The document that could influence how Spain will be governed... and that almost no one has heard of

By Álvaro J. Díaz-Mella

The "Galicia" Declaration has opened a largely unheard debate about who should manage a very significant portion of European funds: the European Union, the Spanish State, or the autonomous communities. Behind this budgetary discussion lies a much deeper issue: the effective distribution of responsibilities among the different levels of government and how billions of euros of public money will be administered.

Galician airports: between the three of them, they killed each other
Ricardo Mella and Miguel Anxo Bastos, two uncomfortable people from Vigo

Some documents grab headlines for a few days and then vanish without a trace. Others barely make it beyond institutional circles, yet they can end up influencing how a country is governed for years to come. The "Galicia" Declaration probably belongs to this second category.

Until recently, I myself had barely heard of it. However, the more I delved into its content and the accompanying documentation, the more evident it became that behind those few pages lay one of the most important institutional debates that Spain will face in the coming decade.

Unanimously approved by the Spanish Delegation to the European Committee of the Regions, the Declaration rejects some of the changes proposed by the European Commission for the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034. The main reason is the fear that greater concentration of management in the Member States will reduce the role of the autonomous communities in the administration of European funds.

What is striking is not only the content of the Declaration, but also the scant attention it has received outside institutional circles. This is surprising because we are not simply dealing with a discussion about European funds. What this document really raises is a much deeper question: whether a budgetary reform driven by the European Union can alter the effective distribution of powers between the State and the autonomous communities without the need to amend the Constitution.
Pero hay una pregunta que, a mi juicio, debería preceder a todas las demás. Antes de discutir quién debe gestionar más fondos europeos, ¿no deberíamos preguntarnos quién ha demostrado administrarlos mejor? Esa es la cuestión que realmente plantea la Declaración «Galicia», aunque apenas aparezca formulada en esos términos.

It may seem like a matter reserved for specialists. It isn't.

What's really at stake is not just the distribution of European funds, but who will wield significant administrative power for the next seven years. In other words, who will decide how billions of euros of public money are invested?

There is also a question that barely arises in this debate: who pays for all this?

We often talk about “Brussels money” as if it came from a source separate from citizens. But the European Union budget is financed by resources contributed by member states and, ultimately, by millions of European taxpayers. When we discuss who should manage these funds, we are also deciding how the money paid by citizens should be managed.

The European Commission argues that the current system is overly complex and proposes simplifying programs, reducing administrative structures, and establishing a national framework for each member state. The autonomous communities respond that such simplification could distance decisions from the local level and make it difficult for investments to be tailored to the specific needs of each region.

Both positions contain arguments that deserve to be analyzed. But the Declaration leaves an essential question unanswered.

For over four decades, Spain has been developing one of the most decentralized states in Europe. This model has allowed for the adaptation of many policies to the reality of each territory, but it has also consolidated differences among Spaniards depending on the autonomous community in which they reside. Healthcare, education, taxation, housing, public assistance, and administrative procedures no longer offer the same conditions throughout the country. Some of these differences stem from the very exercise of self-government; others fuel an increasingly intense debate about equality among citizens and territorial cohesion.

That is precisely why it is surprising that the "Galicia" Declaration focuses almost all its efforts on preserving the current distribution of powers without first addressing a fundamental question. If the autonomous model itself continues to be debated due to the differences it generates and the doubts it raises about its effectiveness, shouldn't this demand be accompanied by objective proof that these powers are being exercised more effectively?

And here lies the great paradox of the Declaration.

Its signatories rightly defend the principle of subsidiarity and proximity to the territory. However, they barely address a preliminary question: what is the overall assessment of the regional governments' management of European funds over the last few decades? Before demanding greater decision-making power, it would be reasonable to know whether the funds have been disbursed as quickly as planned, whether administrative burdens have been reduced, whether the agreed-upon objectives have been achieved, and what the reports from oversight bodies reveal about the effectiveness of that management.

Claiming powers is perfectly legitimate. Presuming that they are exercised more effectively without providing evidence is more debatable.

Having the authority to manage resources does not, in itself, guarantee good governance. Experience shows that committing funds is not the same as executing, disbursing, or certifying them. Each of these phases corresponds to a different reality, and confusing them can create a misleading impression of an administration's effectiveness.

Here, it is important to distinguish between responsibilities. The European Commission must justify that its reform will simplify the system without hindering territorial adaptation. The central government must demonstrate that greater centralization of management will yield better results. However, the autonomous communities start from a different position: they have been managing a substantial portion of these resources for decades and, therefore, already have a track record of management that can and should be evaluated. Precisely for this reason, their burden of proof is greater.

Therefore, the debate should not be reduced to deciding whether the funds are managed by Brussels, Madrid, or the autonomous communities.

However, the crucial question is something else.

Who has demonstrated the best ability to manage taxpayers' money?

If Brussels wants to simplify, it must prove that this simplification will produce better results.

If the central government intends to concentrate more decision-making power, it must demonstrate that it will manage resources more effectively.

And if the autonomous communities wish to maintain or strengthen their powers, they too must prove that they manage the funds they receive more effectively.

Because citizens don't fund administrations to accumulate powers.

They fund them to solve problems.

The "Galicia" Declaration has opened a debate that goes far beyond Galicia. It's not just about European funds. It's about who should wield power, with what controls, and with what results.

Europe wants to simplify. The State wants to concentrate decision-making power. The autonomous communities want to retain it.

Everyone may have reasons to defend their position.

What no one should take for granted is that proximity to power automatically equates to better management.

Who decides?

Who manages?

Who is accountable?

And who pays for it?

That should be the real discussion.

Competencies can be claimed. Good management must be demonstrated. Because power is not justified by who wields it, but by how it is wielded.

Álvaro J. Díaz-Mella
Vigo, 2026

Related document:

'Galicia' Declaration by the Spanish Delegation to the European Committee of the Regions

---

Álvaro J. Díaz-Mella is a happily retired man from Vigo who is already gray-haired and has too many opinions about what he sees in our imperfect society.

---

Translation by Elentir.