Illa warns judges that the final say on amnesty rests with the citizens.

The Amnesty Law has been in force for over a year, but its application by judges has so far been uneven and uneven. This circumstance was addressed yesterday by the President of the Catalan Government, Salvador Illa, from Shanghai at the press conference that concluded his trip to China and, at the same time, took stock of his first year as head of the Catalan government, which will be completed on August 8.

Illa lamented that the criminal amnesty has not yet taken effect in some cases, even though the "Constitutional Court has already ruled favorably" on the matter. "In a democracy, the final say belongs to the citizens, not the judges," he warned the judicial leadership. And looking ahead to the next political year, he hoped that all the deputies who were democratically elected by the Catalan people could be present in Parliament, referring to Carles Puigdemont, whose amnesty was denied by the Supreme Court. "I hope that all Catalan political actors can develop and exercise their political activity. I will work toward that end," he concluded without naming his predecessor.

Regarding the work of the Catalan government, Illa positively assessed decisions such as the expansion of El Prat railway station, the start of the transfer of the Rodalies railway, the measures on renewable energy, drought control, and the housing plan, but acknowledged "that much remains to be done" and that he "would like to move faster." The president, who failed to pass this year's budget while governing in a minority, explained that he has already begun negotiating the 2026 financial statements with his preferred partners, Comuns and ERC. However, he ruled out resigning if he is unable to pass them and asserted that his "will is to complete the full term." "Now we must implement the expansion of the three credit supplements that we have managed to push through, and we have begun budget talks," he stated.

The head of the Catalan government promises that by 2028 the ATC will manage personal income tax in its entirety.

Illa also referred to the Catalan Tax Agency's (ATC) Master Plan—agreed upon with the ERC—which provides for the Catalan treasury to assume "certain functions" in the management of personal income tax in 2028 , which represents at least a two-year delay compared to the agreement reached between the PSC and the Republicans. Although on Thursday it seemed that these taxes would initially begin to be managed by the ATC in three years, Illa promised yesterday that in 2028 there will be "complete management of the personal income tax, which is the most important and most central." "The Government is not selling smoke. It's a realistic roadmap, and all of this won't be done in a day," he stated, warning that improvements to the ATC must be accompanied by "legal changes that will have to be addressed in successive stages." ERC has already called for work on legislative amendments to be able to implement the agreed-upon one-off financing.

In this regard, Illa reaffirmed his commitment to fulfilling the government agreements with his partners and defended the work of the Vice President and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, who, according to the president, is involved in the reform of the regional financing system. This defense comes after ERC's accusations against Montero for, according to the Republicans, "obstructing specific financing."

Regarding the possibility of changes in his government's ministers ahead of the 2027 municipal election campaign, Illa praised the members of the Executive Branch and stated that he doesn't contemplate any changes. "I'm satisfied," he concluded.

The president of the Generalitat rules out changes in the government and expresses satisfaction with his ministers.

For the president, it is important that "dialogue prevails over confrontation" in politics, and he expressed his gratitude to ERC and Comuns—his investiture partners—for the times in Parliament they have been able to reach agreements on the Pacte per la Llengua (Language Pact), which he said he would like Junts and the PP to join, and the law on the statute of rural municipalities, among others.

However, the president expressed concern about the clashes against immigrants that have occurred in some Catalan towns. "We will be relentless. Catalonia is a place of coexistence. Our history is linked to welcoming people, and we will preserve our language, but with an open mind. Anyone who doesn't support this has no place in Catalonia," he emphasized.

Likewise, regarding the challenges facing the Government, the leader emphasized that the issue of housing access must be the focus of the legislature's major efforts. Therefore, he noted that land has been mobilized for 20,000 apartments and that a housing plan for 50,000 apartments over five years is underway.

Illa places access to housing as the problem that should focus major efforts.

In this first year, according to data from the Government, Illa has visited 33 regions and 97 municipalities, held 136 activities, and participated in 43 institutional events. He has met with former presidents of the Generalitat (Catalan government), with the exception of Puigdemont, a meeting for which there seems to be no date, and has made trips aimed at diversifying the economy and attracting investment to Japan, Korea, and now China.