Barcelona opens Brussels office to increase influence on policies such as housing in EU

The Barcelona City Council has opened a new representation office in Brussels to "reinforce" the city's role in EU policies.

On Tuesday, mayor Jaume Collboni inaugurated the office, which will aim to influence matters such as housing and climate, on the continental level.

Collboni explained that one of the priorities of the office will be to demand from the European Commission that the next EU budget, which is now being negotiated, allocate funds "directly" to cities to rehabilitate buildings or build subsidized housing.

Barcelona's representation will be headed by Laia Segura, an expert in International Relations and Environmental and Housing Policies. According to the Barcelona council, it is the first city in the country to have an office dedicated to EU affairs, while Prague and Vienna are two other examples that have such a delegation.

The representative is located within the office that the Barcelona Provincial Council has had in the city since 1988. This "collaboration" between the City Council and the Provincial Council "will allow the city's representation in Brussels to have no cost" for the council beyond the salary of the office representative.

"In Brussels, in the coming months and years, housing policies, climate policies, social policies, and infrastructure policies will be decided," Collboni said. "Therefore, it's essential that cities have our voice here permanently."

He also highlighted the timing of the office opening, coming when negotiations for the next continental budgets are beginning. 

During the current mandate, Barcelona has received nearly €170 million from EU funds. "This is 70% of what had been received in the last decade," Collboni pointed out.

Housing is "the number one problem" that European citizens suffer from, the mayor said, and called for more action from Brussels.

"We are very aware that the EU has a challenge and an external threat that must be faced. Not saying it or not recognizing it would be naive and irresponsible. But we also have an internal adversary, an internal threat that is inequality and the expulsion of the middle classes from the big cities, the result of the increase in prices and speculation," he added.

For this reason, the council office will fight to ensure that the next European budget allocates funds "directly" to the cities to, among other things, rehabilitate homes, build subsidized apartments, or carry out "urban regeneration" projects.