Overview

• Parliament ratified the Estatut dels Municipis Rurals on July 15–16, fulfilling the PSC-ERC investiture pact under President Salvador Illa’s government.
• The law creates a dedicated financing system with unconditional funds, targeted investments, fiscal bonuses and legal support for low-resource rural councils.
• It defines “municipio rural” and criteria for “especial atención” based on population size, demographic decline and aging, covering 608 municipalities.
• Approval came with near-unanimous cross-party backing—only Vox voted against—and drew input from municipal associations and Agenda Rural stakeholders.
• Government bodies and local entities are now detailing a rollout calendar and drafting a complementary local finance bill to ensure effective deployment of services.