Congress introduced simultaneous interpretation in September 2023, so MPs could follow proceedings in co-official languages through earpieces. The system covers Catalan and Basque, with Galician also included; interpreters translate live.
Míriam Nogueras said the equipment would remain if Junts again held a decisive position in Congress. The Junts candidate for the general election replied on X to Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, the PP deputy and second-placed candidate on her party’s Madrid list.
Álvarez de Toledo had said in an interview with COPE that removing the earpieces would be her first measure, even before a government was formed. She described the translation system as a “symbol of separation between Spaniards” and said the PP wanted to “tear down walls”. These are her stated positions, not a decision adopted by Congress.
The cost is another part of the dispute. From the system’s launch in September 2023 to mid-2026, Congress spent more than €4 million on translation, hiring translators and interpreters; the bill also covered subtitling and translation devices. The Board of Congress has also approved contracts estimated to cost between €4.6 million and €5 million a year, with a projected total of up to €15 million through 2027.
The disagreement concerns the use of co-official languages in the chamber and the expense of providing interpretation. In a separate report, an earlier account covered PP leader Alberto Núñez-Feijóo’s refusal to name a former prime minister for a ministerial post.
