Overview
- Barcelona’s €4.18 billion 2026 budget enters into force on January 1 after Mayor Jaume Collboni cleared a second confidence vote, with spending centered on housing (€240 million), security (€430.6 million) and social services (€995 million), as Palencia’s mayor signals she will resort to the same mechanism if talks fail.
- The Spanish government and the Generalitat plan to unveil the terms of a tailored financing model for Catalonia in January, a package the economy chief says could exceed €4 billion and whose approval hinges on ERC’s conditions and a Congress majority opposed by the PP.
- Catalonia’s takeover of management for the Rodalies R1 Maresme line in the first quarter is set as an early benchmark for service improvements, with a new joint operating structure due this month and close scrutiny from daily commuters.
- Analysts cast the 2026 Andalusian election as the decisive test for the left against a strengthened right and Vox, with María Jesús Montero and Antonio Maíllo heading the main progressive tickets as President Juanma Moreno targets a vote around June.
- In New Year messages, Isabel Díaz Ayuso touted 34 tax cuts and introduced 2026 measures including up to 95% ITP relief for century-old shops and a tuition deduction for working students, while Moreno emphasized moderation and stability and ruled out bringing elections forward.