The Barcelona court reform has commenced, marking a significant transformation of the judicial system at the Ciutat de la Justícia. However, officials warn that the implementation of the new efficiency law—known as the Bolaños law—faces immediate obstacles due to severe judge and administrative staff shortages.
Visitors to the courts now see new signage reading Tribunal de Instancia de Barcelona. This change signals a reform that entered force in the Catalan capital on 31 December. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice and the High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) offer a cautiously positive assessment. Nevertheless, they acknowledge the system remains critically under-resourced.
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Barcelona Court Reform Obstacles: ‘Not Just Flipping a Switch’
Ramon Espadaler, the Catalan Minister of Justice, cautioned that the transition requires time and more personnel. “This is a far-reaching reform. The court of first instance is not about flipping a switch and having deadlines reduced,” Espadaler stated. “More human resources are needed, especially judges, and time to land all this.” This issue mirrors concerns about the chronic underfunding of Catalonia’s railway network.
While acknowledging the current deficit, Espadaler suggested positive news regarding judicial appointments could be forthcoming.
Structural Overhaul Causes Delays
Beyond new signs, the reform entails a fundamental organisational redesign. The traditional concept of a specific ‘court’ has been replaced by ‘sections’. For instance, civil court number 4 is now the Civil Section of the Tribunal of Instance of Barcelona, position number 4.
Civil servants are no longer attached to a specific magistrate. Instead, they are pooled into a central judicial office. This office is divided into three areas: processing, enforcement, and common services. Consequently, this restructuring allows staff to assist judges based on immediate needs.
The logistical challenge of this adaptation has been immense:
- Scale: The changes affect 7,543 civil servants across the administration.
- Relocation: Approximately 20% of workers have changed their specific work area.
- Training: Extensive training has been required to acclimatise staff to new roles and software systems.
Authorities admit this ‘breaking-in’ period is causing initial delays in case processing. Furthermore, technical glitches have prevented some staff from accessing necessary files. These processing delays are reminiscent of the critical backlogs in Catalonia’s public healthcare system.
Emergency Staffing Measures Implemented
The most pressing concern remains the sheer lack of personnel. A combination of role redistribution, sick leave, and unfilled vacancies has left some sections with fewer staff than before the reform.
Cristina Ferrando, President of the Tribunal of Instance of Barcelona, expressed concern. “Facing such a far-reaching reform without sufficient staff is very complicated. We have asked that the personnel problem be prioritised. We have fewer civil servants than we had in December,” she lamented. These staffing issues reflect wider ongoing public sector labour disputes across Spain.
In response, the Generalitat has created 207 emergency interim positions. Therefore, these new staff members are scheduled to join the workforce in February to help alleviate the backlog.
Progressive Rollout Continues
The Barcelona court reform is being implemented in stages. The Commercial Section is already fully operational under the new system. Subsequently, the contentious, family, civil, and social jurisdictions will follow, with a target for full adaptation by 31 March.
However, the criminal jurisdiction—which accounts for a third of all cases—remains an outlier. It continues to operate largely on paper and fax machines. Consequently, it cannot be integrated into the new efficiency model until fully digitised, a milestone not expected until next year.
Despite this technological lag, significant progress has been made in document management. In the past year alone, the Generalitat has destroyed over three tonnes of obsolete paper records. In addition, it has reorganised documentation spanning 53 kilometres.
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