IDEAGOV-Local 2026 brings the reform of local government financing into focus
The Pazo de Mariñán hosted IDEAGOV-Local 2026, a meeting devoted to the reform of local government financing and the proposed reform of the Galician Local Administration Law (LALGA).
Organized by IDEAGOV, the International Center for Decentralization and Governance at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, with the support of the Deputación da Coruña, the meeting brought together researchers, public officials and representatives of local government to discuss the legal, financial and institutional dimensions of the proposed reform.
The day opened with contributions from Valentín González Formoso, President of the Deputación da Coruña, and Santiago Lago-Peñas, from the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
The discussions addressed the challenges facing local governments in a context marked by demographic change, territorial dispersion and the increasing demands placed on public administrations.
The first sessions examined the reform of the LALGA from legal and constitutional perspectives, with contributions from Eva Nieto Garrido and Francisco Caamaño Domínguez. The programme then turned to territorial organization and decentralization in Spain, with Javier Suárez Pandiello, María Cadaval-Sampedro and Maite Vilalta Ferrer.
A central part of the meeting focused on the financial relationship between the regional and local levels of government. Miguel Corgos, Minister of Finance and Public Administration of the Xunta de Galicia, presented the current situation and future perspectives of the PICA, the mechanism through which municipalities participate in regional revenues.
The financial dimension of the proposed LALGA reform was subsequently discussed by Xoaquín Fernández Leiceaga, Alberto Vaquero García and Natalia Prieto Viso, with particular attention to local resources and intergovernmental fiscal relations.
The afternoon session brought the discussion closer to the day-to-day experience of local governments. María Barral Varela, Mayor of Betanzos; Secundino García Casal, Mayor of San Sadurniño; and José Luis Martínez Sanjurjo, Mayor of Ordes, shared their perspectives on the reform of the LALGA and the challenges faced by municipalities.
The discussion highlighted the diversity of local government realities across Galicia and the importance of considering differences in population, territorial structure and service provision when designing local financing systems.
The meeting concluded with a closing session featuring Maria Cadaval Sampedro, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Alberto Varela Paz, President of FEGAMP and Diego Calvo, Regional Minister for the Presidency, Justice and Sports of the Xunta de Galicia,.
IDEAGOV-Local 2026 created a space for dialogue between academic research and institutional experience, bringing together different perspectives on local finance, decentralization and multilevel governance
