Pedro Sánchez visited this ThursdayLa revuelta by David Broncano in an interview lasting more than an hour, with a joking and relaxed tone, but also with criticism and pointed questions. One of the hottest topics was housing and, when asked about the socialists' measures on this matter, the president cited the 2023 Housing Law, which gives autonomous communities tools to regulate rent caps. However, the regional governments led by PP and Vox have refused to apply it and, to highlight the alleged grievance with those that have done so, Sánchez said that "in Catalonia the increase in rent prices is clearly lower than that of the Community of Madrid". But is that really the case?

Half a million euros a day, more than 20,000 euros every hour, more than 300 euros every minute. This is the amount of money that cyber scams have taken from Catalans since 2024. It is 490 million euros in two and a half years divided into 80,000 annual reports until August of this year. With these figures, cyber scams are already the second most reported crime in the country, and this is despite the fact that the Mossos d'Esquadra warn that the dark figure – the citizens who suffer these frauds and do not report them to the police – is extremely high. In recent years, cyber scams have affected more than 200,000 people and the victims who lose the most money are the oldest: those over 65 have an average of more than 4,000 euros stolen from them, while in the 18 to 30 age group, the figure does not reach a thousand euros.

Fire, smoke, epicness, heroism. A firefighter emerges from the flames in slow motion, surrounded by thick smoke with a person in their arms. This is how a large part of society must imagine what it is like to be a firefighter. Although a part of their work does resemble that, there is a large part of the task and preparation of the firefighters' trade that goes unnoticed and is just as important as the moment of action. The painstaking work, unknown to many people, is part of their day-to-day, and is a basic and indisputable pillar that makes the Fire Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya a global benchmark.

The Generalitat de Catalunya wants to get ahead of the wave of retirements expected in public services with grants aimed at qualified young people. The initiative seeks to promote generational renewal and ensure the continuity and quality of public services with the incorporation of new profiles, especially with digital and innovative skills. The grants are 500 euros per month until the selection process is completed.

"I wish we had the absolute certainty that it will rain a lot or a little, but we don't," begins the deputy director of Civil Protection, explaining after another complex week, with strong torrential downpours that have once again put the country on alert, the latest being in the Terres de l'Ebre. She describes how meteorologists use models based on statistical data that mean they always have to work with probabilities, even if they are high, regarding whether the rain will be a risk to the population or not. And all this added to a territory like Catalonia, with diverse orography, with mountains near the coast, valleys, plains, and mountain ranges, which makes it all even more difficult to predict.

The Spanish legislature is in stoppage time. The general elections will be in 2027 –more and more voices are pointing to the first quarter–, so now conversations are intensifying regarding projects that are in the pipeline and will have only one opportunity in these coming months to move forward. One of them, as indicated by various sources consulted by ARA, is a proposal from the Catalan government to toughen the Penal Code for crimes involving the possession of weapons, which is already on the table at Moncloa. Specifically, it is proposed to double prison sentences in the case of carrying prohibited weapons –currently they are 1 to 3 years of deprivation of liberty– and to create a new crime for the exhibition of weapons in public.

The political landscape offers little optimism regarding the possibility that the Congress of Deputies can approve the reform of the regional financing model proposed by the Ministry of Finance. The Council of Fiscal and Financial Policy (CPFF) that had been convened on July 29 to debate it had to be canceled due to the refusal of the communities governed by the PP or by the Popular Party and Vox to attend the meeting. Now a meeting has been rescheduled for September 4, but only the Spanish government itself and the Generalitat are in agreement with the proposal. Not even the socialist executive of Asturias is in favor, let alone the government of Castilla-La Mancha led by the critical Emiliano García-Page. In any case, this would not prevent it from moving forward by the Council of Ministers. Another matter is getting enough support for it to pass the examination in the lower house. And even more so, considering the existing polarization, with trench warfare politics and the almost perpetual pre-electoral scenario in which we live.

While Europe is getting down to business with legislation that tightens the noose on plastics, the Government is processing the draft Catalan waste law, which is to replace the law from 1993. In fact, its drafting has been years in the making – it began to be drafted in 2018 – and, along the way, some of the flagship measures that had been planned have disappeared or have gone from being obligations to voluntary or promotional measures, such as the obligation to provide fiscal bonuses to citizens who carry out good selective collection. On the other hand, ambitious points for 2030 are incorporated, such as the obligation for municipalities to implement efficient collection systems or the prohibition of single-use cups at festive, cultural or sporting events. According to sources from the Department of Territory, the changes are due to the European and state context: they argue that it has changed "significantly" and that many measures from the 2022 text are now mandatory, such as the deposit, return and refund system (SDDR).

