In a sweeping setback for the Catalonia Generalitat, every one of the 72 examinations overseen by the administration faced a critical review after an unprecedented disruption. Last Saturday, top officials summoned the figures behind the testing program amid an ongoing confrontation with opposition groups. In an alarming assessment, the administration reported that in 93 percent of the tests, serious breaches of core standards—fairness, merit, and capacity—were detected. Consequently, the decision was taken to repeat more than one round of assessments to ensure the integrity of the process and to prevent a cascade of invalid results. A total of 13,500 candidates now face the obligation to redo all parts of the examinations, marking a substantial challenge for the public hiring system. The president of the parliament, serving in the Presidency, addressed the outcome after consultations with the most representative labor unions this Thursday, laying out the scale of the crisis and the measures under consideration. Laura Vilagrà described the incident as enormous in scope and admitted that a very serious fault appeared in nearly every exam. [Citation: Catalan Government press office]
The overarching aim of the exercise was to salvage as many tests as possible, thereby limiting the number of individuals who would be required to reappear. Yet the magnitude of the problem made that goal unattainable, and the Generalitat resolved to repeat all tests following more than 3,000 complaints submitted through the official complaint channel. In a firm stance, Vilagrà announced that the contract with the outsourcing partner would be terminated and that responsibility would be redirected toward internal resources to restore trust and control over the examination process. [Citation: Catalan Government press office]
The council member pledged compensation for all affected candidates, though the precise amount is still under review. The plan envisages automatic disbursement to everyone registered in the process, ensuring that those who bore the burden of the reexamination are not left uncompensated. The authorities emphasized that the compensation would be disbursed ex officio, without requiring separate applications, underscoring a commitment to rapid remediation. [Citation: Catalan Government press office]
Vilagrà further promised that future appeals and examination processes would be kept in-house, removing the dependence on external contractors. The decision to end the outsourcing arrangement is framed as a move to strengthen governance and accountability, with implications for the timetable of the ordinary public offering. Officials warned that the public release and execution schedule for roughly 14,000 available places would experience delays as the system shifts to internal management. [Citation: Catalan Government press office]
The repeat testing will occur on two separate dates to accommodate the affected groups. On 1 July, rural agents, prison staff, and labor personnel will sit the exams, while on 8 July, the majority of police and other officers are scheduled to participate. Only those who had registered for the April 29 examination window will be eligible to take part, a measure designed to prevent additional confusion and ensure a controlled testing environment. These dates reflect a careful balance between safeguarding eligibility and maintaining operational feasibility across the public sector. [Citation: Catalan Government press office]