Catalonia's President, Salvador Illa, announced an imminent agreement with the Spanish government regarding airport management, aiming to secure the Generalitat's presence in decision-making for major transport infrastructure. This announcement comes amid long-standing demands from Catalan political parties and businesses for individual management of Barcelona Airport. The agreement is critical for budget negotiations between the Catalan executive and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC).
Mr Illa stated in the last parliamentary plenary session, "We will guarantee the government's presence in the decision-making, planning, and governance of Catalonia's major transport infrastructures." He spoke after ERC dropped their demand for a Personal Income Tax (IRPF) transfer. This had been an essential condition for budget talks. The Catalan government seeks a determining role in the governance of Catalan airports, regardless of current ownership.
The Spanish government has consistently defended its centralised airport model. This position became clear through a recent agreement with the Basque government. That agreement established a bilateral body for collaboration, coordination, and management.
Basque Agreement's Limited Scope
The Basque government, led by Imanol Pradales, presented this bilateral body as a tool to participate in designing the Airport Regulation Document (DORA). The DORA is the Spanish government's plan that sets investments, service quality standards, and tariffs for the Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA) airport network. AENA President Maurici Lucena viewed demands for airport management from some regions as a significant risk to the current model. He considered co-management impossible.
The Spanish Ministry of Transport significantly lowered expectations for the Basque demands. It stressed that the bilateral commission agreement with the Pradales government did not alter the existing airport model. The Ministry explained the bilateral airport body acts as a mechanism for collaboration and cooperation. It aims to improve the management of each administration's competencies without changing their distribution. This helps achieve the full development of general interest airports in the Basque Country.
Centralised Control Remains
The Ministry further noted that the bilateral body operates by consensus between parties. It lacks executive powers and does not change AENA's legal operating framework. Spanish law allows autonomous communities to participate in general interest airport management through airport coordination committees. It also provides for prior consultation with autonomous communities before DORA approval. However, it does not grant them direct decision-making power.
The Ministry of Transport highlighted that this bilateral body provides an information process for the DORA. This process requires consensus between both governments, but it is "not binding." The Ministry insisted it does not modify AENA's airport structure. It also does not change DORA approval procedures or its contents, including airport tariffs. According to the Ministry, it is simply a tool to improve "coordination and cooperation" with the Basque government. This model, in practical terms, is generalisable.
Catalonia's Ambitious Goals
ERC's demand, however, is for the Generalitat to have a determining role in Catalan airport governance. This role would be independent of current ownership. In President Illa's investiture agreement, the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya (PSC) and ERC agreed to replace the airport coordination committee. They proposed a new Catalan Airport Governing Council. Both parties declared a "shared will" for the government to agree with the Spanish government. This agreement would grant Catalonia a determining role in defining, articulating, and managing the new Catalan airport system.
The functions and structure of this committee should allow this to happen. The Basque government did not achieve an agreement comparable to this objective. The investiture agreement also included creating the Catalan Airport Authority. The government approved this body in January. This entity aims to group and manage the Generalitat's existing functions regarding airports and aeronautical facilities. These functions align with the Statute of Autonomy. They include strategic, territorial, and urban planning, connectivity, accessibility, and economic and aeronautical industry promotion.
Next Steps for Airport Governance
For the Catalan Airport Authority to become a public law entity, the 2009 airports law requires parliamentary modification. Its statutes must also receive approval. The government detailed that the governing council would comprise a president, a vice-president, and thirteen members. The law would be processed this year. The key challenge remains the proposed Governing Council. It faces the same limitations encountered by the Basque government, which prevented real co-management. Barcelona Airport, a major European hub, handles over 50 million passengers annually. Its management model significantly impacts the region's economy and connectivity.
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Originally published by VilaWeb Feed. Read original article.
