Barcelona will gain 44 new judge positions by 2028, a near 25% increase from the current 206, under a national expansion plan approved via decree-law. The first 17 judges will join the city's criminal, civil, and social courts starting 1 July 2027, with a further 27 posts to be filled from 2028, according to Cristina Ferrando, president of the Barcelona Court of First Instance.

The expansion is part of a wider Spanish government initiative to create 500 new judicial posts nationwide by 2027, as confirmed in a royal decree processed by the Council of Ministers and published on mptmd.gob.es. This includes posts across civil, social, and criminal jurisdictions, with Barcelona receiving a significant share.

Doubt Over Filling Vacancies

Despite the new posts, Ferrando warned that filling them may prove difficult. Judicial appointments are made nationally, and there is no guarantee candidates will choose Catalonia. She highlighted a persistent deficit in Catalan candidates sitting judicial exams, noting that many locally trained legal professionals historically pursue careers outside the judiciary.

We still need more than double, said Cristina Ferrando, president of the Barcelona Court of First Instance.

She also pointed to high workloads in Catalonia as a deterrent for judges from other regions, many of whom do not remain in post long-term due to a lack of incentives.

Expanding the Justice City

Regardless of whether all posts are filled, authorities are already planning to expand the Justice City in Barcelona. Ferrando confirmed that the Generalitat is working with judicial authorities to repurpose underused buildings within the complex for judicial offices, as the current facilities are described as "a bit saturated".

The growth follows the implementation of the Law on Efficiency of the Public Justice Service in Catalonia, which restructured traditional single-judge courts into multi-judge Courts of First Instance, as detailed on mjusticia.gob.es. The third and final phase of this reform was completed on 1 January 2026.

Sources: betevé, mptmd.gob.es.