EU’s Largest Secessionist Movement Losing Steam

Europe’s long-running political drama surrounding Catalonia’s independence movement seems to have reached a pause—for now.

In May, nationalist parties failed to secure a majority in Catalonia’s regional parliament for the first time in three decades, marking a significant shift in the political landscape. Instead, voters threw their support behind Salvador Illa, a 58-year-old pro-unity socialist who prioritized social issues over separatist rhetoric during his campaign.

Illa, a mild-mannered and bespectacled figure, previously served as Spain’s health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic and is a close ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Often described as a pragmatic technocrat, Illa is not known for bombastic speeches or divisive politics. Instead, he has made it clear that his primary focus is governing.

“What I want is to govern,” said Illa in an interview with POLITICO, during his first trip to Brussels following his election.

For Illa, governing means moving away from the decades-long fixation on Catalan independence and shifting attention toward practical solutions aimed at improving the quality of life for residents in one of Spain’s wealthiest regions.

While Illa said he firmly supports “self-government for Catalonia,” he emphasized that this should happen within the framework of a “plural and diverse Spain.”