The government has created a temporary program to close European fund projects

The Department of Health has approved the creation of a temporary program for the closure of projects funded with funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The decision is formalized by Resolution SLT/3324/2026, of September 17, signed by the Minister Olga Pané Mena, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9755, of September 21, 2026, in the Other provisions section (CVE-DOGC-A-26261035-2026).

The Next Generation EU (NGEU) funds are the European Union’s temporary and extraordinary response to the COVID-19 crisis, with the RRF and the REACT-EU fund as its main pillars. The RRF, regulated by Regulation (EU) 2021/241, operates on a results-oriented model: disbursements from the European Commission to member states depend on the fulfillment of milestones and targets (MiTs) committed to in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP).

The European deadline for the material execution of actions funded by the RRF is June 30, 2026. From this date, an intensive phase of verification, closure, and auditing begins. The resolution is framed within Article 29 of Decree-law 5/2021, of February 2, and is reinforced by Order HAC/580/2026, of June 9, which regulates the reimbursement of RRF funds.

Thirteen projects and 166.88 million euros

The program must guarantee the technical, administrative, economic, and control closure of the thirteen projects funded by the RRF in which the Department of Health and its attached public sector entities participate, totaling nineteen executing entities. The global amount of the projects is 166.88 million euros.

The closure has two dimensions:

• The technical closure of the digital transformation projects of the health system, with the consolidation and effective implementation of solutions in information systems, data governance, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence across the SISCAT network.
• The closure of the requirements of the RRF management and control system, with the comprehensive verification of projects, compliance with the transversal principles of Order HFP/1030/2021, publicity and transparency obligations, and a complete and verifiable audit trail.

Assignment and fourteen staff members

The program is integrated into the General Secretariat, through the Directorate of Services, of the department competent in health matters. To execute it, the incorporation of fourteen staff members is planned:

• 3 A1-23 staff in health information systems and advanced analytics.
• 1 A1-23 staff member responsible for the communication and dissemination of RRF projects.
• 1 A1-23 staff member in health data architecture and governance.
• 3 A1-23 staff members responsible for the closure of the RRF.
• 1 A1-23 staff member in regulatory compliance and anti-fraud of the RRF.
• 2 A1-23 staff for the verification of the RRF.
• 2 A1-23 staff in governance and transversal coordination of the program.
• 1 C1-14 staff member for management and evidence support.

Personnel selection is carried out through the offer published on the ATRI portal and on the Department of Health website, in accordance with the Government Agreement of June 13, 2017 on appointments and hiring of temporary personnel.

Validity, financing and indicators

The program has a validity of one year and begins one month after the day following the publication of the resolution in the DOGC. It is financed using the own resources of chapter 2 of the Department of Health budget, and the effectiveness of the provision of the jobs is subject to the existence of sufficient credit in the corresponding items.

The result and objective fulfillment indicators include:

• AI algorithms validated and deployed in the health system, with clinical evidence and presence in SISCAT centers.
• Data flows or information systems integrated and operational for the monitoring of RRF projects.
• Sub-projects closed with a complete, regularized file suitable for independent verification.
• Percentage of sub-projects verified with a favorable report without critical incidents.
• Files with complete anti-fraud control (DACI, MINERVA, and risk analysis).
• Sub-projects with a complete audit folder available to the control bodies.

The creation of this program comes at the most delicate moment of the execution of European funds in Catalonia: once the material execution deadline has expired, the risk of total or partial reimbursement of the grants depends on the quality of the justification and the documentary trail. With 166.88 million euros at stake and nineteen entities involved, the orderly closure of the Health RRF projects determines the ability of the Catalan health system to retain the Next Generation EU funds and to consolidate the digital solutions already developed.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9755, of September 21, 2026, Other provisions, pp. 1-4 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26261035-2026).