An influential committee of experts has called on the Catalan government to finally activate a dedicated migration agency, sixteen years after it was first approved by law, and to create a new fund to provide stable financing for municipalities grappling with the challenges of reception and integration.
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Presented in Barcelona on Monday, a report titled ‘Repensar la governança migratòria a Catalunya’ (Rethinking Migration Governance in Catalonia) outlined these proposals. Commissioned by the government’s own Department of Social Rights and Inclusion, the document advocates a radical overhaul of a system described as fragmented, under-resourced, and struggling to cope with Catalonia’s demographic reality.
Latest data from Idescat, Catalonia’s statistics institute, reveals the foreign-born population now constitutes 18% of the region’s 8 million inhabitants. This marks a significant increase from just 3% at the turn of the century and stands well above the Spanish average of 13.4%. The report frames this demographic shift not as a problem, but as a structural reality demanding a modern, coordinated governance model.
A Long-Dormant Agency
The Expert Committee for Social Transformation and Innovation (CETIS) prioritises the immediate deployment of the Catalan Migration Agency. A parliamentary law formally created the agency in May 2010, during the final months of President José Montilla’s government; however, it has never been made operational.
The expert group, led by Gemma Pinyol-Jiménez of the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Immigration at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, insists the agency is vital. It would centralise policy, streamline administrative procedures, and improve coordination between the Generalitat, the Spanish state, and local councils.
“Catalonia must develop and improve its potential in migration management, especially in reception and integration,” the report states, as reported by La Vanguardia. The experts believe a specialised agency would “overcome the current fragmentation and give coherence to policies that now depend on various departments and administrative levels.”
Stable Funding for Local Councils
Secondly, the committee proposes establishing a ‘Catalan Fund for Reception and Inclusion’ (Fons Català per a l’Acollida i la Inclusió). This instrument would offer direct, structural funding to municipalities. It aims to move away from the current system of sporadic, project-based subsidies which, the report argues, hinders long-term planning.
Funding would be allocated based on criteria including the percentage of foreign-born residents, recent arrival flows, and local vulnerability indexes. Consequently, the experts argue, this approach would empower town halls to develop sustainable, long-term policies for social cohesion and integration, ranging from language support to housing initiatives.
The strain on public services has become a major political issue. Recent campaigns, for example, have highlighted deficits in social care and public health; a petition in this area recently gathered 20,000 signatures demanding urgent investment. However, the report’s authors are clear: blaming migrants for these pressures is unjust. They point out that the welfare state has not adequately scaled to serve Catalonia’s larger population. Furthermore, they assert that immigration has been a net positive for the economy and demography.
Cautious Welcome from Government
The Minister for Social Rights and Inclusion, Mònica Martínez Bravo, gave the proposals a warm, if cautious, reception. Speaking at the report’s presentation, she described the call to constitute the Migration Agency as a ‘very interesting proposal that we must study in due course.’
Martínez Bravo linked the agency’s potential activation to future negotiations over competencies with the Spanish state. She noted, ‘If there are advances in competencies on migration issues for Catalonia, it would be an obvious step.’ Furthermore, regarding the new fund, she indicated it could fit within a new programme for local government financing, according to a report in Ara.
The minister also acknowledged the report’s call to combat hate speech and create a more inclusive narrative. ‘It is unjust to blame immigration for all the ills of Catalan society,’ she said, vowing that the government would be ‘very vigilant’ against any discriminatory practices by local councils.
Ultimately, the CETIS report serves as a comprehensive roadmap for the Generalitat. It urges a proactive and structured approach to what it considers one of the defining features of 21st-century Catalonia. Whether these long-standing ideas will finally translate into action remains to be seen.
