The 25,000 lawyers in Barcelona elect this Thursday the new board of directors of the College professional, one of the institutions with the greatest social weight in the Catalan capital and, therefore, most highly valued by the different powers. Although the political battle has been conducted mutely, the nuance of the political has been noted in this campaign and the independence movement is preparing to influence the future trajectory of the Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB). In fact, this institution is one more in the long list of objectives that the Catalan National Assembly had proposed to control (ANC), after the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, the University of Barcelona (UB), the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the College of Physicians or FC Barcelona itself. The ‘assault’ on each of them ended, in most cases, with undoubted victories for sovereignty.
The ICAB is a coveted piece for its condition of solvent and weighty entity in Catalan civil society. The independence movement never hid its intention to ‘assault’ its leadership, although it could never dominate the institution. On this occasion, three lists are presented for the elections: the continuist or official, headed by the current dean, Maria Eugènia Gay; the alternative, assimilated in some circles to the sovereignist, led by Gonçal Oliveros, and another candidacy headed by the lawyer Vanessa gonzalez.
Antonio Fernandez. Barcelona
–
The campaign has been tense and not without controversy, to the point that a last minute debate was canceled (which almost coincided with the investiture of Pere Aragonès as new ‘president’) due to “political tension”. The former dean, JxCat deputy and lawyer for Carles Puigdemont, Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, accused Gay of “teasing” the campaign by refusing to debate, although since the candidacy of the current dean, El Confidencial has been told that “our intention was always do not politicize the campaign, but to present a constructive debate, of proposals ”.
It so happens that Cuevillas was going to be, at first, a member of Gonçal Oliveros’s list, the same as the sovereign lawyer. Jordi Domingo García-Milà. However, none of them will be on the new board if Oliveros wins. But both have shown their preferences for this candidacy, for which they have campaigned more or less underhanded on social networks, and Cuevillas publicly assured that he would vote for this list. Gonçal Oliveros, for his part, explains to El Confidencial that his candidacy “is not pro-independence, but professional. In it there are lawyers who are sovereignists, but there are also others who are not, such as the former judge Elpidio Silva”. Anna Boza, her second in the candidacy and aspiring vice-dean, points out that “we are not sovereignists. We are uncomplexed”. And he emphasizes that “We do not come to do politics, but to work for the profession, because we are aware that the School is plural ”.
The sovereign label
The label of the sovereignist list, however, is very present: in Oliveros’ candidacy there are prominent lawyers very aligned with the independence movement, such as Sergi Blazquez, president of the Drets platform, which has been one of the entities that has filed complaints in national and international courts against the Spanish State. And other components of the list also do not hide their sympathies for sovereignty, such as Teresa Vallverdú, Assumption Martinez, Ramon Estebe, Lluís Mestres O Mireia Casals.
Oliveros and his companions on the list reproach Gay that in recent years the ICAB has not immersed itself in political issues
In addition, Oliveros and his fellow list members reproach Maria Eugènia Gay that in recent years the ICAB has not been drenched in political issues. “If the College of Physicians has an opinion on the pandemic from a medical point of view, why can’t the ICAB give an opinion on political-judicial issues from a legal point of view? We have the ability to express our opinion as a College and not do as the current board has done, which with everything that has happened in Catalonia, he has looked the other way. On all momentous issues there must be a legal opinion “Oliveros points out. This political use of the institution is the one advocated, for example, by the ANC and the one criticized by its rivals.
Since the candidacy of Maria Eugènia Gay it is pointed out that the current board of directors “always defended the neutrality of the institution, because sometimes it has to confront the public powers. We must bear in mind that the school has 25,000 members, each with their own ideas. And it must be governed for all. Even so, on issues such as convictions Pablo Hasél a statement was made calling for the reform of the Penal Code. In other words, what has been done is to use the channels provided for in the ordinance, but beyond that, no. We must preserve neutrality to be strong before the public powers ”.
Opinion Josep Martí Blanch
–
Gay points out to this newspaper that he is attending these elections with a program “to be able to consolidate a more supportive, more innovative ICAB, transversal, participatory, digitized and independent. We want a more social school, closer to society than ever and that is why we are going to create an Observatory of the Rights of the People ”. This instrument will serve to give a response to those affected by the health or financial crisis. In addition, he wants to turn the ICAB into a legal R & D & i reference center, setting up “a legal cluster dependent on the Regulations Commission to propose legislative reforms to the public powers.” It proposes to maintain free quality training, give more help to young lawyers, dignify the duty shift and implement measures for effective equality. “Our campaign slogan is ‘Now more.’ We have managed to make a closer, open, progressive and transversal candidacy. We have turned ICAB into benchmark for quality training in Europe. The entire team of the candidacy wants to consolidate what we have already started, because we have a vocation for continuous improvement ”, underlines Maria Eugènia Gay.
The opposition criticizes the “triumphalism” of the current dean and denies that the College is more open. “To school lacks empathy with lawyers. The members of the dome do not step on the street and it shows. There is no projection of the profession”Criticizes Gonçal Oliveros. Among the proposals of this candidate include working more for the lawyers, helping the office shift, providing management tools to the collegiate, implementing the electronic vote, create an office to support women lawyers and a daycare in the City of Justice, an office of attention to lawyers affected by covid, propose a 10% VAT, by considering the legal profession an essential service, and involving the College more in current affairs. Vanessa González, for her part, is also committed to ideological neutrality of the College, the dignity of the office shift, a drastic reduction in collegiate spending, the reduction of membership fees and the establishment of new fees.
–
