Spain spends just 16% of budget allocated to Catalonia in first half of 2023

The Spanish government spent only 16% of the budget allocated to Catalonia in the first six months of 2023, according to a report by the General Intervention of the Spanish Administration (IGAE), first published by the Ara newspaper. 

Although Catalonia was allocated €2.28 billion in the budget for the first half of 2023, only €370 million was spent. This puts Catalonia at the bottom of the list of Spanish regions in terms of budget execution, just ahead of Cantabria. 

Madrid and La Rioja lead among Spanish regions with 52.7% of allocated funds executed, followed by the Balearic Islands (47.3%), Navarre (43.4%) and Extremadura (42.9%). Closing the list with lower budget execution are the Canary Islands (19.4%), Catalonia (16.3%) and Cantabria (15.2%).

Catalan president Pere Aragonès called the figures "shameful" and demanded that the budget deficit be corrected. 

"The execution of the Spanish government's investment in Catalonia is ridiculous and shows yet another disregard for all Catalans. It is a chronic mockery," he said.

However, the figures are slightly higher than those for the same period in 2022, when the Spanish government spent 15.7% of the funds allocated to Catalonia.

Budget execution by region - Full list 

La Rioja (52.7%)  

Madrid (52.7%)  

Balearic Islands (47.3%)  

Navarre (43.4%)  

Extremadura (42.9%)  

Castile-La Mancha (41.8%)  

Aragon (40%)  

Castile and León (39%)  

Murcia (38.9%)   

Autonomous City of Melilla (36.8%)   

Basque Country (30.1%)  

Galicia (29.9%)  

Asturias (26.8%)  

Autonomous City of Ceuta (22.3%)  

Valencian Community (20.4%)  

Andalusia (20.1%)  

Canary Islands (19.4%)  

Catalonia (16.3%)  

Cantabria (15.2%)