The management of European funds by the Spanish Government has shifted from a technical issue to a major political problem. What was presented as a historic opportunity for economic modernization post-pandemic now threatens to become an example of opacity, improvisation, and lack of control, heightening concern in Brussels after it emerged that over 10 billion euros from the Next Generation funds may have been allocated to current spending, such as pensions or the Minimum Vital Income. Questions also arise about their potential use in contracts linked to Huawei, a company under constant scrutiny for strategic security reasons.
The unease extends beyond the Spanish opposition. Germany and the Netherlands have expressed reservations about the execution of community aid, while the European Parliament is demanding explanations. The chairman of the Eurochamber's Budgetary Control Committee has called for "total clarity" regarding the use of funds intended for investments and structural reforms in ordinary state budgets.
The problem is twofold: firstly, the low execution capacity. According to Eurostat, Spain ranks seventh worst in the European Union in the effective utilization of these resources, with only 42.8% executed. Secondly, the absence of serious budgetary planning, with Spain operating under General Budgets from 2022, a democratic anomaly that erodes parliamentary control over public spending. The Executive has resorted to credit modifications to bypass the lack of new public accounts, increasing spending without proper debate in the Cortes.
The systematic use of credit modifications reflects a worrying lack of budgetary discipline. In 2025 alone, over 75 billion euros were spent outside parliamentary control, under rules approved during the pandemic. The European funds, conversely, demanded rigor, transparency, and verifiable reforms, not the patching of budget holes or financing of structural state expenditure. The risk of eroding the credibility and trust of partners is evident when public money ceases to be subject to ordinary parliamentary scrutiny.
