Months after the intense negotiations to form a government, political calm reigns again in the Barcelona Provincial Council and even parties with different ideological tendencies are capable of reaching far-reaching agreements. This Thursday the provincial body will approve the highest budget in its history. As confirmed by the delegate president of the entity's General Services and Digital Transition area, Pilar Díaz, only one vote of the 51 total will be contrary to the accounts. Only the extreme right of Vox will withdraw from the agreement.
The plenary session of the Barcelona Provincial Council will give the green light to a budget for the year 2024 of 1,243 million euros. There are 156 million more than the previous year, which represents an increase of 14.38%. "Since 2019 we have no debt, which demonstrates economic and financial solvency," says Díaz. "They are the first budgets of a great administration of the country," he adds.
These are "transitional" accounts between two mandates, with measures agreed upon in the previous one and others that are incorporated. In any case, Díaz emphasizes, "80% goes directly to the city councils. It is a very municipal budget."
Other major objectives, according to Díaz, are support for "especially vulnerable people" and ecological and digital transformations. In this last aspect, the member of the Provincial Government emphasizes that she will place special emphasis on "reducing the digital divide."
However, Díaz recognizes that although the budgets are very high, they have been prepared in a period of "uncertainties." Added to the turmoil of global politics, inflation and armed conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza is "see what happens with the suspended fiscal rules next year."
The mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat also refers to the legislation that the state government suspended in 2021, 2022 and 2023, which allowed local entities to have more freedom with their finances. But it is still not known what will happen next year. In this sense, the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia (FMC) has requested by letter to the Minister of Finance and Public Function, Maria Jesús Montero, to suspend them again.
The investment chapter grows more than 30%. It will be the management of the Provincial Council's road network that will take the largest share of the pie of the 99.87 million euros planned, although there are also actions on equipment such as libraries and provincial buildings, among others.
In a context marked by the drought that Catalonia is suffering, the Barcelona Provincial Council wants to carry out a "diagnosis of the declining network, which is what is the responsibility of the city councils," says Diaz. In this way, they will have a snapshot of the investments that are necessary to improve a system that in some locations has significant leaks.
