Barcelona City Council

Dear Raquel,

As you well know, the Barcelona of today exists thanks to its people and its past generations, who strove so much to transform and improve our society. The cornerstone of our social model is employment: we are a working city and the quality of people’s lives depends on employment. But it is also clear that, in many cases, working conditions are far from ideal: too insecure and with salaries that are too low.

Employment cannot be separated from the strength of our productive fabric. Our model advocates for combining strong companies with good jobs, as well as economic progress with justice. For us to prosper together in solidarity. Promoting our economy is essential in order to generate shared prosperity.

In this regard, the local economy is one of the pillars of our city’s prosperity, giving vitality to our public spaces. This is a sector that was hit especially hard by the pandemic and by inflation. For this reason, commerce and catering, along with our markets, continue to be one of the City Council’s priorities.

We are also aware that economic inequalities must be tackled together with gender inequalities. In order to progress towards equality, it is necessary to intervene in employment and to improve people’s work-life balance and the sharing of care work. These priorities must be tackled in a cross-cutting way, being acutely aware of how much progress has been made, but also the long road that is still ahead of us.

As Councillor for Economic Promotion and Employment, Feminism and Democratic Memory, you should focus on the following priorities:

• Promoting high-quality employment and the fight against job insecurity. Fostering social dialogue and involving the various stakeholders. Leading an agreement for job quality in the city, reaffirming inspection campaigns in employment matters. Being committed to dual professional training and promoting a support plan for the long-term unemployed. In addition, developing initiatives for youth employment.
• Leading the government’s feminist commitment in all areas, especially in regard to employment and work-life balance. Tackling the gender gap by promoting equality plans and undertaking campaigns against horizontal segregation. Working to foster entrepreneurship for women and increasing their participation in STEAM sectors. Showing firmness in the fight against gender violence and improving  safety  and  security in public spaces, while  introducing assistance and support points for victims. Promoting joint education and shared responsibility in the area of education and new uses of time. Creating a data observatory with a gender perspective, in order to have a greater effect on the fight for equality.
• Providing support for the development of innovation, research and digitalisation. Heading a “Barcelona digital” plan, so that the general public can acquire digital skills, reducing the territorial digital gaps. Providing support for the digital transformation of our productive network, with a digital economy plan, expanding grants in this area, creating a programme called Creating Research Jobs in order to hire researchers, and producing a master plan for research and knowledge. Expanding the research and innovation investment fund in order to help create companies and accelerate emerging businesses (start-ups).
• Fostering economic promotion and diversification with a wide range of measures. Coordinating the economic revitalisation of the city centre, in order to reactivate empty or underused emblematic buildings. Developing our new activity hubs and promoting large-scale international events that act as an economic driving force for Catalonia and Spain. In order to do so, we must improve our international connectivity. Providing support for our strategic sectors and strengthening the hubs and support programmes for entrepreneurship. Promoting a return plan for companies and collaborating on the agreement for metropolitan infrastructures.
• Promoting local commerce. Providing support for the professionalisation and improvement of the sector. Strengthening the protection and promotion of our municipal markets. Maintaining the levels of investment in their physical and digital improvement. Studying the creation of a voucher scheme for young people to shop in municipal markets. Making progress in updating by-laws concerned with bar terraces, taking into account local resident sensibilities and in constant dialogue with the catering sector. Promoting responsible consumption.
• Advocating for a greater awareness of historic memory. Favouring the existing network of memory associations, the celebration of events in all areas of the city and a greater dissemination and signposting in public spaces.

I am counting on a leading woman like you, who is committed and is a defender of equality for women and workers’ rights, so that Barcelona can continue to be a leading city in terms of rights and the best city for living and working in.

Kind regards,