Andalucia has received more than €130billion in European funding since Spain joined what is now the European Union 40 years ago, according to figures released by the regional government.
The huge investment total was revealed as Spain marked Europe Day on May 9, which this year coincides with the 40th anniversary of Spain and Portugal joining the then-European Economic Community in 1986.
According to sources from the Junta, the southern Spanish region has received a staggering €130.2billion in EU structural funds over the past four decades.
That figure rises by a further €7.5billion when including post-pandemic Next Generation recovery funds allocated to Andalucia up to March 31 this year.
The funding has helped transform nearly every aspect of life in the region, from roads and railways to farming, renewable energy, public services and employment schemes.
Regional officials say Andalucia has received an average of more than €3.2billion per year since entering the European bloc – money largely aimed at reducing economic inequalities between poorer and wealthier European regions.
Much of the funding has gone towards:
- Highways and transport infrastructure,
- Railway improvements,
- Rural development,
- Agricultural modernisation,
- Research and innovation,
- Job creation,
- Social programmes,
- The green energy transition.
The Junta said EU membership has been ‘decisive’ in driving the region’s economic and social development.
In an institutional declaration approved this week, the regional government said European integration had strengthened Andalucia’s economy, modernised public services and expanded opportunities for citizens across the region.
Officials also highlighted the role of programmes such as Erasmus+, which has allowed thousands of young Andalucians to study abroad and fostered what the Junta described as a growing ‘sense of belonging’ to Europe.
The statement added that Andalucia is no longer simply a recipient of European aid, but is increasingly contributing to the wider European project through innovation, agriculture and renewable energy leadership.
The region has become one of Spain’s key hubs for solar and renewable energy development in recent years.
Meanwhile, Andalucia received €7.576 billion from Spain’s Covid-era Recovery Plan – also known as the Next Generation EU programme – up to March 2026.
Of that total, €3.377 billion came from state tenders and national government programmes, while €4.199 billion was allocated directly to the regional government through sector agreements.
The Junta says more than 169,000 people in Andalucia have benefited from those recovery funds, particularly through projects linked to economic reactivation and digital transformation.
Quoting Ursula von der Leyen, the Junta concluded: ‘Europe is a great story that we must write together.’
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
