The Government has asserted that State investment figures in Catalonia and Andalusia will improve, with early signs showing progress already being made.
In a plenary session of the Senate, responses were provided by Minister Raquel Sánchez in relation to questions raised by parliamentarians. JxCat representative Josep Lluis Cleries and Adelante Andalucía’s Pilar González Modino debated concerns about past investments and the ongoing readiness of infrastructure projects. The exchanges highlighted confusion about the regional impact of investment figures.
These points align with a recent assessment by the State Administration General Intervention (IGAE), under the Ministry of Finance. The IGAE report shows that the state completed 35.77% of planned investments in Catalonia last year, while Madrid reported an execution rate of 183.9% — the highest among all regions.
Catalonia faced the largest amount of unspent funds, totaling 1,328 million euros, with lower execution rates in Asturias (40.51%), Andalusia (41.87%), and the Valencian Community (42.34%).
Modino first questioned the reasons behind the apparent scarcity of budgeted State investments in Andalusia, then asked Cleries to address chronic infrastructure investments to which Catalonia is exposed.
The Andalusian senator referenced the 2,039 million euros allocated to the budget, noting that in 2021, only about 42% of investments were realized in Andalusia, compared with 184% in Madrid.
She asserted, perhaps in frustration, that taxes paid in Catalonia seem to subsidize spending elsewhere, attributing this to perceived anti-Catalan bias and centralism within the executive.
In his reply, the Minister stressed that an accounting-style snapshot such as the IGAE report should be compared with the real, noting that it does not capture approved works and the processing of complex infrastructure projects. The Covid-19 health crisis and rising costs for raw materials and energy are cited as factors that may have dampened enforcement figures.
Moreover, the Government has reaffirmed its commitment to executing investments in Catalonia, a stance described as clear since 2018, with Catalonia already hosting the most investment projects this year.
The minister added that more studies are currently underway in Catalonia than ever before.
Likewise, the current investment budget for Andalusia is said to be 112% higher than in 2018, with tenders up 90% compared to that year. The administration emphasized an ongoing commitment to Andalusia and a continued effort to refine procedures that improve these figures and streamline project delivery.