One of Carlos Mazón’s first measures as president was to initiate a plan to weaken the structure of the Generalitat. Among other adjustments, the number of senior positions in the second step has been reduced, from 55 to 46 at Botànic. Despite fewer positions to fill and the rush to invest, Consell’s chairman still has three chief executive positions vacant. Five months after forming his government with Vox.
All report directly to the Presidency, and some are called to play a fundamental role in the political strategy that Mazón has begun to implement in the national assembly.
Specifically, the directorate general for Relations with Autonomous Communities and Institutional Relations (under the Autonomous Secretariat for Institutional Relations headed by Santiago Lumbreras) remains vacant; Coordination of Government Activities and Relations with EU, State and External Activities (both reporting to Cayetano García, regional secretary of the Presidency).
Since Consell was established on July 19, there have been a number of appointments that have recently stalled. There has been only one addition in the last two months. It is worth remembering that the PP and the Vox Council, among others, already had difficulties in changing the leadership of the Emergency, whose removal took more than a month and a half, despite persistent requests from the socialist José María Ángel.
The Presidency assures that “there is no reason” behind these delays and that it “will be closed soon.” Experts add that coordination with the EU is carried out “more calmly” because “great importance is attached” to it.
Regional front without a director
Regardless, it is noteworthy that Mazón left the Directorate of Relations with Autonomous Communities headless at a time when the boss should have played a key role in the opposition strategy against Pedro Sánchez, one of the regions from which he set out. Consell.
This week the president opened several fronts of cooperation with other regional governments against the central government and announced many other fronts. “We need allies,” he said, adding that he was busy offering concessions to Catalonia, pointing out that the autonomies must go hand in hand to fill the void left by the central executive.
As explained on the Generalitat’s own website, this department is responsible for “advising on ordinary relations with other autonomous communities”, “developing and intervening in cooperation initiatives” and “promoting institutional contact and coordination” of possible agreements that are illuminated. .
That same week, Mazón launched several attacks against other autonomies that had common interests with the Generalitat. The highlight was the business summit in Madrid with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, where commercial but above all political ties were strengthened with the PP’s most powerful baroness. In parallel, the Valencian Administration is also in talks with the Fernando López Heritage government in Murcia to jointly combat the asymmetric deficit, and has announced that it is exploring other possible bilateral alliances on financing, tourism and tourism with Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and Aragon. logistics.
The vacancy at the Directorate General for European Union, State and Foreign Affairs keeps the Generalitat away from direct dialogue with Brussels, at least on paper. According to the mandate always stated on the official website, this area undertakes, among other functions, “the representation, defense and promotion of the multi-sectoral interests of the Valencian Community before the institutions and bodies of the European Union”.
The third orphanage general directorate, the Coordination of Government Activities, is responsible for establishing “general guidelines” for the work of the autonomous Executive, as well as coordinating the implementation of agreements of administrative units affecting the Consell and political, administrative units. Legislative and administrative action of the Generalitat.
Four unnamed advisors after halving
Carlos Mazón’s Consell also announced a significant reduction in the number of consultants compared to the number taken over from Botànic. Specifically, from 116 temporary workers of PSPV, Compromís and Unides Podem Executive, this number increased to 61. Despite the major cut, the maximum number set by the president has not yet been reached. According to data from the Generalitat’s Transparency portal, 57 advisors have been appointed so far, meaning there are still four positions to be filled. Most of these are concentrated in the Presidency.