The Spanish government, led by President Pedro Sánchez, has initiated a transfer of powers to the Catalan regional government, specifically concerning the local administration of civil service roles such as secretaries, treasurers, and financial controllers.

This move, seen by critics as a step towards federalism, has sparked significant dissent among high-ranking officials within the General State Administration (AGE) who argue that the decision may be unconstitutional and detrimental to civil service rights.

Recently, a new Public Function Law was amended to allow the Generalitat de Catalunya to fully manage the functions of certain local public servants.

The new regulation includes provisions that authorize the Catalan government to create, classify, and eliminate positions, approve public employment offers, conduct selection processes, and oversee the comprehensive administrative management of these employees.

Proponents of the transfer, particularly the political party Junts, argue that this transition is necessary to address the critical staffing shortages affecting many Catalan municipalities.

They cite statistics indicating that over 66% of positions in the areas of secretarial, financial intervention, and treasury remain vacant or are filled temporarily, leading to operational dysfunctions at the local level.

Junts asserts that this devolution of powers would restore effective governance in the region, reversing the impacts of a previous centralization imposed by the 2013 Local Government and Budget Law (LRSAL) that had transferred control of these functions to the state.

In addition to managing local administrative roles, the agreement encompasses measures aimed at alleviating the plight of public employees facing temporary job insecurity, as well as pioneering regulations to ensure the linguistic rights of Catalan speakers.

These stipulations include a requirement for state officials to assist citizens in their language of choice and reserving specific public service positions for Catalan speakers.

The decision has elicited a swift and robust response from officials, particularly from the Professional Association of Secretaries, Treasurers, and Financial Controllers of Local Administration (Apsital).

The association has condemned the agreement, claiming that it infringes upon the legal framework governing national civil servants and is in direct violation of constitutional mandates.

Apsital notes that the Constitutional Court previously ruled that the selection and assignment of these national civil servant positions fall under state competencies, protected by Article 149.1.18 of the Spanish Constitution.

The backlash from Apsital follows a previous agreement made on January 14, whereby the autonomy of Catalonia was set to gain control over the upcoming selection processes for local public administration roles via a management delegation.

Apsital had previously warned that this arrangement was a harmful concession of powers, creating a potential path towards a full transfer of responsibilities that could undermine impartiality in public service.

In a display of unity, various high-ranking officials are expected to further demonstrate their opposition through a public manifesto to be presented by a coalition known as the 'Pact of Professionals for the Defense of the Rule of Law.' This coalition, which includes representatives from most legal sectors and senior state bodies, will articulate their support for the independence and professionalism of public administration.

Furthermore, the Tax Technicians Union (Gestha) has voiced its objection to the Catalan administration’s proposal to exclude approximately 200 officials involved in the recent Income Tax Campaign without prior notice.

This exclusion, which references claims of low performance, parallels similar actions taken in Madrid, leading to concerns regarding the transparency and fairness of the selection process and decision-making criteria utilized by the regional government.