Spokesperson Marta Vilalta claims the republicans are a national alternative to win and protect sovereignty for Catalonia

In a key week for Parliament to steer the Government's roadmap for the coming year, Esquerra Republicana comes to the General Policy Debate intending to require compliance with the agreement signed in exchange for the investiture of Salvador Illa and with its own specific proposals. “We are in particular seeking to evince that by gaining sovereignty, we are moving towards full political sovereignty, independence,” explained Deputy Secretary General and Parliamentary spokesperson Marta Vilalta at a press conference on Monday.

Esquerra means to establish itself as a national alternative, on the understanding that the best strategy is to have both “national and social ambition,” furthering those struggles “arm in arm, at the same time, for welfare and independence” to build “a country for the people, replete with content,” said Ms Vilalta, standing apart from other political projects.

Which is why Esquerra have elucidated several proposals which they have drafted for Thursday's votes in Parliament.

• 1) Financial sovereignty. Esquerra want a broad majority in favour of a new funding system. “A bold majority” said Ms Vilalta, going from the Catalan chapter of the Spanish socialists PSC, “which until recently rejected a just financing system,” to Catalan conservatives Junts, because “it cannot be that those who define themselves as pro-independence relinquish improvements for Catalonia.” “It is a priority for Esquerra that is a priority for the country,” she said.
• 2) Political sovereignty. The resolution of the political conflict with Spain entails a self-determination referendum. Which is why Esquerra will bring a motion in this regard, and to demonstrate the commitment by Parliament to the application of the Amnesty law.
• 3) Sovereignty in infrastructure. On Thursday, Esquerra will seek Parliament's endorsement for the Catalan Generalitat government to take part in the management and governance of Barcelona airport. Meanwhile, Esquerra says 'no' to projects that diminish sovereignty for Catalonia, such as the extra high-voltage lines erected roughshod across the territory, making the country ever more energy-dependent, or the interbasin transfer from the Ebro river.
• 4) Sovereignty is defending and protecting the Catalan language. Esquerra defends Catalan in schools against the interference by Spanish courts in the form of percentages of Spanish, while making Catalan useful for new speakers, facilitating acquisition of the language.
• 5) Sovereignty in housing and accommodation. Esquerra means to exercise the authority that Catalonia possesses in housing, which is why Esquerra wants to recover the Catalan law regulating seasonal and room rentals. “The agreement signed says so, and it must come about sooner rather than later,” said Ms Vilalta, recalling the six-month delay accumulated because PSC abstained and Junts voted 'no' in May to the law the prior Pere Aragonès government had presented. “We now have the opportunity to rectify the mistake those parties made, exercising the exclusive authority over housing we want to recover with this regulation; that is also gaining sovereignty,” she insisted.
• 6) For sustainable and equitable tourism. Esquerra intends to focus on instruments to defend a new model of tourism, which implies three key ideas: redistribution of wealth generated by tourism through the necessary changes in tourist taxation; passing once and for all the tax on big ships and further taxes on casinos to stop Hard Rock, “which does not fit into the model for the country that we want.”

Convening the Party Congress

On Monday, the Esquerra Republicana Executive convened the party's 30th National Congress, with the election of a new executive, to be held on 30th November. “This Congress is an opportunity to refresh our project, to reconnect with all our society and to strengthen the useful instrument that is Esquerra Republicana, to advance towards Catalonia’s independence and to improve the day-to-day life of all Catalans,” said Ms Vilalta.

With the convening of the Congress, the formal deadlines for the entire electoral process have also been set: from Monday, 7th October to the following Monday, the registration of nominations will be open, and these will be announced on Tuesday, 15th October; from then until 15th November, the various candidacies will have one month to collect the endorsements required to stand, which must be at least 5% of the members, with the official election campaign from 16th November to the day prior to the vote.