A housing rehabilitation plan, maintaining public transport subsidies in 2026 and more resources for the Catalan language, are Esquerra’s proposals put forth in the general policy debate

Free meals and extracurricular activities for all schoolchildren are two of the star measures that Esquerra Republicana has brought to the general policy debate in Parliament this week. Esquerra makes clear and direct commitment to equating educational instruments like the canteen or extracurricular activities with universal rights, and thus means to make them available to all schoolchildren, regardless of their families’ incomes.

The Catalan Parliament will therefore vote on these proposals for free school meals across all levels of education starting next year, and to make extracurricular activities universal, “guaranteeing equal access for all students to out-of-school education and reducing inequalities in activities outside the classroom.”

Also regarding the increase in rights, Esquerra is pressing on for housing access measures beyond construction, such as a rehabilitation plan for buildings over 50 years old. In the proposed motions, Esquerra has also brought forward fiscal measures to combat real estate speculation, such as progressive increases in property tax rates (IBI) from the second home onward in the hands of the same person.

Likewise, Esquerra has put forward measures to guarantee that citizens may be attended in Catalan, particularly in the justice system, and proposes making the Catalan language a requirement—and not just a merit—for judges who wish to work in Catalonia. To further defence and protection of the language, Esquerra has introduced other initiatives, such as guaranteeing the right to learn Catalan for everyone who wishes to, with an increase in number of courses, as well as the creation of a committee dedicated to overseeing compliance with the National Language Pact.

Esquerra’s parliamentary group denounces the “grievances that rail operator Renfe and infrastructure manager Adif disparagingly subject daily users to in Catalonia daily.” Faced with the chaos of the Rodalies commuter rail service, Esquerra proposes maintaining public transport subsidies—which were applied by the former government of president Aragonès—for 2026, and urge Salvador Illa’s executive to guarantee sufficient and reliable alternative services on the routes affected by the disruptions. Regarding the incapacity of the State, Esquerra insists on the need for the Catalan Generalitat government to have the authority to decide on Catalan infrastructure—from railway tracks through to ports and airports.

Throughout this week of general policy debate and after the intervention of the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, Esquerra has pointed out the passivity of the Catalan Socialist party government before worker’s loss of purchasing power. For this reason, the Republicans are bringing a detailed proposal to establish a Catalan minimum wage of €1,420 at 14 monthly payments.

Finally, Esquerra also focused several proposed resolutions on the defence of democracy and human rights. In this regard, the parliamentary group proposes a Catalan National Agreement in defence of democracy and the rights of the people to advance the national and social sovereignty of Catalonia; a National Pact for coexistence, cohesion and a dignified life in the face of hate speech; and condemns both the genocide of the Palestinian people and the actions of the state of Israel against the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Esquerra has also made use of the general policy debate to define the group's guidelines for this political year. The parliamentary group thus confirms the underfunding of Catalonia and reiterates the need for a just financing system, and highlights the lack of leadership and ambition of the government of Salvador Illa.