Espadaler argues that the new budgets will decongest the courts

BarcelonaThe Catalan Minister of Justice, Ramon Espadaler, argued on Thursday that the government's proposed 2026 budget will be "the budget for decongesting" the courts. Presenting the budget to a parliamentary committee, the minister asserted that it will help reduce waiting times for justice "so that citizens notice the system is working better." The Catalan government's proposal, which will face a comprehensive amendment from the ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia), allocates €1.392 billion to Justice out of the €49.162 billion budget for the entire Generalitat (Catalan government), €254.2 million more (22.3%) than in the last budget approved in 2023. "Justice," the minister argued. Almost 90% of the funds will be allocated to the administration of justice and the prison system, with the remainder earmarked for democratic memory and religious affairs. Specifically, 46.6% of the department's budget is allocated to the administration of justice, and this area will have a particularly strong impact. the agreement to create 91 new judicial positionsThis represents a significant increase compared to recent years, with a total of 65 new positions created over the last decade. Both the judges' salaries and those of the civil servants under the Ministry of Justice will be funded by the state budget, but the Catalan government (Generalitat) will be responsible for the salaries of civil servants employed by the Catalan administration, which it estimates will create approximately 300 new positions. These new positions will also necessitate some construction work to house the courts, and the department has yet to finalize its economic impact. Projects related to judicial buildings are also ongoing. the works of the Tarragona Justice Forum –scheduled for 2028 and with a total cost of €94.2 million–, the new Barcelona Provincial Court –currently in the archaeological excavation phase– and the new courthouses in Martorell, Santa Coloma de Farners, and Falset. An additional €20.7 million is earmarked for renovations and expansions already underway in courthouses in various municipalities, €24.6 million for work in other buildings, and €1.3 million to improve waiting rooms for victims.

The draft budget also allocates €92.7 million to free legal aid, meaning its budget will have increased by €20 million since the summer of 2024. These new resources will serve to improve the remuneration of court-appointed lawyers after years of stagnation and to cover the support provided to families involved in child custody cases.

Expand prisons

Regarding the prison system, the Government wants to allocate 10.1 million euros to construction a prison officer training unit, which will be located in Quatre CaminsBidding will also begin for the installation of the first body scanners to prevent drugs and mobile phones from entering prisons, and €1.3 million will be allocated to mobile phone jamming systems and €1 million to drone detectors and jammers. Investments in prison infrastructure also include the Zona Franca Open Center, which is scheduled to begin operating at the end of this year, the new women's prison – expected to be completed in 2031 – and the expansion of the Mas d'Enric prison with two new modules.