New chambers law: stable funding and more control by the Generalitat

The official chambers of commerce, industry, services, and navigation of Catalonia have a new legal regime as of October 23. Law 14/2026, of October 21, published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (no. 9779) with the reference CVE-DOGC-A-26295001-2026, replaces the regulations in force since 2002 and establishes a dual financing model, public and private, for the thirteen Catalan chambers and their general council. The regulation, promulgated by President Salvador Illa i Roca and published by the Department of the Presidency, enters into force twenty days after publication, on November 12, 2026.

The law implements articles 45.7 and 125 of the Statute of Autonomy and aligns with State Law 4/2014, the basic law on chambers. It consists of 72 articles divided into four titles, seven additional provisions, four transitional provisions, one repealing provision, and three final provisions, and repeals Law 14/2002, of June 27, and Decree-law 3/2017, of June 27. The current chamber map is formed by thirteen corporations, based in Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Manresa, Palamós, Reus, Sabadell, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Tarragona, Tàrrega, Terrassa, Tortosa, and Valls.

Financing: from 3 to 7 million in three years

The new article 38 establishes that the chambers are financed by income from their services, a specific item from the budgets of the Generalitat de Catalunya destined for public-administrative functions, endowments for chamber plans, resources from other administrations, voluntary contributions from companies, patronage, assets, and subsidies.

The public allocation is recorded as a nominative subsidy in favor of the General Council of the Official Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Services, and Navigation of Catalonia, with a multi-annual character. The first additional provision sets the calendar for the first agreement:

• 3 million euros for the first year.
• 5 million euros for the second year.
• 7 million euros for the third year.

The General Council distributes these funds among the chambers according to the economic weight of each district, measured by gross value added, the number of establishments, and employed workers, with a guaranteed minimum contribution for each. In exchange, the corporations must maintain separate accounting for public and private activities, submit accounts to external audit, deposit them in the mercantile registry, and accept the superior oversight of the Audit Office (Sindicatura de Comptes).

Governance and administrative tutelage

Tutelage corresponds to the government department competent in the matter, which may approve, supervise, resolve appeals, create, merge, integrate, or dissolve chambers, and suspend or dissolve their governing bodies. The temporary intervention of a chamber can only be agreed upon with justification due to seriously irregular management and cannot exceed one year.

The deadlines for administrative silence are explicitly established:

• Requests for creation, merger, or integration are considered rejected after six months.
• Authorizations, approvals, and inspections that remain unresolved are considered granted after two months.

The plenary of each chamber shall have between ten and sixty members elected for four years, with a minimum of two-thirds by free and secret ballot, up to 10% upon proposal by the most representative business organizations, and the remainder representing the companies with the highest voluntary contributions. Voting shall be electronic, and the electoral roll shall be open to the public for a minimum of thirty days. In the General Council, the vote of each chamber is weighted, and no single corporation may exceed 40% or fall below 2%.

Ex officio affiliation and public business registry

All natural or legal persons engaged in commercial, industrial, service, or shipping activities are affiliated ex officio with the chamber of their district, without any financial obligation or administrative burden deriving from this affiliation. This status is linked to the registration for the tax on economic activities.

Excluded from affiliation are agricultural, livestock, and fishing activities of a primary nature, insurance and reinsurance brokerage services provided by natural persons, and liberal professions. Chambers must maintain a public business registry with data from the tax administrations, with a duty of confidentiality for the personnel designated by each plenary.

The regulation also mandates the adaptation of internal regime regulations and codes of good practice and conduct within a period of six months, and maintains the mandate of the current governing bodies until the next electoral process.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9779, October 23, 2026, General Provisions, p. 1 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26295001-2026).