Xavier Berneda, executive director and co-owner of the Catalan sneaker manufacturer Munich, receives the ARA shortly before giving a talk at a meeting of the Catalan Fashion Cluster (Modacc) at Món Sant Benet, in Bages. As expected, he wears the X symbol on his feet and jacket, which is also sported by many of the collaborators who greet him.

The Government will extend the age of access to emancipation loans to 40 years from Monday. It is an "instrument to facilitate the payment of the down payment for a home for young people so that they can subsequently apply for a mortgage: "They encounter a barrier, a wall, which is the down payment," explained the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, at an event at the Institut Català de Finances (ICF) this Friday.

The Government has launched the second edition of the Neighborhood Plan, one of the Salvador Illa executive's flagship measures. The socialists will make available to municipalities a fund of, "at least", 300 million euros to act in particularly vulnerable neighborhoods, assured the spokesperson and Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque. This is 29.3% more than the amount invested in the first call.

Searching on any of the major real estate portals for lofts or studios on the ground floor in Barcelona generates a results page full of listings for properties without a certificate of habitability available for purchase –mostly– or for rent, some of which at prices far above the market average and that can reach 760,000 euros. Despite being a legally required document to live in a dwelling, when asked by ARA, Catalan administrations –such as the Generalitat or the Barcelona City Council– do not currently provide data on inspections and sanctions for this matter.

When contracting a mortgage, interested parties pay banks certain provisions that are used to pay taxes, fees, and registrations. It is normal for the bank to temporarily hold the corresponding amount and for, later, an agency to handle all the required bureaucracy. However, in this context, a situation has come to light that would have left an as-yet-unspecified number of users unprotected. This is the case of the Tecnotramit agency.

After almost three months of budget negotiation, ERC and Comuns have managed to commit 893 million euros from the 2026 budget, 1.8% of the Generalitat's total spending of 49,162 million euros. Broadly speaking, however, 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 euros in budget spending, 4,146 million in investments, and 329.6 million in deficit (0.1% of GDP). Even the dossier presented as a summary of the project approved by the executive council this same Friday has been practically identical to the one from February. Where do these 893 million come from, then?

The Barcelona City Council plans to raffle 598 protected housing units (HPO) during 2026, more than 80% of which will be for rent. According to information obtained by the newspaper ARA, they are divided into twelve developments, and the council will hold a raffle for each one. To date, Barcelona has already held five, which have served to distribute 246 apartments, 41.13% of the total. A raffle is planned for this May, one in June, one in September, a couple in November, and two more in December.

The Spanish government announced this Thursday a new sanctioning procedure against a "large real estate company" – the executive refuses, for the moment, to make its name public – for allegedly violating consumer rights in housing matters. It is the fourth procedure on this issue opened during the legislature, which began three years ago, according to sources from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs confirmed to the newspaper ARA.

The construction sector worldwide is slowing down its decarbonization despite "positive changes" made since 2015. "Progress has slowed," warns the tenth Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction, prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (Global ABC). It establishes construction as a "cornerstone" of human life, both economically and climatically.

It has gone from being a project kept in a drawer since 2010 to becoming the protagonist of the budget negotiations between the PSC and ERC. At ARA we explain what the Orbital Railway Line (LOF) is in seven key points:

Catalonia is one of the territories with the most clinical trials active in the world. In 2025 it participated in 5,768 studies, which catapulted it to seventh place in the world ranking, according to the BioRegion of Catalonia Report. The United States, with 38,218 trials underway, and China, with 17,321, led the list of countries.

Rents in Catalonia rose by 3.1% in 2024 –the first with the cap in force– compared to the previous year. Although the measure began to be applied on March 16, prices in Catalonia increased less than in the State as a whole, where they rose by an average of 3.5%.

The Ministry of Finance has on the table a bill proposed by non-profit foundations that manage social housing, such as Habitat3 or Provivienda. The entities – grouped under the ALIVAS umbrella – want to create a new legal figure with the aim of expanding this segment of the residential market in Spain, the "social housing providers". According to sources from the Spanish government, they explain to ARA, the intention is for the law to reach Congress "as soon as possible", and for the socialist group to process it because the process is "faster" and has "fewer procedures" if done through parties.

Despite the growth driven by the Spanish economy in terms of GDP and employment, poverty does not disappear. 8% of the population is in a situation of "extreme poverty or exclusion" – meaning they have an income below 8,147 euros per year per consumption unit – and 19.5% are "at risk of poverty", being part of a consumption unit with an income below 12,220 euros per year.

The luxury cruise ship MV Hondius arrived early this morning at the port of Granadilla, in Tenerife, after days sailing the Atlantic under the watchful eye of the whole world due to the deadly hantavirus outbreak, which has already claimed three lives and affects at least 8 passengers. The ship set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026. At ARA, we have compiled what is known so far about the evolution of the outbreak, case by case, according to official WHO reports.

The Catalan labor market has flourished during the month of April, with Easter in between. Catalonia reached the highest number of affiliates since 2004, the start of the historical series, with an average of 3.92 million people registered with Social Security. According to data from the Spanish government, elaborated from the records of the Ministry of Social Security, Catalonia added almost 77,000 employed people this April compared to last year – a 2% increase – and more than 38,000 since March – a 0.99% increase.

The Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper, has established dual industry –with applications in the defense and civil spheres– as one of the levers to "generate a transformation of the current labor market", in the face of the employment regulation files (ERE) in Catalonia, such as those of Nestlé, Ficosa, and Nissan.employment regulation files (ERE) in Catalonia, such as those of Nestlé, Ficosa, and Nissan. According to Sàmper, "defense is one of the clearest examples to understand where we are."

Donald Trump has taken another step in the trade war with Europe and has announced a 25% tariff on trucks and cars manufactured in the European Union that are marketed in the United States. According to a message published on Truth Social this Friday, he expects the measure to come into effect "next week".

Thousands of people participated this midday in the demonstration called by UGT and CCOO in Barcelona for Worker's Day, the central event of the day of protests in Catalonia. The Urban Guard put the participation in the protest at 2,500 people, while the organizers estimated there were between 10,000 and 15,000. Workers have mobilized spurred by international geopolitical instability and the electoral calendar in the State.

The Catalan electric car charging system company Wallbox has signed an alliance with vehicle manufacturer Slate Auto, in which US magnate Jeff Bezos holds a stake. For now, it will supply chargers made in Barcelona for Slate Auto's facilities in Indiana, although the two companies "are exploring new collaboration opportunities," Wallbox reported in a statement this Thursday.