Catalunya will approve budgets for 2026 this Friday for 49,162 million euros, 22.8% more than the last accounts of 2023, in an extraordinary Consell Executiu convened for nine in the morning. The Government plans to bring the final approval to mid-July.
The spending leap is linked to long-demanded agreements in Barcelona, from the tram along Diagonal to the rehabilitation of Besòs i el Maresme, but also to regulatory and governance changes that go beyond a specific item. Among them is the reform of the urban planning law before summer to allow city councils to veto speculative purchases in tense areas and the reformulation of the Consorci de la Zona Franca to give a majority to the Catalan side.
The Generalitat will assume 80 million for the tram to Francesc Macià
One of the commitments included in the accounts affects the connection of the tram along Diagonal. The Generalitat de Catalunya, within the framework of the ATM, will assume 80 million euros for the structure of the extension to Francesc Macià.
The Barcelona City Council will finance the redevelopment of Avenida Diagonal and the doubling of the collector for waters. In mobility, the accounts also lay the groundwork for connecting metro lines one and three between Trinitat Vella and Trinitat Nova, as well as facilitating the execution of pending works on line nine and FGC line eight.
The budgetary approval will also allow Incasòl to promote housing developments on plots ceded by the city council. This framework aligns with the protected land reserve and with the intention of expanding public capacity to promote apartments in the city.
Besòs i el Maresme will receive 15 million in 2026 to rehabilitate 4,000 homes
The other block with territorial weight is concentrated in Sant Martí. The accounts foresee an injection of 15 million euros in 2026 for the rehabilitation of the Besòs i el Maresme neighborhood, within a cumulative commitment of 415 million until 2036 to act on 4,000 homes.
Of this amount, the Generalitat de Catalunya will contribute 150 million, at a rate of 15 million per year, while the City Council will cover the rest. Management must be channeled through a mixed company that must be established before the end of the year.
The urban planning agreement also includes the modification of the law before summer so that city councils can prohibit speculative purchases through special plans in tense areas. Barcelona wants to be the first city to apply this tool, in a scenario that connects with the measures against real estate pressure already proposed in the Catalan capital.
The accounts add CAP, educational facilities and the expansion of the Clínic
Health and education concentrate another part of the planned investments. The budgets incorporate allocations to execute 10 primary care centers planned in Ciutat Vella, Sant Andreu, Horta-Guinardó and Eixample.
They will also finance the expansion of the Hospital Clínic in Eixample and the transformation of the Model into a school institute. In parallel, the facilities of the AISS football field in Sant Martí will be updated and the works of the Institut Escola 30 Passos in Sant Andreu will be accelerated.
ERC has also incorporated an institutional change in the Consorci de la Zona Franca so that the Catalan side will have the majority. The proposal sets 40% for the Generalitat de Catalunya and 15% for the Barcelona City Council, compared to the current majority of the State.