Over 400 amendments have been added to the final draft to be voted on at the National Conference, and reaffirms Esquerra Republicana’s commitment to territorial cohesion and to putting a stop to climate change.
More than 400 members’ contributions, tabled and debated on in twenty sectoral and territorial congresses have resulted in establishing the country’s priorities and setting the nation’s horizon for the next decade, along with Esquerra Republicana’s political strategy to achieve independence. These amendments have been added to the draft of the manifesto that is to be voted on this weekend at the party’s 2022 National Conference, reinforcing strategies such as the negotiation to resolve the political conflict between Catalonia and Spain, as well as adding public policy priorities to guide the country over the coming years. “There have been many amendments, great hope in participating and many proposals. That participation is high is a good indicator of the health of the project,” says Raül Romeva, Esquerra’s Deputy Secretary General for Prospection and Agenda 2030 and the coordinator of the National Conference.
The members thus ratify the party’s commitment to negotiation and reinforce the path towards independence of Catalonia proposed by Esquerra Republicana in the draft proposal of the manifesto. Political negotiation is identified in the manifesto as the best form of democratic contest, along with the strengthening of the independence movement and the consensus around the referendum and amnesty for the victims of political persecution. In addition, they have added the need to work on the construction of “sovereign environments” together with the process of negotiation with the Spanish state. Another contribution also highlighted that the younger generations are “essential” in advancing towards independence, and so “public policies in their favour need to be strengthened,” such as in the areas of education, housing and employment “to make their affiliation stronger.”
A total of 512 amendments have been tabled, 511 of which were partial; and one in its entirety. 61 were accepted ‘as is’ by the drafting committee and 380 more were transacted with the person amending, so the final text includes more than 400 contributions from the members. In addition, 11 were dropped due to matters of form and 59 were withdrawn.
By sectors, the Environment and Energy was that with the greatest number of amendments, followed by Territorial Policy. Contributions to the final draft have strengthened Esquerrra Republicana’s environmental position and its commitment to the fight against climate change. This includes setting the country’s key challenges in the coming years such as a substantial reduction in energy consumption in order to achieve zero net emissions by 2050, along with prioritizing promotion of energy efficiency of the building stock through energy rehabilitation, and encouraging new construction with renewable and highly efficient materials such as wood.
A whole and balanced nation
The idea of a Whole Catalonia has also strengthened by the contributions of the members, who have called for “a level of territorial connectivity that allows for working and living in the rural environment” and that the opportunities generated by new technologies should reach everyone, whatever their territorial location.” In addition, there has been a call to take essential measures to end inequalities between territories, including “the provision of resources for rural schools.” The municipal spirit of the party was also reflected in the emphasis on the importance of “providing greater competences and funding for the municipalities, as the administration nearest the citizens.”
The commitment to the mental health care of the population and to “increasing publicly owned services, reducing the role of private business in the provision of health services in all their areas” are some of the contributions in the field of health. In the field of education, the new draft reaffirms the commitment to quality public education in Catalan, and the elimination of subsidies for those schools that segregate by sex. In addition, it includes the goal of eliminating “all barriers to entry and financial handicaps in university education,” as well as increasing the funding and autonomy of universities; reducing the digital divide among students, and promoting “education for sustainability” and “adaptation to the green transformation.”
With regard to the defence of the Catalan language, this has been included in the new National Pact for Language promoted by the republican government as “one of the great drivers of social cohesion in the country, making language immersion effective and promoting policies for an effective normalization of Catalan as a common language.”
These are some of the most outstanding amendments dealt with by the manifesto drafting committee which have served to incorporate as much nuance in the establishment of Esquerra Republicana’s course. In this regard, Mr Romeva considers that “As far as possible, it is always best to try to include all opinions, so that everyone can feel represented in one way or another by the final draft of the manifesto.”