The Catalan government has allocated more than €60 million to industrial aid in 2025, an investment that has benefited 491 industrial projects and mobilized €325.6 million in private capital, as reported this Monday by the Department of Business and Labor. At the presentation of the impact of industrial aid in Rubí (Vallès Occidental), the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, emphasized the importance of ensuring that industrial prosperity reaches all of society and celebrated the sector's history of stability and quality employment. For his part, the Minister of Business, Miquel Sàmper, reaffirmed the role of industry as a historical economic engine for Catalonia, specifying that the government now wants a better, "digitalized and internationalized" industry, but one that retains its "territorial focus." The bulk of the resources provided by the Government, €49 million, has been concentrated on aid for new industrial investments, benefiting 397 companies and expected to mobilize a total investment of €288.11 million, consolidating 26,845 jobs. Other aid has been directed towards financing guarantees (€8.4 million), reindustrialization programs (€2.8 million), interest rate subsidies (€600,000), and equity participation through Avalis SGR (€381,000). 85% are SMEs

The majority of beneficiaries (85%) are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and half belong to the three largest export sectors of the Catalan economy: metal and automotive manufacturing, the agri-food sector, and the chemical sector. Nearly 40% incorporate initiatives related to decarbonization or the circular economy.

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The extension of the social safety net currently in force, which expires on December 31, is beginning to take shape. After the Spanish government announced that current subsidies for public transport will be maintained, although the extent and duration remain unclear, EH Bildu has reached an agreement with Pedro Sánchez's government to also extend the ban on evicting vulnerable families without alternative housing throughout 2026. Social movements advocating for the right to housing had been lobbying for weeks to maintain this measure, which was approved during the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the ban on cutting off basic utilities (electricity, water, and gas) in vulnerable households and the social electricity voucher have also been extended for another year, as announced this Monday by the Basque nationalist party. In a press release, EH Bildu stated, "It values the agreement reached [this Monday] after intense negotiations in recent weeks. [...] It will allow us to continue offering much-needed protection to thousands of people going through a difficult social and economic situation."

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One in three students needs educational support. This was the main headline at the start of the school year. A striking statement that highlights one of the greatest challenges facing Catalan schools, but one that must also be broken down in order to address them. What exactly does it mean that a student needs educational support?

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Elsa Cabanas (Barcelona, 1961) has been raising her two intellectually disabled sons alone for 25 years, ever since her husband died of cancer. Dani (Barcelona, 1980) and Ángel Naranjo (Barcelona, 1988), all three of them, arrived in the Sant Andreu neighborhood four years ago from Les Roquetes. Despite the obstacles life has put in their way, they are filled with smiles and positivity during the conversation with ARA, which takes place in their home. Also present is Luna, a dog who will turn four in July. The day of the interview was especially joyful for Ángel, who drove a forklift for the first time.

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This Tuesday's Council of Ministers approved the reform of the Dependency Law and the General Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The regulatory changes, piloted by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption, and the 2030 Agenda, under the leadership of Pablo Bustinduy, were approved in the second round, and are now headed to the Congress of Deputies. Among the notable measures is the elimination of the incompatibility between dependency benefits and services.

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The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, announced on Wednesday from Parliament, where he takes stock of the current state of alarm, that the council of ministers will approve in the "coming weeks" an aid package of 11,000 million euros for businesses, SMEs and self-employed workers. In his view, it is a "significant amount" of resources to support sectors that were growing before the pandemic and are now in an "extremely difficult situation", such as the tourist sector, hospitality, hotels, and small businesses.

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The Government presented on Monday an ambitious plan of direct aid to those affected by furlough, SMEs and the self-employed that should lighten the terrible impact that the pandemic is having on the economy. A total of €618m will be allocated in three main lines: €600 for workers affected by furlough and earning under €1,240 per month, €2,000 for the self-employed who have had a net yield in 2020 of less than €17,500, and €2,000 for SMEs for each worker (with a maximum of €30,000 per company) in exchange for maintaining jobs for at least one year. In short, it is a question of putting money into the pockets of citizens and the economic fabric with the dual objective of avoiding the fall into poverty of people who without the virus would have jobs and the closure of companies that would also be profitable without the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

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