State and Generalitat agree that Catalonia has more voice in the management of airports

BarcelonaNew Generalitat - State meeting with a long list of topics on the table and no major agreement. It is the fourth bilateral meeting of this legislative term. This time, this institutional relations body has served to "advance" in existing projects regarding infrastructure, transport, financing, and self-government. The most notable agreement is the creation of a new mechanism for Catalan "participation" in the strategic decisions of the airports. New investments in the AP-7 and AP-2 have also been specified, and work will continue on the transfer of the R1 Rodalies line. These are the agreements, in six keys:

Decisions on the airports

The Generalitat and the State have decided to create the Bilateral Airport Body, a joint body that will allow the Catalan executive to intervene in the strategic planning of the four airports of general interest in Catalonia: Barcelona-el Prat, Girona-Costa Brava, Reus, and Sabadell. The body will be joint (composed of four representatives from each administration and a rotating presidency) and will adopt agreements by consensus. In this way, the Generalitat will be able to formulate proposals before the preparation of the airport master plans and will be able to participate in the preparation of the Airport Regulation Document (DORA), which determines the investment needs of the network managed by Aena.

Thus, Catalonia will have more of a voice, but the agreement does not provide for the transfer of powers, nor does it provide for co-management with Aena: it is a participation mechanism, a model very similar to the one currently held by the Basque Country, according to government sources. The Catalan civil society, business organizations, and even some political parties, however, have long been demanding that the total transfer of airport management to Catalonia take place. With the agreement signed today, a path is opened for the Generalitat to have more influence, but the management of the network will remain in the hands of Aena.

Improvements to the AP-7 and the AP-2

The meeting also served to specify further improvement actions on the AP-7 and AP-2. Pavement (asphalt) rehabilitations worth 75 million euros will be carried out there. The Generalitat will be able to draft the projects and execute the works, which are expected to take place during 2027 in Barcelona, Tarragona, and Girona.

This line of action is therefore added to other projects already planned to build new connections and improve existing ones with the aim of enhancing safety. The agreement comes in a context of increased traffic on these motorways, especially on the AP-7, which after the removal of tolls records intensities of up to 150,000 vehicles per day in some sections, of which about 25,000 are heavy vehicles.

Advance the transfer of the R1 line

One of the most stalled issues on the table is the transfer of the R1 commuter rail line, which should arrive before the end of the year, as both the Department of Territory and the Ministry of Transport have assured on several occasions. In this sense, the bilateral commission has committed to continue working: “The Infrastructure Transfer Working Group has been instructed to promote the work already underway to complete the process,” points out the Government. In other words, both administrations continue to work on the technical details that will allow defining the legal, economic, and operational framework so that the Generalitat can manage it “with the necessary guarantees regarding railway safety, interoperability, and compliance with European regulations”.

Funding for commuter and regional rail services

In a more economic aspect, and which directly touches Rodalies and regional services, the Joint Commission for Economic and Fiscal Affairs has agreed on transfers from the State to the Generalitat worth 1,148.7 million euros to finance railway services in Catalonia for the 2025-2028 period. The main allocation, more than 900 million, corresponds to the compensation for the operating deficit of the Rodalies and Regional services provided by Renfe Viajeros during 2026 and 2027.

Resources have also been agreed upon to strengthen railway services in Lleida and a State allocation of practically 37 million to cover the reinforcements for the alternative plans that the Generalitat has had to implement to guarantee mobility this 2026.

Boost to the Orbital Railway

Still in the railway sector, the two governments have agreed to accelerate the development of the Orbital Railway Line, which is to connect Mataró and Vilanova i la Geltrú without passing through Barcelona. How? Well, with new monitoring and working bodies to "establish the necessary cooperation framework" to push the project forward.

Promotion of Catalan and European representation

Regarding Catalan, a working group has been agreed upon to "promote the use of Catalan in relations between the State administration and the citizenry" and more training for public employees with the goal of guaranteeing the linguistic rights of citizens.

In the external sphere, the administrations have activated the bodies to reinforce the participation of the Generalitat in European affairs, especially those that affect Catalan powers.