Junts Criticizes Departament de Política Lingüística as Ineffective Showcase

Mònica Sales, leader of Junts in the Catalan Parliament, has openly criticized the Departament de Política Lingüística under Salvador Illa's government, describing it as "more of a showcase than a reality." In a recent interview, Sales expressed her conviction not to support the Pacte Nacional per la Llengua, a pact aiming to promote the Catalan language by allocating 200 million euros annually and fostering 600,000 new Catalan speakers in five years. While the pact has backing from the Catalan government, civil society, and parties such as PSC, ERC, and Comuns, both Junts and CUP rejected it, deeming the measures insufficient.

Sales highlighted that despite working extensively and proposing many amendments to the pact, some remain unaddressed. She also emphasized the necessity for the Office for the Protection of Linguistic Rights to become operational as mandated by Parliament. According to Sales, the government should lead by example in consistently using Catalan, especially amid concerns about declining social usage of the language. She criticized the government's insufficient use of Catalan in official actions and their unclear strategy on defending Catalan language rights in Europe, school settings, and judicial arenas.

Reflecting on the pact, Sales noted growing confidence in Junts' refusal as even some initial supporters express doubts. She underscored the need for a robust approach to promoting Catalan beyond superficial measures, urging the government to act decisively as a catalyst for language use.

This critique reveals a significant political divide regarding Catalonia’s language policy strategy, with Junts positioning itself as a strong advocate for more substantive protection and promotion of the Catalan language.