The ridiculous state investment in Catalonia does not improve
Catalonia concentrates 17% of the State's population and contributes 19% of Spanish GDP. It would make sense for these indicators to be valued when making state investments that facilitate the population's well-being, for justice, and the growth of its economy, for the benefit of the whole. Instead, year after year, and we've had many, too many, what is demonstrated is a chronic deficit of investments that in no way corresponds to the demographic and economic weight of the country. According to reports that the Treasury has sent to political parties and Congress, the central government spent only 8.6% of all the investment it executed during the year 2025 in the autonomous communities in Catalonia. 8.6%. Less than half of what would be appropriate.
Comparisons are odious, but it is inevitable to be outraged by the difference with Madrid, which receives more than 20% of the resources spent by the State; if we look at spending per inhabitant, each Madrileño received 452.31 euros, while each Catalan had to settle for 162.62 euros. And this considering that in La Moncloa there is a socialist government that is alive thanks to the support of Catalan forces and that in Catalonia there is also a socialist government that is, for now, almost the last bastion of Sánchez in the State. If, even so, there is this absolute lack of sensitivity towards the needs of Catalan citizens, imagine what happens when those in charge in Madrid are openly anti-Catalan forces.
Well, there's not much to imagine, because it has already happened. In fact, historically this underinvestment has been a constant that, for example, in 2020 a report by the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona denounced, which analyzed what had happened in the first 20 years of the century: the result was that 25% of what had been promised had been invested. And here lies the catch. There are many promises. Agreements are signed, funds are promised, it is said that now it will be done, and when it comes down to it, the budgetary execution is much lower than what was promised. With the aggravating factor that this money that is not invested is not saved for the next fiscal year, but rather returns to the common pot and, therefore, ends up being lost. Right now, due to the lack of general budgets, this comparison is difficult to make, but the global investment figures, taking into account the string of promises we have seen throughout the year, show that we continue with the same dynamic of non-compliance.
The figures that have now been made public were to be expected and, in fact, an investment consortium participated in by both the State and the Catalan government was attempted to be approved to oversee these investments. It did not go ahead due to the negative vote in Congress by the PP, Vox, and Junts. And now, as a substitute, in the Generalitat's budgets there is an agreement between the PSC and ERC to launch a commercial company that will in a way assume the same functions. Controls are welcome, but no matter how many commissions, meetings, and good words there are, what all citizens see year after year is the continued investment disdain of the Spanish government. It is an unsustainable situation that calls into question Illa's own government, which will have to demonstrate its real influence in Moncloa to achieve fairer treatment in the future, and above all, it affects the distrust that the Spanish government's statements on this matter have been causing in Catalonia for years.
