Barcelona Local Government Law: Catalan Bill Approved

The Catalan Government approved its own bill on local governments in Catalonia on Tuesday, setting out rules for municipalities while rejecting the Spanish Government’s proposal passed the previous week in Madrid.

Presidency Minister and Spokesperson Francesc Homs stated that the Catalan Executive holds exclusive powers to legislate on local matters, an authority derived from the Statute of Autonomy approved by the Spanish Parliament and confirmed in a binding referendum. The Catalan Government therefore does not recognise the Spanish law and will reject any attempt at imposition.

Core Provisions of the Catalan Bill

The new Catalan law provides for the voluntary merging of municipalities based on historical, identity, geographical and economic factors. It also requires municipalities to share services where necessary and establishes minimum quality standards for those services. The Catalan Government will not delegate tasks to municipalities without transferring corresponding budgets.

County Councils will retain responsibility for common services but will see their technical capacity strengthened. The law eliminates 1,034 remunerated political positions within those councils and places them under the governance of a Council of Mayors. It further abolishes Barcelona’s County Council and reshapes the body responsible for services in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area.

Additional measures include tighter controls on the creation of new local bodies, limits on public services aligned to available budgets, and requirements for municipalities above 5,000 inhabitants to implement citizen-participation mechanisms. Local governments must publish contracts and remuneration details on websites. The Catalan Government calculated that the overall reform will save €1 billion every four years.

Next Steps and Overlap With Madrid

Homs said the Spanish proposal endangers the Welfare State, citing an expert report on social policies. The two laws overlap on several points, making a referral to the Constitutional Court likely to determine which administration holds competence over Catalonia’s municipalities. The Catalan bill was developed over two years of consultations with stakeholders.