Catalan government to open six delegation offices abroad in 2022
New sites in Tokyo, Seoul, Dakar, Pretoria, Brasilia, and Andorra la Vella raise total to 20
The Catalan government will open six new delegation offices abroad in Tokyo, Seoul, Dakar, Pretoria, Brasilia, and Andorra la Vella in 2022.
These offices, which have the aim of strengthening Catalonia's presence abroad as well as its ties with foreign countries, are meant to act as a gateway to Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and Andorra as well as to the broader regions of Western and Southern Africa.
Once they are in operation, the Catalan government will have a total of 20 delegation offices abroad.
The Catalan government will also open new offices of lesser rank in Dublin, Ljubljana, and Quebec – they have now two, in New York and Catalan-speaking Alghero, Sardinia – and begin to send special envoys to what are deemed to be strategic locations. There will be two special envoys in 2022: one to Warsaw and another to Edinburgh.
Catalan delegation offices, which are part of Catalonia's Foreign Action Plan, have been a source of controversy as some believe only Spain should have the authority to implement such programs. Yet, the Catalan government insists they have a right to have them – other Spanish territories do – and keep on expanding their network.
Most of the offices were forced to close when the Spanish government imposed direct rule in Catalonia by invoking Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution following the failed 2017 independence bid.
The Catalan government began to reopen some of these offices in 2018 when direct rule was lifted, but not without objection from the Spanish authorities that argue Catalonia is overstepping its role as a political entity within Spain.
Europe: more presence in Andorra, Scotland, Slovenia and Poland
In Europe, Catalonia will have a new delegation office, in Catalan-speaking neighboring Andorra, "in order to strengthen the good neighbor relationship and also the language, culture and economy links."
The new office of lesser rank in Dublin, within the delegation office of UK and Ireland, aims to "intensify" relations with Ireland given the "post-Brexit context."
And the one in Slovenia will be a branch of the southeastern Europe seat and aims to get even closer to "an EU member state that is especially friends of Catalonia."
The new special envoy in Edinburgh wants to recognize the "links and ambitions" that, according to Alsina, Catalonia shares with Scotland.
The one in Warsaw wants to help the cabinet "gain influence" in Eastern Europe and contribute to help Ukrainian migrants arriving in Poland.
Africa: delegations in West and South for cooperation and trade
Catalonia already boasts a delegation office in Northern Africa, which will move seat from Tunis, and two more will open in the coming months.
One of them will have its HQ in Dakar, Senegal. It will also cover Gambia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, and Mali, all in Western Africa, a key region for Catalonia's development aid projects and an area with "trade opportunities," said the minister on Monday.
The other one will be headquartered in Pretoria, South Africa, and will also covern Angola and Mozambique. Southern Africa is seen by Catalonia as prioritary for its development aid and as an "economic hub."
America: eyes on Brazil and Quebec
Brazil will be the only new delegation office to open in America, given that it is "an undeniable economic engine" in the region. Cooperation in science, university and trade is just one of the topics on the agenda.
A lesser rank office is also going to open in Quebec City, which will act as a branch of the delegation office already up and running in the US and Canada headquartered in Washington.
Delegation offices in Asia for the first time
The Catalan government will have seats in Asia for the first time, with a delegation office in Japan and another one in South Korea.
The one in Tokyo is the result of "institutional and historical relations" with Japan, and the one in Seoul aims to boost South Korea as a "priority trade partner."
In summary, Catalonia will have seats in 20 cities abroad, reaching 63 countries: in Tokyo, Seol, Dakar, Pretoria, Brasilia and Andorra la Vella, as well as the already existing in Brussels, London, Berlin, Washington, Geneva, Paris, Zagreb, Vienna, Stockholm, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Tunis (soon in Rabat).
Also, five offices of lesser rank will be part of the network (Alghero, New York, Dublin, Ljubljana and Quebec City), as well as special envoys in two cities (Edinburgh and Warsaw).