116,000 self-employed workers to receive €2,000 in government aid

116,000 self-employed workers in Catalonia will receive €2,000 each from the Catalan government, as announced by authorities on Monday evening.

According to vice president Pere Aragonès, this sum will be paid out in December "before the Christmas holidays come to an end."

Freelancers were able to register for this round of financial help from November 30 at 9 am until December 7 at 3 pm. 

Unlike the previous round, aid will not be granted on a first come, first served basis. 

The government had to issue an apology after IT failures marred the freelancer funding round in mid-November. Computer systems were unable to cope with the excessive demand for the limited number of €2,000 payments.

At the time, government spokesperson Meritxell Budó said the government had "taken note" of the situation and would work "so that it does not happen again," while Susana Segovia of the left-wing Catalunya en Comú - Podem was among those who criticized the government's handling of the emergency aid. "The way they've managed these benefits is a failure. They're poorly thought out, designed, and enforced," she said.

Following the chaos, the executive put together a special group to handle Covid-19 support payments for the self-employed, composed of the interim president Pere Aragonès, spokesperson Meritxell Budò, and the departments of digital policy and labor.