The announcement of the Generalitat's tender for a sovereign Catalan public cloud is a sign that the fight for a more democratic digitalization is beginning to bear fruit. With the invaluable help, it must be said, of the bad example that Trump, Musk, and their allies have set for the world, showing that what digital rights advocates have been saying for years was not a dystopian fantasy but a very real possibility. Technological dependence on infrastructure, providers, jurisdictions, and decisions alien to fundamental rights can, from one day to the next, become a first-class democratic problem.

Catalonia lives with a large debt and pending tasks. The first, which exceeds 90 billion euros, means that every Catalan, at birth, is burdened with a liability of 10,999 euros, according to current census data, which exceeds 8.2 million people. The second is the obligation to reform a regional financing system that has been expired for more than a decade, cumbersome and complex, which causes the communities that contribute the most to end up below those that receive the most once the resources of the system are distributed.

On July 2nd, Parliament definitively approved the Generalitat of Catalonia budget for 2026, which represents a historic increase compared to the last approved accounts, corresponding to 2023. This year, 49,162 million euros are allocated to improving the lives of Catalans, meaning 9,126 million euros more than in the budgets approved three years ago, which represents an increase of 22.8%.

There is plenty to choose from. This summer, holidays are packed with activities. Cultural heritage is adorned to welcome visitors with a dream program to enjoy with the family too. If you are planning a getaway, for a day or several, be sure to consult the 2026 Summer Program of the Cultural Heritage of the Generalitat de Catalunya.Summer Program 2026 from the Cultural Heritage of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

With 4,843 active cooperatives in Catalonia, the model gains weight in key sectors, strengthens the generation of stable and quality employment, and is projected as a strategic piece of the productive fabric and the economic and social transformation of the country.

In 2026, the 40th anniversary of Spain’s – and therefore Catalonia’s – accession to the European Union (EU) will be commemorated, a milestone that has decisively contributed to the country’s democratic, institutional, economic, and social progress. Accession was crucial for the consolidation of democracy and the adoption of values such as human dignity, freedom, justice, equality, and the rule of law. At the same time, Catalonia opened up to the world and has since undergone significant economic, demographic, and quality of life transformations.

Machismo, racism, xenophobia, aporophobia, anti-gypsyism, ableism, LGTBI-phobia and ageism are rooted in our society with hate speech that integrates into our daily lives. The campaign #ItHate is powered by the Table of entities of the Social Third Sector of Catalonia and aims to raise awareness of the effects of increasing polarization and the rise of discriminatory messages against vulnerable groups, less than a year before the municipal elections.

Today, June 27, marks Catalonia's Business Day, an initiative promoted by the Government of the Generalitat of Catalonia in 2021 that aims to highlight the strategic role of the business fabric in the economic and social development of the territory. Beyond their productive function, companies, from entrepreneurial initiatives to large corporations, become key players in talent generation, wealth creation, and territorial balance, contributing decisively to collective prosperity.

A total of 123 out of 206 measures from the National Pact for Language have already been completed, 27 are in an advanced stage and 43 are underway, with a budgetary execution of 256.8 million euros. The record offer of 150,000 places to learn the language, the growth of regular speakers, or the presence of the language in cultural, audiovisual, and technological fields are some of the indicators that demonstrate that “we are fulfilling our commitment to Catalan”. This is highlighted by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, at the latest presentation event held at the Auditorium of the Palau de la Generalitat under the title From Commitment to Action. Assessment of the first year of the National Pact for Language.

With 40 offices open throughout Catalonia, four more than last year, 12 of which are temporary, the Catalan Tax Agency (ATC) has expanded personalized attention for the 2025 Income Tax campaign. This June, in-person consultations at the various points in the office network are thus intensified, after the Agency assisted 25,502 people by phone last month.

“More industry, but, above all, of better quality”: Salvador Illa and the country's main economic agents have sealed this Monday the new National Pact for Industry. The roadmap until 2030 foresees an investment of almost 4,500 million euros in 190 actions comprised in five major areas, such as innovation or employment. During his speech, the President of the Generalitat emphasized that the agreement "is not a sectoral pact" but a "national and future pact". The text has been agreed with the two main employers' associations in the territory, Foment del Treball and Pimec, and the two majority trade unions, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and UGT. The objective: that by 2030 industry represents 25% of Catalonia's gross domestic product (GDP), the macroeconomic indicator that measures the monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a territory.

What a heat! Spring is already picking up and summer is just around the corner. The best seasonal fruit is here. Melon, watermelon, figs, grapes, plums, Paraguayan peaches, peaches, and nectarines are a refreshing delight for the palate. Apricots, cherries, loquats, and strawberries are now filling our refrigerators with colors and flavors. How wonderful! Boys and girls also enjoy them at school with the fruit consumption program, which includes vegetables and dairy products, from the Generalitat de Catalunya for the promotion of healthy habits among the little ones. Who can resist it?