Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona, was the protagonist of a colloquium held this Thursday at the Círculo Ecuestre.

After the presentation by the president of the Círculo Ecuestre, Enrique Lacalle, the first mayor of the Catalan capital began a dialogue with Enric Sierra, deputy director of La Vanguardia, who acted as moderator of the event.

During the event, in which Collboni was accompanied by some members of his government team, such as Mª Eugènia Gay, second deputy mayor, and Laia Bonet, deputy mayor of the Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing Area, the speaker and moderator established an interesting conversation about the transformation that Barcelona must experience in the next decade.

In a speech prior to the interview, Collboni made a hopeful appeal about the city of Barcelona: "We have a bright future ahead of us as a city. After Covid-19, Barcelona has grown in population, in wealth, employment is being generated and we have exceeded 100,000 million euros in GDP". "We are a City Council that wants to promote, not slow down; that invests, also in works, not penalizes. We want to reach agreements and compromise. And I, as mayor, want to collaborate with all those Barcelonans who are committed to their city”, he assured, adding the following: “We no longer have an excuse. Barcelona is its own project and must be at the service of all citizens. This is the horizon of transformation”.

During the interview with the deputy director of La Vanguardia, the first mayor of the Barcelona council committed to building 52,600 homes to expand the city of Barcelona. “We have development projects in La Sagrera, where there is a growth potential of 10,000 homes, 75% of official protection, and up to 30,000 new jobs in a million square meters of economic surface. In Marina del Prat Vermell, in the Zona Franca and Montjuïc, the construction of a new neighborhood with 12,000 homes, 50% of which are officially protected and 75 hectares of economic growth is already underway, and in 22@ Nord we are also reactivating projects, with a growth potential of up to 30,000 homes”. "Within the framework of the commemoration of the centenary of the 1929 Exhibition, we have begun the renovation of the Fira Montjuïc space, we have agreed to expand the MNAC and other projects that we will explain. In addition, a new neighborhood with more than 600 publicly protected apartments will be born", he announced.

Along the same lines, the mayor expressed his confidence that the initial approval of the modification of the 30% land reserve would occur before the summer: “I am convinced that we will have a 30% modification. At the moment, the private construction sector is practically at a standstill and this means that the 30% that should come from private developments does not exist either. I think that almost all groups agree that this regulation must be modified, and I am optimistic that we will achieve it”.

 

 

As part of his optimistic speech, Collboni also announced other projects that were expected to add to the future of the city, such as the first AstraZeneca research center in Barcelona or the location of the Carmen Thyssen Museum in the former Cines Comèdia.

Faced with the controversial expansion of the airport, the mayor assured that “there is no change in position” and that “it is an opportunity that we cannot let pass by, neither as a city nor as a country”.

Regarding taxation, Collboni stated that the City Council has “agreed on tax ordinances that freeze taxes on families and small businesses”. “The tax pressure with the IBI has remained stable, but we have increased taxation in the tourism sector. We have achieved a balance so that the city is not paralyzed and that the changes we are promoting are perceived”, he pointed out.

On the other hand, the mayor of Barcelona gave his opinion on two of the most important sporting events: the America's Cup and Formula 1 in Catalonia, regarding which he made the following clear: “We have never expressed the desire to be the permanent headquarters of the America's Cup. In the coming years we have other important international events and it is not in our plans to maintain it permanently” and “the Generalitat has the full support of the Barcelona City Council to ensure the continuity of Formula 1 in Catalonia”.

Asked about the city’s improvements, Collboni stated that “there will be many works, some of them of great importance, because we are committed to achieving excellence in public space”, despite the impact on mobility that he assured it would have. Following this theme, he called for “reinforcing public transport to offer alternatives and reduce the entry of cars into the city”. “The solution is to improve the Rodalies, the metro and other public transport infrastructure to offer real alternatives”, he pointed out.

The event concluded by addressing the city’s security, the future of tourism and the recovery of Ciutat Vella. Collboni confirmed that “the City Council has achieved the commitment to open five new courts to streamline processes and reduce multiple recidivism”. “We have also increased arrests by 23%, and crime is decreasing between 7 and 12%”, he added. Continuing with the second question, the mayor explained that the City Council “has found a balance within the framework of the public-private agreement, where we are committed to quality tourism” and that they have “set limits on tourist apartments and cruise ships to better manage the impact of tourism”. Finally, the guest speaker at the Cículo Ecuestre assured that “the works on Via Laietana will be finished before the summer” and that “the recovery of Ciutat Vella is already underway and tangible transformations will begin to be seen in the coming months”.

The event culminated with Collboni confirming that he will be a candidate in the future elections.