Antoni Comín i Oliveres

Antoni Comín i Oliveres is a Catalan politician and philosopher, and a Junts MEP representing the pro-independence camp in Brussels.

Political career

Antoni Comín i Oliveres was born in 1971 and trained as a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic background that has shaped both his political vocabulary and his public profile. Before entering frontline institutional politics, he built a reputation in Catalan progressive and sovereigntist circles as an intellectual and advocate of social-democratic and self-determination arguments. His trajectory placed him within the broad spectrum of Catalan left-wing nationalism, where questions of social justice, national identity and institutional reform are often closely linked.

His most visible governmental role in Catalonia came in 2016, when he was appointed Regional Minister of Health in the Government of Catalonia. He held that office until 2017, a period marked by intense political tension around the Catalan procés and the escalating confrontation between the Catalan institutions and the Spanish state. As health minister, he operated in a highly politicised environment in which the Generalitat’s day-to-day governance increasingly overlapped with the independence conflict.

After the unilateral push towards independence in 2017 and the ensuing Spanish judicial response, Comín left for Belgium, where he lived in exile alongside Carles Puigdemont and other former Catalan officials. That exile became central to his political identity: he was not simply an overseas representative, but part of a wider strategy to maintain a pro-independence institutional presence outside Spain and to contest the legitimacy of the Spanish judiciary’s actions in the European arena.

In 2019, he was elected Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Junts per Catalunya (Junts). His election to the European Parliament after the procés gave him a new platform to internationalise the Catalan independence cause, while also situating him within European debates on rule of law, parliamentary immunity and minority rights. He has remained an MEP since 2019, and his work in Brussels has reflected Junts’ dual strategy of defending Catalan self-determination and challenging the Spanish state’s handling of the independence crisis.

Relationship with the public

Comín’s relationship with the public is shaped by two parallel images. Among supporters of Catalan independence, he is often seen as a committed, articulate and intellectually serious figure who has remained loyal to the cause under pressure. His years in Belgium reinforced that image: for supporters, exile signified political perseverance rather than withdrawal.

At the same time, his public profile has been deeply polarising outside the independence camp. To opponents of secession, he is identified with the institutions and decisions associated with the 2017 crisis, and his politics are often read through the prism of confrontation with Spain rather than through his health-policy record. This has made him a highly recognisable figure in Catalan and Spanish media, but one whose resonance is strongest among already sympathetic audiences.

In media terms, Comín is considered a skilled communicator, especially in debates where legal, institutional and ethical arguments intersect. His philosophical training is often visible in interviews and speeches, where he tends to frame issues in normative terms. He is also part of the generation of Catalan politicians whose careers have been transformed by the media dimension of the procés, with Brussels, exile and European legal disputes becoming as important to public perception as domestic policy.

Positions and political profile

Comín’s political profile combines Catalan nationalism, social democracy, and a strong emphasis on self-determination. Within Junts, he is aligned with the party’s pro-independence and internationally oriented wing, although his intellectual background gives his interventions a more theoretical tone than that of many party colleagues. He is generally associated with the idea that the Catalan question is not merely a territorial dispute, but a matter of democratic legitimacy and political rights.

During his time as health minister, and more broadly in his public life, he has defended a model of public policy that connects welfare state protections with political sovereignty. His record and rhetoric place weight on public services, institutional dignity and civil liberties. In the European Parliament, these themes have been paired with criticism of Spain’s treatment of the independence movement and with an effort to project the Catalan case onto the European stage.

He is perceived inside Junts as a high-value symbolic and strategic asset: a former minister, an exile, and an MEP whose presence helps keep the independence issue visible in Europe. Outside the party, assessments are more divided. Supporters of constitutional unity often view him as part of the leadership that challenged Spanish legality in 2017, while sympathetic observers tend to see him as a serious and consistent advocate of democratic contestation. His defining political moment remains his decision to align himself fully with the post-referendum independence camp and to continue that line from exile and the European Parliament.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Antoni Comín i Oliveres? Antoni Comín i Oliveres is a Catalan politician and philosopher born in 1971, currently serving as a Member of the European Parliament for Junts per Catalunya.

What party does Antoni Comín belong to? He belongs to Junts per Catalunya (Junts), the pro-independence Catalan party associated with Carles Puigdemont.

What did Antoni Comín do before the European Parliament? Before becoming an MEP in 2019, he served as Regional Minister of Health in the Government of Catalonia from 2016 to 2017.

Why did Antoni Comín live in Belgium? He lived in Belgium after the Catalan independence crisis of 2017, alongside other former Catalan officials, including Carles Puigdemont.

What are Antoni Comín’s main political positions? He is known for defending Catalan self-determination, pro-independence politics, and a public-policy outlook that links social rights with institutional sovereignty.

Is Antoni Comín mainly a national or European politician now? He is currently best described as a European-level politician, because his main elected office is in the European Parliament, where he represents Junts and the Catalan independence cause.