The new president of the Generalitat, the socialist Salvador Illa, has just shaken hands with Felipe VI. The scene, the brand new and recently remodeled Port Olímpic in Barcelona. Illa’s gesture is not trivial. It reflects the recovery of normality in relations between the Generalitat and the Crown.
The greeting was, in fact, quite natural. The two shook hands in a very cordial manner and exchanged a couple of smiles and a few words. Then the King began his visit to the new facilities on the Barcelona coast.
The mayor of the city, the also socialist Jaume Collboni, also had no problem in greeting the King. This opens a new stage called for understanding. Also in the delegation were the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, the Government delegate Carlos Prieto and several municipal and regional officials.
For some time now, quite a few leaders of the Government, and also of the Barcelona City Council, have tried to make it clear that they did not feel comfortable with the successive visits to these latitudes of the King of Spain.
Since the time of Carles Puigdemont, the heads of the Generalitat have tried to stay away from most of the institutional events in Catalonia in which the Spanish monarch was present. And when they did attend, such as the Mobile World Congress, they avoided participating in the corresponding welcome greeting.
But the socialists always had a different attitude towards the Crown. While he was head of the opposition in the Parliament, Illa regularly attended all the events that the King attended in Catalonia.
Furthermore, Mayor Collboni has not hesitated to shake the King’s hand and proudly show him the new look of the Olympic Port. In fact, a couple of years ago, when he was deputy mayor of the last Colau government, Collboni already accompanied Felipe VI during his visit to the renovation works of this infrastructure.
On this occasion, the mayor was able to show the King the new Gregal dock at the Port Olímpic, where some of the best restaurants in Barcelona will soon be operating. Collboni then led the monarch to the new breakwater of the infrastructure. This facility has already become a new promenade in the city.
