"Local governments need support." The Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, made these remarks in Parliament during the debate to approve an extraordinary fund which, added to the local cooperation fund, brings the total amount the Generalitat (Catalan government) has injected into local entities this year to 170 million euros. This money should allow them to pay bills at a time when utility prices are rising and interest payments to banks continue to increase. The need to resort to these kinds of mechanisms to guarantee essential services in municipalities highlights one of the major problems facing local governments: the lack of a stable, predictable, and sufficient funding framework to cover the costs of the services they provide.

"Barcelona will have an intercontinental airport and the airports of Reus and Girona will have high-speed train stations connecting them". Thus goes the agreement reached this Monday between the central government, the Generalitat and state airport company Aena to give the green light to the expansion of El Prat airport. After months of heated public debate, which has pitted Catalan economic forces and Aena against ecological movements, neighbours and city councils of the metropolitan area, this afternoon it has been announced that the agreement that unlocks a planned investment of €1.7bn in Catalonia's biggest infrastructure.