On 2 June 2020, the Executive Council of the Government of Catalonia approved resolution GOV/69/2020, setting up the 2022 Catalonia Task Force, a collegiate body that advises the president of the Government of Catalonia and the Executive Council with the aim of pooling talent from a broad range of spheres and disciplines and benefitting from a commitment from civil society to define policies aimed at assuring the competitiveness and development of Catalonia amid the future circumstances that may arise as a result of Covid-19.
The 2022 Catalonia Task Force has been coordinated by Victòria Alsina-Burgués and Genís Roca Verard, and is formed by the following members: Joan Abellà Barril, Jordi Amat Fusté, Oriol Amat i Salas, Josep Maria Benet Ferran, Elisenda Bou-Balust, Elies Campo i Cid, Mònica Campos Estévez, Albert Cañigueral Bagó, Mercè Crosas i Navarro, José Antonio Donaire Benito, Martina Font Olivé, Anna Garriga Ripoll, Gabriel Jené Llabrés, Jacint Jordana Casajuana, Josep Maria Martorell Rodon, Ramon Maspons Bosch, Neus Monllor Rico, Cristina Nadal Sanmartín, Laura Peracaula Basagaña, Mercedes Pujol Artigas, Coral Regí Rodríguez, Josep Maria Salas i Prat, Jordi Sellas i Ferrés, Maria Sisternas Tusell, Montse Solsona Pairó, Lluís Torner Sabata, Laura Urquizu Barasoain and Montserrat Vendrell Rius. It is attached to the Ministry of the Presidency and has benefitted from the support of the Directorate-General for Analysis and Foresight.
The task force operates on an entirely independent basis and has worked over two terms of office with an undertaking to deliver a document of proposals to the next Government of Catalonia that is formed. It performs a task that is complementary to the work of the Committee for Drafting the Social Protection and Economic Reactivation Plan as a result of the Covid-19 crisis (CORECO) – an Executive Council-led effort – and the work of the EU Next Generation Advisory Committee (CONEXT CAT-EU), which centres more specifically on the extraordinary funding put in place by the European Union.
The members of the 2022 Catalonia Task Force have set themselves the criterion of choosing actions that are realistically feasible in view of the current circumstances in Catalonia, without getting into economic or political speculation, focussing on those actions that can be launched in the short-term even if they may not immediately be accomplished. These actions are not just addressed to the Government of Catalonia; they also address other public and private organisations in Catalonia. In order to carry out this task they have engaged in dialogue with hundreds of individuals and organisations, and an appeal was made to the public with the result that more than 1,400 proposals for specific actions have been submitted. The outcome that is laid out is the result of a body of joint work, and the people that have contributed do not necessarily agree with all the proposals and conclusions set out.