The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, announced on Monday the departure of Mónica Martínez Bravo from the Ministry of Social Rights, who will be replaced by Raúl Moreno, a social educator and former deputy mayor of Santa Coloma de Gramenet.
The new Minister of Social Rights, Raúl Moreno, will take office on Tuesday after being appointed by President Salvador Illa, replacing Mónica Martínez Bravo, who has requested to leave the position for personal reasons. Moreno, 45 years old and born in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, was until now the general secretary of the same ministry and has been deputy mayor in his city's council, where he has managed social areas for over a decade.
A change that does not alter policies, according to Illa
At the swearing-in ceremony, Illa made it clear that this is “a change of minister, not of policies”. The president emphasized that the line of work in Social Rights remains intact, focusing on the execution of the recently approved 2026 budgets and the development of the guaranteed citizen income. The change comes just before the two-year mark of the legislature, a moment that Illa has described as “stability”.
Moreno, a trained social educator, began his political career in the Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council, where he was a councillor for Social Services and later deputy mayor. Since 2021, he has been a deputy in the Parliament for the PSC and deputy spokesperson for the socialist group, until in 2024 he took over the general secretariat of the ministry he now leads. His technical profile and proximity to the municipalities in the metropolitan area, especially in Barcelonès Nord, is valued by the Govern to promote coordination with the town councils in social services matters.
The departure of Martínez Bravo for personal reasons
Mónica Martínez Bravo, a doctor in Economics from MIT and a graduate of Pompeu Fabra University, has been a minister since the beginning of the legislature in August 2024. Previously, she was the general secretary for Inclusion in the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration. According to sources from the Govern, the outgoing minister has asked Illa to leave her responsibility because “she lives between Barcelona and Madrid, where her family resides”, and balancing her commitments has become unsustainable. Her departure was not anticipated: just a week ago, Illa himself stated that he did not foresee changes in his executive.
The opposition has reacted with skepticism. ERC, through its general secretary Elisenda Alamany, has described the situation of the Govern as “precarious” and predicted more internal changes. Junts, through its spokesperson Salvador Vergés, has labelled the move as “cosmetic” and called for a “deep restructuring”. The CUP has stated that the change “is not really a change”, while the PP of Catalonia has joked that “the most important change Illa needs to make is his own”. The Comuns, on the other hand, have downplayed the change, framing it as a personal decision by Martínez Bravo.
For the residents of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Moreno's appointment represents a strengthening of the municipality's presence in the Govern. Moreno has been a key player in local politics for over 15 years, and his rise to minister is seen as recognition of the PSC's weight in Barcelonès Nord. Additionally, his experience in managing social services in a densely populated municipality with diverse needs could provide a practical perspective to the ministry.
Budgets and future movements in the Govern
The week has also begun with the order from the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, to the departments to start internal work for the 2027 budgets. The Minister of Territory and spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, has stated that the Govern sets as “priority objectives” the execution of the 2026 accounts and obtaining Congress's endorsement for the agreed regional financing with the central government, without renouncing to have new accounts in 2027. However, Illa assured on Monday that the budgets approved on July 2 provide “scope for the entire legislature”.
Parliamentary sources indicate that the Minister of Health, Olga Pané, may also leave the executive before the end of the term voluntarily. Socialist sources believe it is likely that Paneque herself will be the PSC's candidate for mayor in Girona, although she has not commented. For now, the only change is Moreno, who takes over the Ministry of Social Rights with the promise of “continuity and closeness” to the town councils in the metropolitan area.
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