The builders clarify to the Government: there are 3,000 homes underway from the 50,000 Plan, not 31,000

Catalan builders have stated that the Generalitat has only tendered 3,000 flats from the renowned 50,000 Plan, thus qualifying what the President of the Government, Salvador Illa, said there were 31,041 "underway" during an intervention in Parliament in October. Furthermore, they have warned that "none are finished". The Catalan executive committed to incorporate 50,000 affordable rental flats into the market, which must be built by 2030.

"What the president says is underway is because he has it in mind, but urban generation plans still need to be changed. He considers them done," warned the president of the Chamber of Contractors of Public Works of Catalonia (CCOC), Lluís Moreno, who did admit that Illa surely has them located.

He detailed that four lots have been tendered, 2,000 by the Generalitat and the remaining thousand by the town councils, and that they are "distributed throughout all regions". In this scenario, Moreno predicted that it will not be until 2040 that the 50,000 homes will be ready.

In 2025, 16,562 homes were completed in Catalonia in total, 25% more than the previous year, but 15,589 were started, 0.01% less than in 2024. The CCOC estimates that 30,000 finished homes must be introduced to the market each year to respond to population growth and the characteristics of new households. Public housing production only accounts for 2% of the total.

Optimism in the sector

The construction sector grew by 5.4%, including housing, infrastructure, and other non-residential buildings. Construction is growing again for the first time since 2019 above the pace of the Catalan economy —Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 2.7%—, although it has not yet recovered pre-pandemic levels.Moreno has expressed “guarded optimism” regarding the future of the activity, because “anything can derail optimism”, in a macroeconomic and geopolitical environment “of high volatility”. The demand for housing and the planned public investment in infrastructure seem to be incentivizing future activity. The CCOC forecasts that residential construction will increase between 2.5% and 3% this year, and between 3% and 4% in 2027. It attributes growth expectations to the "strength of demand", although it highlights "the slow response of supply". The segment of construction that will gain the most momentum will be civil works — railway, energy, hydraulic, and road infrastructure —, which will grow up to 6% this year and, next year, between 3.5% and 6%. On the other hand, construction companies warn that public tender budgets "do not reflect real prices", driven by the war in Iran and the crisis in Hormuz. Going back to 2020, material costs have soared by 30% and labor costs by 20.2%. Moreno recalled that companies "cannot assume unlimited risks" and demanded that administrations include price review mechanisms in the tender documents. Last year, in 45% of tenders, only one or two companies competed.Budget execution

Construction companies have once again raised concerns about the budgetary execution of administrations, especially the State. As pointed out by Foment del Treball in a study, the Spanish government has executed 57.4% of the investment promised to Catalonia between 2009 and 2025, and the Generalitat, 89.6%. They accumulate deficits of 12,935.4 million euros and 3,107 million euros respectively.Construction represents 4.4% of the Catalan economy, a figure that "is not serious" because it is an economy "very diversified and service-oriented", according to Rubén Gil, author of the report. However, he opined that "it is not incompatible to have a developed economy and a construction sector with a significant weight", as is the case in the Basque Country, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands or France, where it is around 5%.