More courts. The Government and the Generalitat have agreed to create up to five more courts in Barcelona to try mainly thefts and robberies. The objective is to ensure that by mid-2026 the current waiting times for prosecuting this type of crime, which is now around a year, are reduced by half.
The judicial collapse in Catalonia affects all jurisdictions (from judging an unfair dismissal to challenges to oppositions). However, for months now, employer representatives, merchants and hoteliers have set the goal of decongesting quick trials for theft, which in theory should be held in 15 days but which sometimes take up to more than a year to be reported. Thefts without violence represent around half of the crimes committed in the Catalan capital.
Barcelona currently has a fixed duty court dedicated to trying minor crimes. These are mainly small robberies without violence or intimidation on the street or in supermarkets and large stores, which do not carry prison sentences. This court is joined by another reinforcement court whose extension is periodically agreed upon by the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) and the Ministry of Justice.
These two courts hold about 48 trials daily for minor crimes. If the reinforcement of the second is not extended, there would be a risk of prescription of the pending minor crimes, which are criminally extinguished after one year. One of the demands of the Barcelona judges was that this second court, which is now a provisional reinforcement, be maintained permanently.
The shock plan agreed between the Generalitat, the Government and Barcelona City Council contemplates the creation of a third court on duty to judge minor crimes (especially thefts of less than 400 euros, but also minor threats or coercion). The characteristic of these trials is that the investigation, hearing and sentencing are held in the same court on duty. The shock plan seeks to go from the current eight months of waiting for the trial to one month at the end of 2026.
In addition, the plan contemplates the creation of four new criminal courts for quick trials. These are trials for large thefts, robberies with violence or injuries that carry sentences of less than five years. The increase in the number of courts (four reinforcement judges, lawyers from the administration of justice and 15 officials) seeks to reduce the waiting time for reports from 15 to one month.
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