Salvador Illa Roca (; born 5 May 1966) is a Spanish politician serving as the
President of the Government of Catalonia
The president of the Government of Catalonia (, ) is head of government of Catalonia, leading the executive branch of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Catalan government.
It is one of the bodies that the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia stipul ...
since 2024. He also served as
Minister of Health of Spain from 2020 to 2021. He has been the Secretary for Organization of the
Socialists' Party of Catalonia
The Socialists' Party of Catalonia (, PSC–PSOE) is a social democratic political party in Catalonia, Spain, resulting from the merger of three parties: the Socialist Party of Catalonia–Regrouping, led by Josep Pallach i Carolà, the Socia ...
since 2016, and the candidate for the presidency of Catalonia for this party. Previously, Illa served as Mayor of
La Roca del Vallès
La Roca del Vallès () is a village in the comarca of Vallès Oriental in the province of Barcelona in Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statu ...
from 1995 to 2005.
Early years and studies
Born in
La Roca del Vallès
La Roca del Vallès () is a village in the comarca of Vallès Oriental in the province of Barcelona in Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statu ...
, Spain on 5 May 1966, Illa is the son of Josep Illa, a worker at the Textiles and Embroidery factory in that municipality, and María Roca, who owned a small textile workshop. He has two younger brothers, Ramón and José María.
Illa attended Escola Pía School in
Granollers
Granollers (; ) is a city in central Catalonia, about 30 kilometres north-east of Barcelona. It is the capital and most densely populated city in the comarca of Vallès Oriental.
Granollers is now a bustling business centre, having grown from ...
and he studied in the
University of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...
, where he received his
Philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
degree. He is Associate Professor of the
Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations
The Romance of Evast and Blaquerna (Old Catalan: ''Romanç d'Evast e Blaquerna''), often shortened to ''Blaquerna'' or ''Blanquerna'', is a novel written in Catalan between 1283 and 1285 by the Majorcan Ramon Llull. It chronicles the life of its ...
. Illa also studied a master's degree in Economics and Business Management at
IESE Business School
IESE Business School is the Catholic Church, Catholic graduate business school of the University of Navarra. It was established in Barcelona in 1958 by Opus Dei. From 1963, in collaboration with Harvard Business School, it offers a two-year Maste ...
,
University of Navarra
The University of Navarra is a private Catholic research university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of '' Opus Dei'', as a corporat ...
.
He completed
compulsory military service
Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...
, graduating as
Alférez
In medieval Iberia, an ''alférez'' (, ) or ''alferes'' (, ) was a high-ranking official in the household of a king or magnate. The term is derived from the Arabic ('' al-fāris''), meaning "knight" or "cavalier", and it was commonly Latinised ...
in a company of the
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century.
The Spanish Army has existed ...
Headquarters of Bruc,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
.
Early political career
He was elected councillor of the City Council of La Roca del Vallès in 1987 and he was appointed Councillor for Culture under Mayor Romà Planas i Miró.
In 1995, he joined the
Socialists' Party of Catalonia
The Socialists' Party of Catalonia (, PSC–PSOE) is a social democratic political party in Catalonia, Spain, resulting from the merger of three parties: the Socialist Party of Catalonia–Regrouping, led by Josep Pallach i Carolà, the Socia ...
(PSC) and he became Mayor in replacement of the deceased Mayor. During his first term, La Roca Village was built, a shopping center that attracts nearly 4 million visitors each year.
He was ousted as Mayor after a successful vote of no confidence in early 1999, but he soon made a comeback as his party commanded a qualified majority at the
June 1999 local elections. In 2009, he moved to the private sector, being CEO of the audiovisual production company Cromosoma, a position he held for nine months.
In September 2005, he was appointed Director-General for Infrastructure Management of the Department of Justice of the
Regional Government of Catalonia. From 2010 to 2011 he was Director of the Economic Management Office of the
City Council of Barcelona
The City Council of Barcelona (Catalan language, Catalan: ''Ajuntament de Barcelona''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Ayuntamiento de Barcelona'') is the top-tier administrative and governing body of the Barcelona, municipality of Barcelona, Catal ...
and Coordinator of the Local Socialist Group in the City Council from 2011 to 2016.
