Alícia Romero assumes the presidential substitute role from September 16 to 18

The Minister of Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero Llano, will assume the substitution in the exercise of the functions of the presidency of the Generalitat from September 16 to September 18, 2026, while President Salvador Illa i Roca remains outside Catalonia. This is determined by Decree 170/2026, of September 15, signed by the president and published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat of Catalonia (DOGC) no. 9752, of September 16, 2026, within the Positions and Personnel section, with the official reference CVE-DOGC-A-26258057-2026. This is the first time this summer that the head of Economy and Finance has assumed the presidential substitution.

The decree is issued under article 6 of Law 13/2008, of November 5, on the presidency of the Generalitat and the Government, which regulates who exercises the functions of the president in case of absence. The text was signed in Barcelona on September 15, 2026, by President Salvador Illa i Roca.

A single-article decree

Decree 170/2026 has a minimal structure: a preamble justifying the need to determine the person who will exercise the substitution due to absence and a single article designating her. The article establishes that during the president’s absence, from September 16 to 18, the substitution in the exercise of the functions of the presidency of the Generalitat will be exercised by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Ms. Alícia Romero Llano.

The regulation does not detail the reason or the destination of the presidential trip, but only the condition that the president remains outside Catalonia. The publication occupies one page of the DOGC and bears the registration number 26,258,057.

Background: presidential substitution this summer

The designation of Romero adds to a sequence of substitution decrees published during the summer months:

• Decree 125/2026, of July 23 (DOGC no. 9729, of August 13): substitution from August 13 to 23, divided between the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau Miranda (August 13 and 14), the Minister of Interior and Public Security, Núria Parlon Gil (August 15 and 16), and the Minister of Justice and Democratic Quality, Ramon Espadaler Parcerisas (from August 17 to 23).
• Decree 146/2026, of August 31 (DOGC no. 9743, of September 2): substitution from September 2 to 5 in favor of the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau Miranda.

In all cases, the mechanism is identical: a decree signed by the president designating a minister to exercise the functions of the presidency while he is outside Catalonia.

Romero accumulates the substitution and the Agriculture office

The appointment coincides with another current assignment for the same minister. Decree 158/2026, of September 4 (DOGC no. 9748, of September 9), entrusts her with the management of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food from September 9 to 16, 2026, while the minister Òscar Ordeig i Molist is away from Catalonia.

This means that on September 16, Alícia Romero Llano simultaneously assumes the substitute presidency of the Generalitat and the management of the Department of Agriculture, in addition to her role as head of Economy and Finance. The final day of the Agriculture assignment is precisely the first day of the presidential substitution.

The publication in the DOGC confirms an institutional handover of short duration but high impact: for three days, the minister of Economy and Finance assumes the functions of head of the Catalan executive, with the capacity to sign decrees and represent the Generalitat. The official text is the reference for verifying the exact scope and validity of the substitution.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9752, September 16, 2026, Positions and Personnel, p. 1 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26258057-2026).