The Citizen Associations General File is one of the tools that link Barcelona City Council to the city's associations. Its creation is provided for under the Regulations on Citizen Participation (Art. 9) and it is governed by the Regulations on the Citizen Associations General File (Official Province Gazette (B.O.P.) 26/2/2004).
Registration in the File exempts associations and de facto groups from the requirement of accompanying their grant-application submissions to Barcelona City Council or its bodies with documents that appear on this File and are up to date. It also entitles them to join the Citizen Participation Council, Barcelona City Council's highest consultation and participation body, and to receive information on participation and the associations movement.
The present-day number of associations registered in the File comes to 5,000, divided up under 22 subject areas. The following non-profit associations may apply for registration:
- those with head office in Barcelona whose activity is essentially aimed at the city's general interests and at improving the quality of life of its citizens and
- those that represent sectoral, economic, commercial, professional, scientific, cultural and similar interests within the territorial confines of Barcelona.
- The City Council periodically analyses and discloses data from the File to stay informed about the situation and development of the city's associations network.