"Spanish Government has a project for Catalonia", says Meritxell Batet.

On Wednesday, the Minister for Territorial Policy and Public Function, Meritxell Batet, argued that this first meeting of the Bilateral Regional Government of Catalonia-State Committee in seven years, means the recovery of "institutional normality" and dialogue with the Regional Government of Catalonia, and goes to show that Central Government "has a project for Catalonia".

"This government, headed up by the President of the Government, has a project for Catalonia, a unifying project", explained Minister Meritxell Batet at the press conference at the Palace of the Regional Government of Catalonia, following a three and a half hour meeting of the Bilateral Committee, which was held in a "friendly and frank" atmosphere.

Meritxell Batet explained that henceforth, the "absolute priority" is to "put forward, develop and agree on policies that improve the lives of the people of Catalonia, based on this institutional normality. "The constitutional and statutory framework will provide answers to many of the demands from these citizens", she assured.

The government will appoint its representatives in the month of August

To achieve this, at this first meeting it was agreed to set up all the committees provided for in the Statute of Catalonia and the sub-committees provided for in the operating regulation of the Bilateral Committee. The minister announced that the Council of Ministers will appoint its representatives to those bodies that are yet to be set up.

Furthermore, progress has already been made on a schedule to start in early September which will be developed during the remaining months of 2018. The Government of Spain believes that this work will prosper if addressed with "complete loyalty as befits the Regional Government of Catalonia and the Central Government", which the latter, for its part, undertakes to maintain.

This specifically means setting up the State-Regional Government of Catalonia Joint Committee on Economic and Fiscal Affairs; the Bilateral Committee on Infrastructures and the State-Regional Government of Catalonia Joint Committee on Transfers, as well as the sub-committees that report to the Bilateral Regional Government of Catalonia-State Committee.

Meritxell Batet announced some of the aspects to be dealt with by these bodies, where the State will seek to develop a policy for Catalonia "focused on the exercise by each tier of government of its corresponding powers" to cater for the needs of citizens and resolve their specific problems.

Therefore, as regards the Joint Committee on Economic and Fiscal Affairs, the Government of Spain highlighted the importance of Catalonia participating in the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council (Spanish acronym: CPFF) and joining its two recently set up working groups, one on its own tax payments and the other on financing.

As regards the Joint Committee on Transfers, "which was suspended for years", the Government of Spain has advocated its immediate reactivation with the aim of reviewing outstanding transfers, such as grants and study aid, and proposed to update the agenda that was suspended back in 2012.

As regards the Infrastructure Committee, Meritxell Batet put two commitments on the table: a political one to "make an effort with Catalonia", because "this is a way to implement social policy and reduce inequalities", and a second commitment to recover the Third Additional Provision of the Statute of Catalonia.

Review of appeals before the Constitutional Court

Additionally, for the sub-committee on regulatory monitoring, the prevention and resolution of conflicts, the minister announced that the appeals before the Constitutional Court will be reviewed in order to fit these laws into the Spanish Constitution through "shared social objectives".

Furthermore, the minister insisted on the importance of Catalonia participating on multilateral bodies, which the delegation she headed up advocated to the representatives of the Regional Government of Catalonia.

To end, they listened to the proposals that the delegation from the Regional Government of Catalonia made on the point on the agenda relating to rights and liberties and channels of democratic participation, although the two parties continued to maintain their well-publicised disagreement on this matter.

On this point, Minister Meritxell Batet presented several issues that the Government of Spain feels affects the rights and liberties of all citizens, and in particular she expressed her concern because the Regional Parliament of Catalonia feels that its "normal functioning" is affected and advocated the need for institutions to be neutral. Furthermore, she highlighted the importance of protecting all citizens and of allowing them to carry on their everyday lives and activities in public spaces.

Similarly, on the matter of channels of democratic participation, the point on which the minister acknowledged that there was the "most disagreement", the Central Government delegation rejected setting up a specific working group, as it considers that the Bilateral Committee has to "develop and apply the constitutional and statutory framework".

"For the Government of Spain, the debate on the political situation includes everything examined by the Bilateral Committee and the genuine policy aimed at setting goals for the benefit of citizens; that is, public services, grants, healthcare, long-term care and options available to the legislator and their efficacy, talking about how best to resolve conflicts and how to deal with outstanding transfers, the participation of the Regional Government of Catalonia in sector conferences and on all multilateral bodies, financial and administrative resources and the various investments that are necessary for the people of Catalonia" she stressed.

In short, she concluded that what interests the State is a "policy for citizens of Catalonia, a policy for Catalonia, focused on the exercise by each tier of government of its corresponding powers to the benefits of citizens".

Non official translation