The budget pacts with ERC and Comuns distribute €893M, 1.8% of the total
They arise from about 530 M€ of extra income thanks to the good performance of the economy and the 360 M€ that the Government kept in February to reach an agreement with ERC
BarcelonaAfter almost three months of budgetary negotiation, the budget agreement has served to allocate 893 million euros this 2026, 1.8% of the Generalitat's total expenditure of 49.162 million.
Despite the new agreement, the main figures of the accounts that the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, brought to Parliament this Friday are the same as in February: 49.162 million in budget expenditure, 4.146 million in investments, and 329.6 million in deficit (0.1% of GDP). The head of the department insisted that the 893 million euros do not count as additional funds, but that, at the same time, they do not come from one item to be allocated to another.
On the one hand, it is a budget of 360 million euros that the executive already included in the February figures, but which had not been distributed pending their allocation to agreements to be reached with ERC. On the other hand, the remaining 530 million euros are income generated thanks to the good performance of the economy.
With this operation, the Government is left without back-up resources to face situations such as a possible agreement with teachers, who are requesting 500 euros more in salary and 6,000 new resources. Romero has assured that both the socialists and ERC and Comuns are "willing to give up something" of their pacts "for the benefit of the agreement with the teachers". "A budget is alive, it is flexible, and we make many budgetary modifications throughout the year. If there is an agreement, we will have to make adjustments," explained the minister.
These resources are part of a three-way pact between the Government, ERC and Comuns with the year 2030 as its horizon. Until then, it plans to mobilize 4,693 million euros in the next four years, even though the legislature will end at the latest in 2028.
The impact of the 893 million
Salvador Illa's Government has detailed how it will distribute the 893 million from the pact with ERC and Comuns among departments, to be executed this year, but not how these translate into spending on specific policies, such as health, education, or housing.
The Department of Health will see its budget grow the most, with an additional 251 million euros; followed by Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, with 203 million, and Education, with 135 million.
By items, the agreement with ERC sets aside 527 million for the Tax Agency of Catalonia (ATC), although the Ministry of Economy only expects to have 21 million more than it had in February during 2026.
Until 2030, the pact with the Republicans also provides for 160 million euros to promote housing rehabilitation, which will be complemented by a financing line from the Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF) of 50 million euros annually; 100 million to air-condition schools next academic year, and 25 million for child and adolescent mental health, among others.
The agreement with Comuns includes allocating 1,500 million in its own resources during this legislature and increasing the allocation of the neighborhood law from 200 million euros annually to 400 million.