Catalonia announces major education and railway infrastructure plans

Catalan President Salvador Illa has announced a major strategic plan for the region, focusing on education reform and infrastructure. A central pillar is the ‘Pla Actualitza Clima’, which aims to provide comprehensive climate control, ventilation, and renewable energy solutions to 2,530 public schools and 51 residences by 2031. The total investment for school climate control is estimated at up to 2,500 million euros. An initial 100 million euros will be used to prioritize 100 centers for completion by 2028. To achieve this, the government will utilize public-private partnerships and municipal cooperation, offering reimbursable financing through the Institut Català de Finances.

In addition to education, Illa is seeking a ‘great consensus’ to increase public investment in education to 6% of the budget. He has called upon the Consell d’Educació de Catalunya to lead this debate to improve regional educational standards.

Regarding infrastructure, the government is investing approximately 127 million euros to construct four new railway freight stations in Lleida, Ebre, Penedès, and Empordà. The Lleida station will receive the largest portion, with 72 million euros, as part of a strategy to increase the share of goods transported by rail in Catalonia to 10% by 2030.