Junts per Catalunya will seek immediate measures to expand Catalan-language requirements in healthcare, universities, courts and public-facing public transport roles during the Catalan Parliament’s general policy debate, the party said on Tuesday, 29 September.

If backed, the proposals would affect patients seeking care and documents in Catalan, university staff and students, court workers, and passengers dealing with customer-service staff. They include a target for Catalan to account for at least 80% of degree and master’s course provision, and a C1, advanced-level, Catalan qualification for university teaching staff.

Junts says the measures are needed to ensure people can live fully in Catalan in public services.

Proposed requirements for public-facing services

The party’s parliamentary group says it will table resolution proposals covering several sectors. Its healthcare proposal would make knowledge of Catalan a requirement for health professionals, so that users can receive both care and documentation in the language.

  • Universities: at least 80% of degree and master’s teaching provision in Catalan, with C1 Catalan required for teaching staff.
  • Courts: a change to the Organic Law of the Judiciary so Catalan becomes an entry requirement, rather than a merit, for court staff.
  • Public transport: at least B1, an intermediate-level qualification, in Catalan for customer-facing staff.
  • Sport: training sessions and competitions to be conducted entirely in Catalan.

University target exceeds the latest published average

The 80% target is above the 62% overall share of undergraduate and master’s subjects offered in Catalan at public universities in the 2021–22 academic year, according to the Generalitat’s 2022 language policy report.

That report recorded wide differences between institutions: the Universitat de Girona offered 84% of subjects in Catalan, while Universitat Pompeu Fabra offered 40%. The report counted 174,351 students enrolled on undergraduate and university master’s courses at Catalan public universities in 2021–22.

Junts also wants Parliament to repeat its call for Catalan to become an official language of the European Union. The party says Catalan has more than 10 million speakers and is seeking intensified contact with EU member states to secure their support.

Primary sources: Departament de Recerca i Universitats, upc.edu. Reported by elmon.cat, Junts per Catalunya, Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Cultura. Secretaria de Política Lingüística, Departament d'Edicions. Parlament de Catalunya, sc7, parlament.cat, Departament d'Edicions del Parlament de Catalunya, metgesdecatalunya.cat, Parlament de Catalunya, blocs.uib.cat, El Món.