The Executive Council has approved an anti-corruption strategy that includes a package of 25 measures to be implemented over the next two years. The resolution adopted today “fulfils a commitment the Catalan government made last June to develop an anti-corruption strategy within six months”.

Minister of the Presidency and government spokesperson Meritxell Budó briefed the media at a press conference held following today’s meeting of the Executive Council. Budó said key measures include “the creation of a comprehensive system for protecting whistle-blowers, training for the Mossos (Catalan police) on combating corruption, and criteria for selecting management staff based on merit”, and that the strategy aims to “bring Catalonia closer to the level of the Nordic countries” when it comes to transparency and good government.

All Catalan government ministries were involved in developing the strategy, which takes into account principles and standards established by the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia, the Public Audit Office and the Ombudsman. Civil society organisations and experts on integrity and anti-corruption also participated; international evidence on effective approaches was analysed; and input from citizens was gathered through participatory processes.

Based on all this input, the resolution adopted by the Catalan government today specifies over 20 concrete measures that are “groundbreaking in the Spanish state”. The measures must be implemented by the Catalan government within two years, and the strategy document specifies the ministries responsible for applying each one.

To complement its anti-corruption plan, the government has also approved a governance model that ensures effective monitoring and evaluation of the implementation process. An implementation support programme and a forum for citizen participation in the monitoring process have also been established.

New Catalan government delegations in Argentina, Mexico and Tunisia

In the meeting held today, the Executive Council approved new decrees on the Government of Catalonia’s delegations in Argentina, Mexico and Tunisia. The Catalan government approved the expansion of its network of delegations abroad into the Maghreb and Latin America in June of last year. The new decrees update the functions assigned to each delegation and strengthen Catalonia’s presence in these two regions.