Montaner backs promoting Catalan without restricting the language businesses use to communicate

Andorra Endavant leader Carine Montaner argues that Catalan should be promoted through incentives and questions language requirements that she believes make business activity more difficult.

In an interview with RTVA, she explained why her party voted against the Catalan language law, summing up her position with a forceful statement: “Catalan extremism, no; encouraging Catalan, yes.”

Montaner focused her criticism on what she sees as the legislation’s effects on commercial communications and the recruitment of professionals.

In her view, promoting the language should be accompanied by measures that support businesses and take account of companies serving international markets.

The costs of communicating with overseas markets

Montaner cited the example of Andorra-based businesses targeting English-, French- or Spanish-speaking customers. She argued that requiring them to communicate in Catalan and then in other languages creates additional costs when producing marketing content.

She referred specifically to social media videos produced by specialist companies. Preparing different versions or adding subtitles makes the work more expensive, even if only slightly, she said, questioning the impact of this requirement on entrepreneurs.

“It is a barrier to entrepreneurship,” she stated. The Andorra Endavant leader argued that business owners should have greater flexibility to operate and tailor their communications to their target audiences.

Language requirements in recruitment

Montaner also raised concerns about recruiting qualified professionals. During the interview, she described construction companies that, according to her account, struggle to hire engineers because of a requirement to demonstrate B2-level Catalan.

She said this can lead some companies to employ the professional as a technician instead. “In the end, we hire them as a technician, because that way they can come in. This cannot be right,” she said.

Montaner presented this example as a consequence of requirements she considers poorly suited to certain professional needs, particularly when people come to Andorra to carry out a specific assignment.

Incentives to encourage the use of Catalan

The Andorra Endavant leader reiterated that she supports encouraging the use of Catalan, but disagrees with the system of obligations she attributes to the law. She linked this disagreement to her party’s vote against the legislation and its position on making it easier for businesses to operate.

Her remarks focused on how the language is promoted and the costs that language requirements impose on businesses.

Montaner called for a policy that encourages the use of Catalan while taking account of businesses’ international communications and their need to recruit suitable professionals.