Catalan president Aragonès bids adieu to office ahead of Socialist candidate's investiture

The outgoing president of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès, said goodbye to his executive on Tuesday in what could be the last meeting of the executive council before the Socialists' Salvador Illa is named president.

In an impromptu press conference at the government building, the Esquerra figurehead pointed to achievements made during his term in office, including "fundamental political agreements," especially the progress in resolving the political conflict with Spain, but also with the "recovery of the welfare state" after the cuts and the pandemic.

The sitting president pointing to Catalonia's financial model among some of the key deals achieved, which "will represent the biggest leap forward in sovereignty since 1977."

Accompanied by almost all of his ministers, Aragonès underlined the advances in social policies and defended the path of "dialogue and negotiation" with Spain.

He predicted that dialogue "marks the way forward."

Aragonès said that leading the Catalan government has been "the greatest honor" of his life.

Regarding the independence question, the ERC figurehead recalled his proposal for a Quebec-style Clarity Act, a plan to move towards a referendum agreed with Spain when there is sufficient social support. Aragonès admitted that the proposal "may have come early, but it points the way" forward. 

In the same vein, he also called the amnesty as a "giant step" towards "recognizing injustice."

"I have always been pro-independence, and I have always conceived of independence as a toolbox to improve people's lives," the outgoing president argued.

"I finish my term as president of the Catalan government with more tools [to achieve independence] in the toolbox, not all the tools are there yet, but there are more than before our term. With more resources, expanded areas of power and administration, and substantial political agreements that, when implemented, will represent a significant leap forward in the sovereignty of the country."

"The incoming Government will find a better Catalonia than when we found it in 2021".