On Tuesday, 14 July, the Spanish government utilized the Council of Ministers to authorize a significant budget transfer, moving more than €309,840,000 from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport to the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with Parliament. The stated purpose of this financial maneuver, as outlined in the official agreement, is to address shortfalls within Chapter 1 of the budget. This specific chapter is dedicated to the staff costs of the department currently led by Félix Bolaños.
The funds are intended to maintain the administrative structure of the ministry, covering essential expenses such as payroll, social security contributions, length-of-service increments, and various pay supplements for civil servants assigned to the department. Unlike investments in specific educational programs or infrastructure, this capital is being diverted purely to sustain the internal administrative machinery of the government.
This action is not an isolated incident. In April, the executive branch diverted nearly €30 million from the department—formerly led by Education Minister Pilar Alegría—to the Justice sector. That previous transfer was earmarked for digitalization projects associated with the Recovery Plan. The current situation differs significantly in scale, as the amount being moved is ten times larger than the previous diversion and is intended for basic payroll rather than technological modernization.
The government’s official explanation for these shifts points to the ongoing extension of the 2023 budget. Having failed to pass a new budget for three consecutive financial years, the administration is forced to cover any spending that does not fit within inherited items by moving funds between departments. However, the agreement approved by the Council of Ministers fails to specify which particular areas of education—such as grants, classroom digitalization, catch-up support, or vocational training—will be impacted or left with reduced budgetary room due to the loss of €310 million.
This move creates a stark contrast with the government’s public narrative. While the Ministry of Education, now headed by Milagros Tolón, has recently boasted about distributing over €31 million to autonomous communities to bolster vocational training and has highlighted the receipt of European funds via the Recovery Plan, it is simultaneously seeing a sum ten times larger leave its coffers. This transfer occurred via administrative means, bypassing both public debate and a specific parliamentary vote.
The reliance on budget extensions is increasingly viewed as more than a technical issue. Each transfer forces the government to make decisions that, under a scenario with updated accounts, would have been subject to a higher level of parliamentary scrutiny. The Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility has issued repeated warnings that the lack of new budgets complicates both economic planning and the oversight of public accounts.
By choosing to cut education funding to reinforce the internal functioning of another ministry, the government has provided the opposition with a concrete argument. With a specific figure, a date, and a signed agreement in hand, critics are now questioning the gap between the government’s stated commitment to public education as a social priority and the budgetary decisions that prioritize the state’s administrative machinery. As negotiations regarding the 2026 budget remain blocked, the government faces a structural tension, leaving observers to wonder how many similar transfers will be required to keep the administration running.
