Dalmau takes over the Department of Business and Labour during Sàmper's absence

The Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau Miranda, will be in charge of the office of the Department of Enterprise and Labor from September 19 to September 26, 2026, while its head, Miquel Sàmper i Rodríguez, remains outside Catalonia. This decision is formalized by Decree 174/2026, of September 15, signed by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa i Roca, and published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat of Catalonia (DOGC) no. 9754, of September 18, 2026, within the Positions and Personnel section, with the official reference CVE-DOGC-A-26259035-2026.

The text is based on the observation that the Minister of Enterprise and Labor “must be absent from Catalonia from September 19 to September 26, 2026” and that, therefore, it is necessary to entrust the office of his Department to another minister. The decree is framed within article 12.1 k) and article 20 of Law 13/2008, of November 5, on the presidency of the Generalitat and the Government, and was signed in Barcelona on September 15, 2026.

An eight-day assignment over an economic department

The sole article of the decree assigns the ordinary office of the Department of Enterprise and Labor to Albert Dalmau Miranda throughout the absence of the head. The assignment covers eight calendar days, from Saturday, September 19 to Saturday, September 26, 2026, and remains in effect until Miquel Sàmper i Rodríguez returns to Catalonia.

This is a common formula in the functioning of the Government: the “despatx” (office assignment) does not change the ownership of the department, but temporarily transfers the political direction of affairs to another member of the executive. In this case, the responsibility falls on the Minister of the Presidency, the department that already recurrently assumes this type of assignment.

Presidency, the department that accumulates the most substitutions

Albert Dalmau Miranda has already performed this function on several occasions during the last few weeks, both over economic departments and other portfolios:

• Decree 167/2026, of September 8: office of European Union and Foreign Action, from September 15 to 17, 2026.
• Decree 147/2026, of August 31: office of Sports, on September 2 and 3, 2026.
• Substitution in the exercise of the functions of the presidency of the Generalitat, from September 2 to 5, 2026, during the absence of the president.

Precedents at the head of Enterprise and Labor

The absence of Miquel Sàmper i Rodríguez is not an isolated case: his department has already been entrusted to other ministers in previous weeks.

• Decree 159/2026, of September 7: on September 8 and 9, 2026, the office was transferred to the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero Llano.
• Decree 131/2026, of July 23: from August 17 to 25, 2026, the office corresponded to the Minister of Equality and Feminism.
• Decree 140/2026, of July 31: conversely, Miquel Sàmper i Rodríguez assumed the Health office from August 1 to 16, 2026, during the absence of Olga Pané Mena.

The publication of this decree guarantees the administrative continuity of a department key to the Catalan economy for a full week, and provides an official record of who signs and is responsible for its affairs in the absence of the holder. For readers, it is the reference to know whom to contact or who decides on matters of business, labor, and employment between September 19 and 26, 2026.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC), no. 9754, September 18, 2026, Positions and Personnel, p. 1 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26259035-2026).