In a final plenary session, the Consell prepared to transition leadership as Carlos Mazón was set to be sworn in as president of the Generalitat the following day. The session aimed to outline the financial state of the Generalitat after eight years under Botànic, and to address questions about future accounting gaps that critics say may arise as the new administration takes over.
The presentation of the regional accounts highlighted a pattern: social spending rose by 36 percent since 2015, adding more than 4,000 million euros to the budget, a pace higher than the 13.5 percent increase seen in the two preceding legislatures. The most striking figure was the rise in overall debt, which, over Botànic’s eight-year span, appeared to be a growing concern. Officials contrasted debt trajectories, noting a 214 percent increase from 2007 to 2014 under prior governments, with a 31 percent rise in the same metric during the Botànic era, suggesting a markedly different debt growth pattern.
The administration argued that debt accumulation under Botànic was substantially smaller than in the earlier two legislatures, a point used to support the claim that debt growth had been curbed. The acting finance minister, from the PP, has criticized what he views as a legacy of higher indebtedness left by Botànic, even as the Generalitat is reported to carry a debt of around 55,000 million euros at the close of the term.
One of four euro debt concerns attributed to Botànic
Looking at the broader picture, the outgoing government maintained a larger share of regional debt built up before 2015, with about 72 percent of the total before Botànic’s more recent years, and roughly 28 percent attributed to Botànic’s management in the final period. The administration stressed that regional financing reforms were not enacted and noted that resources had risen by roughly 66 percent since 2015, reaching well over 5,300 million euros.
The government emphasized that accounts were left in a state of regularity, with notable social spending and prompt supplier payments. Officials pointed to a 56-day improvement in payment cycles and argued that the treasury functioned smoothly, with the debt rating holding steady at BB since 2015 after a brief period of BB- in 2013 and 2014.
Another figure analyzed by Botànic was the shortfall against explicit targets set for Consell over eight years. The administration indicated a deviation of 7,209 million from targets in the recent six-year window, while the preceding governments under Camps and Fabra recorded a larger deviation of 16,755 million from 2008 to 2014. The Botànic plan set an allowable deficit of 5,167 million, which is notably lower than the deficits observed under the earlier administrations, at 9,195 million.