Secretary for Organization of PSC
In November 2016,
PSC's leader
Miquel Iceta
Miquel Iceta Llorens (born 17 August 1960) is a Spanish politician who served as minister of Culture and Sport from July 2021 to November 2023 and as minister of Territorial Policy and Civil Service from January to July 2021.
He's one of the ...
appointed him for the position of Secretary for Organization. Illa was the highest-rank politician from among the PSC cadres who attended the "Prou! Recuperem el seny" (') anti-independence demonstration in Barcelona on 8 October 2017 organized by
Societat Civil Catalana
Societat Civil Catalana (SCC, "Catalan Civil Society") is a Spanish unionism, Spanish unionist organization based in Barcelona. Launched in 2014, SCC seek to counter the Catalan independence movement.
Structure
Elda Mata Miró-Sans is the curr ...
.
He was part, along with
Adriana Lastra
Adriana Lastra Fernández (born 30 March 1979 in Ribadesella) is a Spanish politician member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party who served as the Spokesperson of the Socialist Group in the Congress of Deputies. She was also the Deputy Secre ...
and
José Luis Ábalos
José Luis Ábalos Meco (born 9 December 1959) is a Spanish politician serving as member of the Congress of Deputies since 2009. A long-time member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, he was expelled from the party in 2025 for his involvemen ...
, of the negotiating team of the
PSOE
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( , PSOE ) is a Social democracy, social democratic Updated as required.The PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources:
*
*
*
* List of political parties in Spain, political party ...
that reached an agreement with
ERC for their abstention in the investiture of
Pedro Sánchez
Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón (; born 29 February 1972) is a Spanish politician who has served as Prime Minister of Spain since 2018. He has also been Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since July 2017, having p ...
in January 2020.
Minister of Health
On 10 January 2020, he was unveiled as prospective
Minister of Health
A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...
, replacing
María Luisa Carcedo
María Luisa Carcedo Roces (born 30 August 1953) is a Spanish doctor, politician and former senator who belongs to the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). From 2018 to 2020, she served as minister of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Wel ...
. He was appointed by
King Felipe VI of Spain
Felipe VI (; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed For ...
on January 13, taking oath before the Sovereign that day. Illa succeeded Carcedo in taking responsibility for public health affairs, but not in responsibilities for consumer affairs and social welfare, which were transferred to two newly established offices. Illa had no experience in health, his appointment was portrayed by the media as that of a "manager", noting that his possible role in the government was not merely carrying the health portfolio but a channel of communication with
Catalan independentism
The Catalan independence movement (; ; ) is a social and political movement with roots in Catalan nationalism that seeks the independence of Catalonia from Spain.
While proposals, organizations and individuals advocating for Catalan independenc ...
.
COVID-19 pandemic
One of the first challenges faced by the minister was the outbreak of coronavirus in late 2019. Following the health crisis caused by
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
, various media reported that he temporarily moved to live at the
Moncloa Palace
The Palace of Moncloa (), also known as Moncloa Palace or La Moncloa, is the official residence and workplace of the President of the Government (Spanish: ''Presidente del Gobierno''), a position usually known in the English language as the Prime ...
.

In late January 2020, the
Ministry of Health, in coordination with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
, started the process to repatriate around twenty Spaniards from China. On 29 January it was announced that they would be held in quarantine for 14 days in a
military hospital
A military hospital is a hospital owned or operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a m ...
in Madrid. In a joint operation with the government of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, they arrived to Spain on 31 January and they were discharged on 13 February. The first case of coronavirus in Spain was recorded on 31 January 2020 in the
Canary Island
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the continent being 100 kilometres (62 mi ...
of
La Gomera
La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gomer ...
. The patient, one of a group of five people was taken into observation after they had come into contact with a German man diagnosed with the virus. Since then, multiple cases were recorded. On 3 March 2020, the health authorities announced that a post-mortem test proved that the first coronavirus death in Spain occurred on 13 February 2020. That day, the health ministry suspended all medical conferences indefinitely to ensure the availability of all medical professionals and it recommended sports matches played against Italian teams be played without fans.
