Catalan president Pere Aragonès has this Tuesday announced changes to his cabinet. With the final year looming for a legislature that began in May 2021, Aragonès has decided to promote Laura Vilagrà to the until-now vacant role of vice-president of the Generalitat - she is currently minister of the presidency - and also to strengthen the role of Sergi Sabrià, who has been appointed cabinet undersecretary for strategy and communication, attached to the department of the Presidency. Until now, Sabrià was the director of this same area in the Aragonès's office.
In an appearance from the Torres Garcia room of the Palau de la Generalitat, the president justified this reshuffle in order "to strengthen the areas of the government that will have to play a fundamental role in the challenges that the country faces during this last year of the legislature". "We will have to face complex circumstances resulting from the drought and also opportunities to advance in the resolution of the political conflict with the state, such as the implementation of the amnesty law and the start of the second phase of the negotiation process with the state over the sovereignty conflict", said Pere Aragonès. The Catalan Republican Left (ERC) politician stated that, in this last year of his mandate, the executive will have to advance in "aspects that need political strength, talent and recognition to achieve the goals". Aragonès mentioned Catalonia's special financing plan from the state, the transfer of the Rodalies rail services to Catalan hands and "redoubled efforts" for the Catalan language as three of the milestones for which he wanted to give more political weight to Laura Vilagrà and Sergi Sabrià.
President Pere Aragonès: "My decision has been to appoint the minister Laura Vilagrà as the new vice president, to take on a role that to a large extent she is already fulfilling."
In this regard, Vilagrà will continue to carry out the same functions, but will now do so as vice-president of the Catalan government. For Aragonès, this is a "task" that Vilagrà "was already doing in practice", but that, with her appointment, "the umbrella role in support of the negotiations with the state" - over the political conflict, the transfer of Rodalies and financing - is strengthened. President Aragonès asserts that this is not a "cosmetic issue", but that it needs "top-level political leadership in the government, recognized by the naming of her role as that of vice-president, who will also support the work of other ministers to give more political strength in the negotiations".
The figure of the vice presidency thus returns to the Catalan government organigram: the previous holder was Together for Catalonia (Junts) politician Jordi Puigneró, who was sacked by Aragonès in September 2022 in an incident that was one of the precipitants of the final crisis in the ERC-Junts coalition government, which ended when Junts withdrew from the executive in October 2022. Aragonès has not appointed a new vice-president since then.
Below, the current members of Pere Aragonès's government after today's changes.
The figure of the Catalan undersecretary, first used 15 years ago
Regarding Sergi Sabrià's new undersecretary role, viceconseller in Catalan, the president of the Generalitat recalled that this figure had already existed in Catalan governments. In practice, the role is that of a comissionat - a commissioner - like others that the Catalan government has - but who can, in terms of protocol, be given the name of undersecretary when this position is attached to the areas of the presidency or vice-presidency, as with a precedent in the Catalan government of 15 years ago. Sabrià will thus assume a greater internal role in the executive, will be able to attend government meetings, and may appear in press conferences. In addition to the appointment of Sergi Sabrià, this Tuesday's cabinet meeting also appointed a new secretary of government media and broadcasting. Marc Bataller (Figueres, 1976) replaces Oriol Duran, who last Saturday was elected deputy general secretary of communication and strategy of the ERC party.