President Salvador Illa's Generalitat government has replaced the general secretaries, the top administrative officials below each minister, at its Education and Interior departments in recent days, according to Diari ARA.

For families at the start of the school year, the Education change coincides with a dispute with teaching staff and a strike called by USTEC, the sector's largest union, for the first day of term. For residents using public services, the changes place new senior officials in charge of two departments facing active operational and political pressures.

Education Minister Esther Niubó replaced Teresa Sambola with Marta Cari. The move followed the invalidation of Catalonia's results in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the international education tests run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Interior department also changes its senior administrator

Interior Minister Núria Parlon has replaced Tomàs Carrión with Joana Ricardo as the department's general secretary. The department said Carrión had expressed a wish to leave of his own accord.

The Interior Department said Tomàs Carrión had expressed “his desire to leave the department of his own volition”.

Diari ARA linked the change to several recent controversies, including the appointment of Josep Lluís Trapero as Director General of the Police, a political post filled by a career police officer. The report also cited a pilot scheme involving plain-clothes Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police, in schools, police presence at a teachers' assembly, and the use of pepper spray at pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Before the summer, Social Rights Minister Mònica Martínez Bravo left the government and was replaced by Raúl Moreno, Diari ARA reported. The report said her departure was attributed to personal reasons.

Further changes are expected as budget talks approach

The report said further changes may follow, with government spokesperson and Territory Minister Sílvia Paneque expected to consider a return to Girona's mayoral race. Paneque has handled the continuing Rodalies commuter rail disruption, including the fatal accident in Gelida and a two-day suspension of the service in January.

Health Minister Olga Pané has also asked on several occasions to be relieved for personal reasons, according to Diari ARA, and has faced criticism during a labour dispute involving doctors and nurses.

The government faces negotiations over the 2027 budget with Esquerra Republicana and the Comuns. The report said the 2026 budget allows work on a plan for 50,000 subsidised homes and the expansion of Hospital Clínic, while a Comuns-backed proposal to restrict speculative property purchases has stalled.

  • The Fiscal and Financial Policy Council approved a new financing model, which still requires approval by Spain's Congress.
  • Plans for Catalonia to collect and manage personal income tax, known as IRPF in Spain, have been deferred.
  • The Catalan Tax Agency has recruited 60 staff and has an open process for 25 further tax technician posts.

The proposed property-purchase restrictions received an adverse opinion from the Council of Statutory Guarantees, the body that assesses whether Catalan legislation complies with the Spanish Constitution and Catalonia's Statute of Autonomy. Diari ARA reported that the opinion cited private-property rights and several constitutional and statutory provisions.

Reported by en.ara.cat, Diari ARA.