On 10 March, the central government, led by the Health Ministry, adopted more stringent measures. Among them were halting flights to
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and banning large scale gatherings in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
,
Basque Country, and
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...
(regions with high risk of contagious). This measures were complemented with other ones taken by regional governments such as shut down schools by the regional governments of Madrid, the Basque Country and La Rioja, as well as the suspension of the
Fallas
The Fallas (; ) is a traditional celebration held annually in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia, Spain. The five main days celebrated are from 15 to 19 March, by the
Valencian government, after the recommendation of the Ministry of Health.
Throughout the pandemic, Illa appeared regularly at the
Congressional
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...
Health Committee to report on the exceptional situation that Spain went through in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, amid criticism from the political opposition for the management of his department. In June 2020, he announced a National Preparedness and Response Plan for possible outbreaks.

In August, the minister carried out an important reform of the Ministry of Health, recovering the historic Secretariat of State for Health; he suppressed the General Secretariat for Health and created a new General Secretariat for Digital Health, all with the aim of improving the management of the pandemic by the Government and to achieve a more efficient and modern health system. In this sense, at the same time he announced that his department was going to develop a law to create a National Agency for Public Health. This objective was reflected in the
general state budget
The General State Budget (''Spanish: Presupuestos Generales del Estado'', PGE) comprises the spending and revenues of Spain's central government. The PGE is considered the most important act that a government enacts in a year and determine its po ...
for 2021 with an allocation of five million euros for the launch of the agency.
At the beginning of September 2020, Illa estimated that the vaccine could be ready and the vaccination campaign could begin at the end of December. Thus, in November 2020, the Minister of Health, together with the Secretary of State for Health,
Silvia Calzón, presented the government's national vaccination strategy, which would begin at the end of December. On 21 December 2020, the
European Medicines Agency
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) in charge of the evaluation and supervision of pharmaceutical products. Prior to 2004, it was known as the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products ...
approved the use of the first of the vaccines, the one developed by
BioNTech
BioNTech SE ( ; or short for Biopharmaceutical New Technologies) is a German multinational biotechnology company headquartered in Mainz that develops immunotherapies and vaccines, particularly for cancer and infectious diseases.
The compan ...
and
Pfizer
Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...
. The first doses arrived in Spain and the rest of the member states of the European Union on 26 December and mass vaccination began a day later.
Illa resigned as minister of Health in January 2021 to focus on the
Catalan regional election.
Return to regional politics
On 30 December 2020, PSC leader
Miquel Iceta
Miquel Iceta Llorens (born 17 August 1960) is a Spanish politician who served as minister of Culture and Sport from July 2021 to November 2023 and as minister of Territorial Policy and Civil Service from January to July 2021.
He's one of the ...
announced his decision of stepping back and not to be the candidate of the party in the
Catalan regional election of 14 February 2021 and announced that Illa would be the head of the candidacy. On 22 January 2021, it was announced that Illa had left the ministry to concentrate on the Catalan Elections scheduled for February 2021. He won the Catalan elections but could not form government, and stayed as head of opposition.
In March 2024, Illa was confirmed as PSC candidate at the
2024 Catalan Parliament election.
Under his leadership the Socialist Party won the most seats and formed a
confidence and supply
In parliamentary system, parliamentary democracies based on the Westminster system, confidence and supply is an arrangement under which a minority government (one which does not control a majority in the legislature) receives the support of one ...
agreement with
ERC and
Comuns Sumar
Comuns Sumar () is a Catalan-based electoral alliance formed by Catalunya en Comú, Barcelona in Common and Movimiento Sumar ahead of the 2024 Catalan regional election
A regional election was held in Catalonia on Sunday, 12 May 2024, to elec ...
allowing him to form
a government composed solely of PSC and independent members. He became
President of the Government of Catalonia
The president of the Government of Catalonia (, ) is head of government of Catalonia, leading the executive branch of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Catalan government.
It is one of the bodies that the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia stipul ...
on 10 August.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Illa, Salvador
1966 births
University of Barcelona alumni
Living people
Municipal councillors in the province of Barcelona
Mayors of places in Catalonia
Health ministers of Spain
20th-century Spanish politicians
21st-century Spanish politicians
People from Vallès Oriental