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?

Monuments, heritage sites and music become an idyllic experience on summer nights. This 2026, emblematic places such as the Monastery of Santes Creus, Sant Pere de Rodes or the History Museum of Catalonia will once again become spaces for living culture throughout the country. The sites managed by the Catalan Agency for Cultural Heritage come alive through musicians and musical ensembles and will be transformed into venues for festivals and concerts.

The current CAP Passeig de Maragall, in the Sant Martí district of Barcelona, still appears today –half a century after Franco's death– in the name of the Spanish Falange (FET y de las JONS). Despite the Generalitat managing the center and assuming all maintenance costs, the registered ownership remains in the hands of the dictatorship's political apparatus. This is the most disconcerting finding of the research by historian Neus Moran, who documents how the State protected health heritage from Francoist plunder before the transfer of powers.

Leaving the primary care center with a prescription for physical exercise is already a reality. The Government has launched a sports prescription program that integrates physical activity into the healthcare system as a therapeutic tool, adapted to each patient's health condition and without ever replacing medication. The initiative allows people who meet certain inclusion criteria, especially those with sedentary habits, to be referred to community physical exercise programs. The objective is to improve the physical activity level of the adult population that needs it most, with the aim of preventing the deterioration of their health.

The CRIT Awards, which recognize and promote digital audiovisual projects in Catalan, celebrated their second edition yesterday at the Teatre Coliseum in Barcelona. Presented by Núria Marín, a total of 14 projects were recognized at the gala, with an attendance of 1,200 professionals and creators, including producers, journalists, and members of the Catalan audiovisual industry. This year's edition highlights the highest recognition for best creator of the year, which went to Laura Grau, and the podcast Guarres!, whose characters were interviewed by l'ARA a few weeks ago, as the best independent project.

The comic will once again be the absolute protagonist of ARA's pages next week. To mark the opening of the major sector fair, Còmic Barcelona, on Friday, May 15, the entire newspaper will be illustrated by cartoonists. On this occasion, the bulk of the images are part of the history of Catalan comics through the archive of the Generalitat de Catalunya, which is collaborating on this special edition. In fact, past and present will go hand in hand because, as we have done in the already increasingly long tradition of special comic newspapers, the cover and the day's dossier will be the work of a comic author: Paco Roca, along with Valencian journalist Rodrigo Terrasa, will give their vision of a current topic, and it will be demonstrated once again that comics are also a journalistic genre.

The Generalitat of Catalonia will inject 2,000 million euros, 25% of the budget of the Department of Education and Vocational Training, over four years to improve the educational system and the working and salary conditions of teachers. The agreement, reached with the unions CCOO and UGT, foresees reducing ratios, strengthening inclusive education, improving teacher remuneration, and recognizing educational support staff. The pact includes joint monitoring mechanisms with the signing unions to ensure its implementation.

Compiling all the grants awarded in Catalonia on a website that acts as a search engine, filtered by beneficiary and showing who grants them. That's what 32-year-old Gerard Martínez Adsuar, from Caldes de Montbui, has done, sparking a public debate this week with the viral success of Subvencions.cat. Why? The website suddenly stopped working and was restored after a few days. The outage, however, resulted in the loss of one million records. This data became inaccessible from the Catalan government's portals. The government has justified the outage by citing problems with the data "upload," which they assure will be resolved soon. Well done, Martínez Adsuar. He already put forward his hypothesis on Thursday night on X"Before the change, proper names appeared, often those of migrants, associated with a tax identification number (CIF) that belonged to associations. I don't think this should have happened."

The commuter rail service shutdowns and the ongoing problems on the AP-7 motorway since tolls were lifted reveal transport infrastructure that is not only inadequate but also potentially dangerous. The impact on the 400,000 commuter rail users, the AP-7 closures, the repeated accidents, and the recurring protests have a significant impact on GDP. As a result, productivity in Catalonia is hampered by deficient transport infrastructure stemming from a lack of planning and investment. How and why have we reached this point?

A few months ago I wrote here that the Renfe trains running through the country, covered in graffiti, added the final touch of collective desolation caused by a service abandoned to its misery.