Enhancements have been suggested by the Commission to elevate the standard of the data they disseminate.
Salvador Illa's First Year as Catalan President: Challenges and Achievements
Salvador Illa, the President of the Catalan Government, has completed his first year in office. During this period, his administration has faced significant challenges and made notable achievements.
The approval of the budget has been a key bottleneck, delaying initiatives such as the universal basic income pilot project and the commencement of personal income tax collection, which have been postponed until 2028 due to institutional and staffing needs.
Despite these setbacks, the government has made strides in other areas. Illa has promised to create 50,000 public homes by 2030, has agreed to regulate seasonal rentals and maintain the price cap on regular rentals, and has agreed to eliminate tax breaks for Hard Rock.
Regarding housing, while the government highlights these policies positively, no major breakthroughs or detailed challenges have been reported explicitly in the first year.
The El Prat airport expansion is a contentious issue within the government coalition. The "Catalonia Leads" plan, which includes a €3.2 billion expansion project for El Prat airport, is strongly supported by Illa's administration. However, coalition partners Esquerra Republicana (ERC) and the Commons express reluctance due to environmental concerns. Experts have warned that this project contradicts Catalonia’s climate law, risks irreparable damage to the protected La Ricarda lagoon ecosystem, and the government plans to offset environmental damage, though experts doubt this can fully mitigate harm.
The government is committed to fulfilling the investiture agreements made with ERC and the Commons, but tension remains on key issues like the airport expansion and budget approval, which slow down policy implementation.
In the realm of public services, the government has announced measures to strengthen the Catalan Tax Agency. They have also made a "positive" assessment of their first year in office, highlighting stability, management, and shared prosperity as achievements.
However, the government's management has faced criticism from opposition parties. Juan Fernández, the 'popular' spokesperson in the Parliament, has criticized Illa for "changing" the 'process', while Mònica Sales, spokesperson for Junts, has given Illa a "fail" for his "bad management", his "non-compliance", and his "submission" to Pedro Sánchez.
The transfer of the Rodalies service is still not functioning as it should, with a new company, Rodalies de Catalunya, to begin operations during 2026. The Plenary has been turbulent, with the threat of being suspended and attempts by Junts to paralyse it.
Salvador Illa has agreed with the Spanish Government and Aena to extend the third runway of Barcelona Airport by 500 meters to handle more long-haul flights and become an intercontinental hub, with an expected completion date of 2033. He has also promoted the National Pact for the Language.
In the regional elections held in May 2024, Illa won with 42 seats. Despite the opposition criticism accusing Illa's administration of "submission to Madrid" and poor management, the government maintains a more positive view, emphasizing economic growth above EU average, housing policy efforts, strengthening of public services, and a 5.24% crime reduction in the first half of 2025.
References: 1. El Periódico 2. La Vanguardia 3. Catalunya Radio 4. ACN 5. Greenpeace
- Despite challenges in policy implementation, particularly in budget approval and contentious issues like the El Prat airport expansion, the average rating for Salvador Illa's first year as Catalan President, as assessed by General News sources, remains mixed.
- In politics and policy-and-legislation arenas, opposition parties have criticized Salvador Illa's management, while his administration has highlighted accomplishments like economic growth above EU average, housing policy efforts, and crime reduction as achievements, contributing to a polarized view of his first year in office.
