Generalitat de Catalunya

Generalitat of Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community according to the Spanish Constitution of 1978 and the new Statute of Autonomy, approved in 2006. The Generalitat is the institutional system around which Catalonia's self-government is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the Presidency, the Government and other self-governing bodies. The Generalitat has extensive competencies in matters such as education, health, citizen security and civil protection, culture, linguistic policy, industry, urban development, housing, regional politics, transport and environment, and development cooperation. The Generalitat has been providing development assistance since 1986. In 2001, a development cooperation law was passed which established a full-fledged public policy in this area. Subsequently, the Directorate General for Development Cooperation, in charge of the strategic direction, and the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation, in charge of the implementation of the policy, were created.