. PSC is now fulfilling ERC's dream by giving a push for it to become a reality.The Generalitat will be able to have a more professional and specialized diplomatic body.

It not only strengthens the field of international relations in the Generalitat. It also provides an international perspective to public policies in all areas of the administration.The Aragonès Govern designed this proposal to continue deploying the Generalitat's presence abroad and in the European Union.

Its materialization will allow the incorporation of expert personnel to strengthen Catalan foreign action. In other words, to continue expanding the Action department, which already received a significant injection of public money during the ERC government.Towards 'Silent Independence'The parties now have the opportunity to propose amendments, although the proposal has caused suspicion and rejection in the opposition.

The processing has counted with the abstention of Junts and the CUP, and the vote against by PP, Vox, and Aliança Catalana.PP and Vox consider that there is already a diplomatic body that defends Catalonia's interests abroad, which are the official embassies. For these parties, the Catalan delegations are a duplication that costs millions of euros to the Catalan public treasury.

Moreover, they warn of a plan by the independents to silently create a parallel State abroad.PP accuses PSC of rolling out the red carpet for the independents to create their famous State structure. They also remind that these "embassies" serve the independence movement to discredit Spain's image abroad.

Vox insists that international relations are the exclusive competence of the State. They claim that the Catalan delegations abroad lack prestige and that no one takes them seriously. They state that it is not a need expressed by the citizens, but another concession from PSC to the separatist parties.

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