Albert Dalmau, the Generalitat's presidency minister, said the government aims to put the second phase of the planned TramCamp tram network out to tender before the end of the current legislature.
The proposed phase would connect Reus and Tarragona. For residents travelling between the two cities, it is a commitment to start the procurement process rather than a confirmed opening date: Dalmau said mobility studies are still being prepared, while the first phase is under construction.
Dalmau made the comments after closing the 38th General Assembly of the Federació de Municipis de Catalunya, the Catalan federation of local authorities, at Tarragona's Palau de Congressos on 9 October.
Second TramCamp phase planned between Reus and Tarragona
Asked whether the second phase was guaranteed, Dalmau said it was the most significant part of the wider project.
“There will be a second phase between Reus and Tarragona, the most important one. We are preparing the mobility studies and the aim is to tender the second phase at the end of this legislature.”
He described the tender as an explicit commitment by President Salvador Illa. The Generalitat has not set out a construction timetable or completion date in Dalmau's remarks.
Staffing gap affects council procedures
Dalmau also said only 40% of local-government secretary and financial-controller posts in Catalonia are filled. Of 1,500 positions, almost 900 are either vacant or being covered temporarily, he said.
These officials are responsible for legally processing matters including council meetings, public contracts and urban-planning procedures. The shortfall particularly affects smaller municipalities, which can find it harder to fund a permanent post.
- The Generalitat has launched a first recruitment call agreed with the Spanish government, Dalmau said.
- It has recovered the power to appoint these local-government officials after a legislative change agreed by the government, Esquerra Republicana and Junts.
- The government plans financial support for rural municipalities unable to fund a permanent post, according to Dalmau.
He said the Generalitat's draft law on simplifying urban-planning and environmental procedures aims to reduce the processing time for economic-activity licences from 12 months to one month, without changing environmental or planning requirements.
“Either we beat bureaucracy or bureaucracy will beat the country.”
Dalmau said an integrated citizen service office has opened in Tarragona, intended to prevent residents being sent between different administrative counters. He also said the Generalitat has removed compulsory prior appointments and introduced a right to correct mistakes in an application without restarting the process.
Reported by diarimes.com.
