Catalan police press secretary Patrícia Plaja to become government spokesperson

Patrícia Plaja, who up until now was the Catalan police force's press secretary, will be the next Catalan government spokesperson, as the Catalan News Agency (ACN) confirmed on Tuesday.

In the post for 13 years, Plaja’s work for the Mossos police force was lauded in the aftermath of the 2017 terror attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, for which she awarded the Blanquerna-Ramon Llull University's Best Communicator Award.

Indeed, she is well-regarded amongst journalists who cover the police, especially after the 2017 incidents. Plaja also remained a close ally of the head of the Mossos, Josep Lluís Trapero, when he was on trial for his role surrounding the 2017 independence referendum. Trapero faced a requested sentence of a decade behind bars but was ultimately acquitted.

During the time Catalonia's self-rule was suspended in the aftermath of the 2017 independence push, Plaja was fired for a tweet in which she criticized the Spanish judiciary for the initial sentencing in the La Manada gang rape case. Yet, once a Catalan government was in place again, she was restored in her post. 

Plaja is an associate lecturer at the Blanquerna-Ramon Llull University who also teaches at the UPC and UPF universities. From 2004 to 2006, she worked as a journalist for Ràdio Barcelona-Cadena Ser.

Spokesperson but not minister

Plaja, born in Begur, in the Costa Brava, in 1981, will be in charge of explaining the decisions the government will make after the weekly cabinet meetings, which are held on Tuesdays. Yet, unlike her most recent predecessors, including Meritxell Budó, she will not be a minister. She, in theory, will not be allowed to attend cabinet meetings.

The last time the spokesperson was not a minister was during the 2010-2012 term, with Artur Mas as president, when Francesc Homs faced the media every week. Yet, he had a background in politics since he was a senior official for CiU, the governing party. He continued on as spokesperson during the following term but was also the presidency minister.

There is only one previous case of an independent journalist acting as the executive's spokesperson: Aurora Massip, for the left-wing coalition led by the Socialist president, José Montilla, from 2006 to 2010. Yet, her role was secondary, since she would appear before the press every week accompanied by a minister.

Exactly how the government's communication with the press will unfold as well as Plaja's precise role remains to be seen.