Sharp criticism over unfulfilled investment promises and political contradictions dominated Catalonia’s final parliamentary session before the summer recess. President Salvador Illa, presiding over his final oversight session of the ordinary parliamentary period, sought to highlight his administration’s achievements, particularly the approval of the regional budget. Opposition parties challenged his account, criticizing the low rate of central government investment execution in Catalonia and his stance on Spain’s national football team, La Roja.
Junts per Catalunya, the basic opposition group, pressed Illa on the stark disparity in public investment between Catalonia and Madrid. Figures cited in the chamber showed that Catalonia received just 8.6% of planned central government investments for 2025, or €162.62 per resident, compared with €452.31 for each resident of Madrid. Junts leader Mònica Sales accused Illa of offering only symbolic solutions, such as the proposed consortium, while leaving the underlying issues unresolved. Illa said his government had put forward concrete proposals and challenged the opposition to present alternatives.
A separate benchmark in the Generalitat’s 2025 Self-Government Report concerns budgeted investment, not the execution figures cited in the chamber. It records €2.303 billion in planned State investment for Catalonia in 2025, or 17.2% of Spain’s regionalizable investment, while noting that Catalonia accounts for nearly 20% of Spain’s GDP. The report called the level of investment “clearly insufficient” and said execution rates had remained below 50% in numerous years, describing them as “extraordinarily low.” Budget allocation and execution measure different stages of spending: an amount included in a budget does not by itself mean projects have advanced from tendering to completion.
The Generalitat’s criticism so concerns both the share assigned to Catalonia and the State’s record of delivering planned projects. The recurring shortfall has fed longstanding complaints about accumulated infrastructure deficits and Catalonia’s investment relationship with the central government. Comparisons with Madrid are also politically charged: Catalan employers’ organization Foment del Treball has repeatedly highlighted Madrid execution rates that it says frequently exceed 100%.
The debate extended beyond financial matters. Illa faced accusations from the CUP and the Partido Popular of inconsistency in his support for La Roja. Critics pointed to his public celebration of Spain’s World Cup victory while backing Catalan sports federations and voting against a parliamentary reception for Catalan players on the national team. Illa accused the opposition of politicizing the football team and said a proposed reception at the Palau was not possible because of scheduling conflicts, information from government sources.
Tensions also surfaced with Illa’s investiture partners. Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) criticized the government’s lack of progress on the National Convention for Resolving the Political Conflict, a commitment tied to the agreement that enabled Illa to become president. ERC parliamentary leader Josep Maria Jové has argued in subsequent parliamentary exchanges that Illa must “face the resolution of the political conflict,” warning that the commitment should not be deferred. The dispute sits alongside ERC’s demands for improved financing and expanded self-government, including its longer-term aim for Catalonia to manage all its taxes.
Comuns, meanwhile, pressed for police operations at the historic Via Laietana building to end and called for it to become a memorial space. Illa maintained that both uses could coexist and reiterated his commitment to resolving political disputes within the structure of coexistence and the rule of law.
The session further exposed divisions with far-right parties. Aliança Catalana’s Sílvia Orriols used a recent incident involving a young Moroccan woman to link immigration with insecurity, while Vox’s Ignacio Garriga criticized the Generalitat’s energy policy, claiming it forced residents to choose between work and air conditioning. Illa rejected these arguments, citing the presence of immigrants within La Roja to counter xenophobic rhetoric.
These debates reflect broader tensions over regional funding, identity and governance in Spain. The dispute over investment is also connected to the governing agreements on financing and Rodalies, as well as immigration, whose implementation remains politically contested. Junts has questioned whether a proposed consortium would provide a substantive response to the investment gap, while ERC has pressed Illa to advance the political-conflict commitment. Similar disputes over investment priorities have arisen in other regions. In one example, the Superior Court of Valencia overturned a freeze on school investment projects, allowing municipalities to resume long-delayed upgrades, as detailed in this recent report.
As Catalonia heads into the summer break, investment and political dialogue remain at the forefront of the regional agenda, alongside questions of identity. In the coming months, Illa’s government will face pressure from opposition parties and its parliamentary partners to turn its stated priorities into tangible progress.
