City Council, Provincial Council and AMB unite to reactivate the metropolitan economy

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gainst the changes that the pandemic will imply for our economy, the Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) have joined forces to boost the reactivation of the territory with a metropolitan vision. The three administrations have signed a collaboration agreement with the aim of working together in the elaboration of policies to promote and maintain Barcelona's business fabric, foster quality work, attract talent and relaunch the city's international reputation.

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The agreement between the City Council, the Provincial Council and the AMB, which will be valid until 2024 but can be extended beyond, has as its main axes the improvement of working conditions, with a reference minimum wage, the reduction of precariousness and gender gaps and the implementation of social clauses in public procurement; the diversification of the economy, through the promotion of various strategic sectors, and the strengthening of the green and circular economy as a vector of competitiveness. It also aims to implement the network of Business Support Offices at a metropolitan and provincial scale, drawing on the experience of Barcelona Activa, and to reach a unitary and collaborative position regarding Urban Economic Promotion Areas.

The first deputy mayor of Barcelona and president of Barcelona Activa, Jaume Collboni, has defended the need to "put all our strength at the service of the economic recovery of metropolitan Barcelona," strengthening the development of industrial areas such as Besòs, Zona Franca and 22@. For Collboni, this collaboration agreement must serve to avoid "loss of competitiveness or territorial imbalances" in Barcelona and its province.

The deputy for the Area of Economic Development, Tourism and Commerce of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Eva Menor, has highlighted the institution's commitment to working "with the city councils" to accelerate their digitalization and accompany SMEs in the search for new ways of producing and selling. Menor recalled that the Provincial Council has designed a plan for economic reactivation and employment, which will allocate 30 million euros between 2020 and 2021 to all municipalities in Barcelona.

The vice-president of the Social and Economic Development Area of the AMB, Montserrat Ballarín, has highlighted the historical nature of this collaborative framework, applauding the joint strength of the three administrations to "face" the challenges imposed by the coronavirus crisis, adding a new relational and action space that capitalizes on acquired knowledge and allows for the development of more "joint and complementary" actions.