Follow live the dialogue between Julián Quirós, director of ABC and Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona, in a meeting organized by Casa SEAT and this newspaper under the name ‘Barcelona, motor of Spain’.
13:12
End of the talk
Thus ends the new ABC Dialogue between director Julián Quirós and the mayor of Barcelona.
13:09
Visit to Catarroja
The mayor has traveled to one of the cities most affected by DANA, where more than 30 people have died in a trip that has had little publicity. «I spoke to the mayor to ask her how you were and what you needed. He told me: ‘don’t forget’. I went with two engineers and an architect and I saw that what they needed was that, for someone from outside to come. The magnitude of the devastation is such that you have to respond, consolation is not enough. “The mayors of the affected areas have to know that we are not going to forget them and that we are going to be there.”
13:06
«Public money is managed honestly»
In a message to citizens, the mayor has sent a message of tranquility. “Public money is managed honestly.”
13:01
Citizen insecurity
Spain, explains Quirós, is not a country with citizen insecurity, but there is a perception that Barcelona is suffering episodes of insecurity in this sense. «There is an insecurity problem focused on theft. The problem cannot be denied. There are multiple repeat offenders,” acknowledges Collboni, who has already set to work to tackle the problem. «The staff of the Urban Police has been expanded to a historic maximum. There is greater cooperation between police forces that were ignored before this government. The criminal judicial staff has been increased to break the funnel we are experiencing. The police arrest more but the lack of courts is having a funnel,” he explains. It is not a problem that will be resolved in 6 months but he assures that the change is already being noticed and he hopes to see it reflected in the next data.
12:53
The housing problem
“The housing problem is being fought with public and private supply,” says Collboni, who points out that the land in Barcelona has doubled to build homes and developments have been unlocked. “At its best, Barcelona had the capacity to build 1,000 private apartments and 1,000 public apartments a year and we have to return to those figures.”
12:49
Competitive public transport
It is the turn of mobility and for this Quirós points to the means of transportation used by the mayor to get to the meeting. Collboni has gone by Metro and has highlighted the city’s public transport. He assures that in the surveys, public transport is highly valued and that the problem is in metropolitan mobility. That is, the cars that circulate through the city of Barcelona every day.
12:42
Connectivity with Asia and the US
“We want to make talent our driving force.” For this, he says, connectivity is important, above all, with Asia and the US. It is important that for these destinations it is not necessary to go through Madrid, so this involves “expanding the airport”, although he recognizes that it is not expert and will be guided by what the experts say: “If they say that it is necessary to expand a runway to allow transoceanic flights.”
12:41
Barcelona “is not a tourist city”
“We are not a tourist city, we are a city with great tourism.” This phenomenon, he insists, is an important part of the city but it cannot be the whole and condition the rest.
12:38
Limits to tourism
Collboni insists on the need to put limits on tourism and the damage that tourist apartments are doing. «You just need to walk through some European and Spanish cities, where the neighbors have been expelled»
12:35
Tourism
“Barcelona arrived before anyone else to the tourism phenomenon,” says Quirós, who asks about the current phenomenon of urban tourism. The Barcelona 92 Games led to a transformation, according to Collboni, who defends quality tourism but points out some contraindications that it entails, such as the balance between tourism and the lives of neighbors. «Tourist activity has to have limits»
12:32
The most unknown thing about Barcelona
«We are very attractive to our own talent and that brings entrepreneurial capacity. People want to come to Barcelona to work and contribute,” says Collboni after being asked about the aspects of Barcelona that are most unknown to people who do not live there. Activities related to the sea also stand out thanks to the port of Barcelona.
12:29
Technology and science in Barcelona
Julián Quirós dates back to the time when Madrid was the administrative capital and Barcelona was more economical. “Is this idea that when things go well for one, things must go badly for the other, is this outdated?” Yes, it is for the mayor, who considers that these figures are left behind. «We have to think about how cities can be better. We have fairs linked to technology, scientific production with scientific production parks…». This, he says, is not incompatible with activity in other cities.
12:25
Cooperation and competition with the mayor of Madrid
Regarding the relationship with the mayor of Madrid, he says, “there is great cooperation on some issues and on others we do not directly raise the issue because there is competition, and that is fine.”
12:24
Dwelling
“We are asking for regulatory and investment capacity to be able to have affordable housing and expand the supply,” says the City Council, which explains that a network of European cities is being created to address the issue of rental. With Madrid, he says, “there is a relationship of cooperation and competition that, properly understood, has to make us better.”
12:22
A “network of cities”
“It is good that our country has discovered that our city is a network of cities,” says Collboni, who considers it good news that the mayors of other cities consider it this way.
12:18
Collaboration between institutions
“Can the city of Barcelona help re-concentrate forces?” asks the director of ABC. “We owe it to ourselves as Barcelonans,” responds Collboni, who highlights the need to have a good relationship with the central government and in general collaboration between institutions.
12:16
The meeting begins
The talk begins after the presentation by ABC journalist Álex Gubern and with the mayor highlighting the ‘player’ that Barcelona represents due to its talent, universities, business schools, companies and industry. All of this in line with the municipal government of Barcelona “and I would dare say that of Catalonia,” says Collboni.
11:43
‘Barcelona, engine of Spain’
This talk, under the title ‘Barcelona, engine of Spain’, will highlight the weight of the Catalan city in the economic development of the country.
11:19
New ABC dialogue: Julián Quirós and Jaume Collboni
Good morning!!!
Starting at 12 in the morning, the director of ABC, Julián Quirós, will have a talk with the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, in a new installment of Diálogos ABC organized by this newspaper together with Casa Seat. Here you can follow the meeting live.
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