Direct subsidies to police unions 2026: what changes and how they are distributed

Key data

National Police unions with representation on the Police Council no longer compete for public subsidies in open calls. The Royal Decree 562/2026, of July 8, establishes a direct award model that recognizes an evident reality: beneficiaries are predetermined by election results, making the competitive bidding system incompatible with the nature of these grants.

The change takes immediate effect from July 10, 2026 and repeals Order INT/3243/2007, which regulated the previous regulatory bases system.

What does this regulation establish?

Royal Decree 562/2026 fully regulates the award of public subsidies to police union organizations with representation on the Police Council. The key elements of the new system are:

Model change: from competitive to direct

The previous system required a public call under competitive bidding, where unions competed with each other for funds. The new model recognizes that beneficiaries are already objectively determined by election results to the Police Council, making an open call unnecessary—and incompatible.

Distribution criteria

The distribution of subsidies among beneficiary unions is carried out according to three combined criteria:

• Number of representatives obtained in the elections to the Police Council
• Votes obtained in said elections
• Effective attendance at Police Council meetings

Purpose of subsidies

The grants cover maintenance and union participation expenses during the corresponding annual budget year.

Economic justification

Expense justification is carried out through justification account, in accordance with the procedure established in the Regulation of the General Subsidies Law.

Comparison: before and after

Economic and operational impact

For police unions with representation on the Police Council, the change has direct consequences for resource management and planning:

• Greater predictability: by not depending on a competitive call, unions can anticipate with more certainty whether they will receive a subsidy based on their electoral representation.
• Council attendance directly impacts the amount received: effective attendance at meetings is now an explicit distribution criterion, which incentivizes active participation.
• Reduced administrative burden: the competitive bidding process disappears, with its deadlines, documentation and possible appeals, simplifying management for beneficiaries.
• Obligation to justify: the obligation to account for expenses through justification account in accordance with the Regulation of the General Subsidies Law persists, so internal expense management must be properly documented.

Royal Decree does not specify concrete subsidy amounts, as these will be determined in each annual budget year based on available funds and the established distribution criteria.

Who does it affect?

• Unions and union organizations of the National Police that have representation on the Police Council, as they are the only possible beneficiaries of these direct subsidies.
• Administration and treasury managers of said unions, who must adapt their expense justification processes to the new regulatory framework.
• Ministry of Interior as the granting body, which manages the direct award procedure and verifies compliance with requirements.
• Unions without representation on the Police Council: are excluded from the system, as the predetermined beneficiaries are based exclusively on election results to the Council.

Practical example

Imagine a police union that, following the latest elections to the Police Council, has obtained 5 representatives and a significant volume of votes. Under the previous system (Order INT/3243/2007), this union had to compete in a public call, prepare competitive documentation and await the resolution against other unions.

With the new RD 562/2026 system, its status as a beneficiary is automatically recognized by its electoral representation. The amount it receives will depend on the combination of its representatives on the Council, the votes obtained in the elections and its effective attendance at Police Council meetings during the year. If a union has representatives but records low attendance at meetings, its proportional share of the subsidy will be reduced compared to unions with greater active participation.

Once the subsidy is received, it must justify maintenance and union participation expenses through justification account in accordance with the Regulation of the General Subsidies Law.

What should union organizations do now?

1. Verify representation on the Police Council: confirm that the union has representatives on the Police Council, an essential requirement to be a beneficiary of the direct subsidy.
2. Review attendance records: since effective attendance at Council meetings is one of the distribution criteria, it is essential to document and prove the participation of representatives in each session.
3. Adapt justification processes: prepare internal procedures to account for expenses through justification account in accordance with the Regulation of the General Subsidies Law, replacing any process based on the old bases of Order INT/3243/2007.
4. Plan subsidizable expenses: identify and document maintenance and union participation expenses that will be subject to justification before the Ministry of Interior.
5. Stay alert to communications from the Ministry of Interior regarding the direct award procedure for the current budget year, as the RD establishes the framework but concrete amounts will be determined annually.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-15028