pere aragones

Pere Aragonès was secretary of economy at time of independence referendum

Unionist Ciutadans takes such signs to ombudsman while Catalan vice president calls on the party to stop "confrontation strategy"

Unionist campaign launched to take away signs in solidarity with the political leaders in jails around Catalonia

Aragonès could become first government prosecuted for the independence bid

Opposition skeptical as governments are set to meet on Wednesday after 7-year break

Government leaders meet after row in parliament over former president’s suspension

Catalan and Spanish vice presidents to meet in Madrid on Thursday

Pere Aragonès argues upcoming meeting between Catalan and Spanish leaders should address why Spain doesn't recognize Catalans right to self-determination

New ministers start work as Catalonia retakes control of its administration after seven months under Madrid's rule

Road to independence, dialogue with Madrid and dealing with the impact of Spain’s latest harsh measures will be the hottest topics, along with catching up with day-to-day governance

Despite the uncertainty caused by the suspension of Catalonia’s self-government many public servants arrive at their offices

We’ll have to wait and find out, believes president of Small and Medium Business in Catalonia, while the secretary of economy is confident companies and banks will come back

According to a study released this Thursday by the Catalan Ministry for Economy and Tax Office, the “autonomic framework” does not leave “enough room” to cope with poverty and inequality in Catalonia. ‘Economy note 103: Analysis and tools to tackle poverty and inequality’, a report that includes 19 extensive articles from around 30 experts, technicians and academics, stresses that the scope of the Catalan Government’s public policies is limited by “the restrictions on powers and availability of income of the current autonomic framework”. In the same vein, Catalan Vice President and Catalan Minister for Economy and Tax Office, Oriol Junqueras, said that this situation has forced him to prepare a budget for next year “that is neither the one Catalans deserve nor what they need” because it does not correspond to the “economic and fiscal effort” made by the citizens.

There won’t be any agreement on the draft budget for 2016 unless the Catalan Government presents a new proposal including radical left CUP’s “proposals, demands and points of view”. This is what CUP MP, Eulàlia Reguant stated this Tuesday after registering theamendment to the entire budget proposal that the Catalan Vice President and Minister of Economy, Oriol Junqueras, presented last week. One of the anti-capitalists’ demands is to disobey the Spanish Government deficit targets and promote “more ambitious” tax reforms. On the other hand, the Catalan Secretary for Economy, Pere Aragonès warned that it’s “necessary” to pass the budget in order to put Catalonia “at the gates of independence”.

Following the agreement reached last week between the President of the Catalan Government and leader of the governing centre-right pro-Catalan State coalition CiU, Artur Mas, and the President of the left-wing pro-independence party ERC, Oriol Junqueras, on calling early elections in September as a plebiscite on Catalonia’s independence from Spain, the Catalan Executive’s budget for 2015 is now closer to definitive approval. On Monday, the ERC MPs started to withdraw their full amendments to the different sections of the Catalan Government’s budget. Now, the ERC is asking the CiU and the Government to debate their specific amendments on precise programmes in order to have “a fairer budget” which is less regional and more that of a country in its “national transition”, they said.