EU NEXT GENERATION FUNDS

Barcelona’s strategy for the EU’s Next Generation funds (NGEU) represents the city’s response to the crisis caused by Covid-19, as well as the opportunity proffered by the Recovery Plan for us to work to build a Europe for the future.

Barcelona is planning comprehensive change that will help the city become more resilient in the face of future crises, committing to the ecological and energy transition, digital transition and social cohesion.

Barcelona City Council’s response is being developed around seven strategic areas, to enable the city to continue to work to continue towards a resilient Barcelona that looks ahead to a sustainable future.

These seven strategic areas are:

•    boosting the local economy

•    boosting sustainable mobility

•    achieving a fair digital transition

•    working for a responsible transition towards a sustainable model for renewable energies and renovation

•    creating a stronger system for innovation, research and knowledge

•    developing health and social infrastructures

•    focusing on the recovery of the nature in the city

PROJECTS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE RECOVERY, RESILIENCE AND TRANSFORMATION PLAN (PRTR) IN PROGRESS:

Subsidy from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration in the domain of social inclusion

The project basically consists of creating a one-stop-office to help with the development of active policy paths to suit each individual's profile (a multi-dimensional vision providing multi-professional support). In combination with the payment of minimum income benefits, this action model aims to strengthen the socio-occupational inclusion of the 1,000 participants, emphasising stronger relational and community ties so that inclusion is not solely about access to the labour market and guaranteed incomes. Inclusion paths to be followed by these people include specialised one-to-one support, training, community participation and job placement.

Related links:

SHARED MANAGEMENT FUNDS

ERDF OPERATIONAL PROGRAM 2014-2020

One of the priorities of European integration is building a common space through the cohesion and convergence of Europe’s regions. European structural and investment funds therefore fund projects that reinforce this economic, social and territorial cohesion and drive sustainable, intelligent and integrating growth throughout the whole of the European Union (EU).

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is the EU’s main instrument for promoting this cohesion policy. Together with the European Social Fund (ESF) it constitutes the Structural Funds for investing in the economic restructuring of the EU and reducing the imbalances between Europe’s regions.

ERDF investments promote a smarter, greener, more social and better-connected Europe, which is more accessible to its citizens.

The EU also promotes internal cooperation between regions and countries through ERDF funding.

PROGRAMME

• Link to the Operational Program
• Link to the video on the Operational Program of the Generalitat de Catalunya

MANAGEMENT

Link to the list of operations in the Single Portal

In compliance with article 125.4c of Regulation (EU) 1303/2013, channels are facilitated for the communication of suspected fraud or irregularities within the framework of the following actions co-funded through the ERDF Catalonia Operational Programme during the period 2014-2020:

Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia

National Anti-Fraud Coordination Service

For more information on anti-fraud measures, check the following links:

Institutional statement on anti-fraud measures of the Managing Authority

Code of conduct and ethical principles of the Management Authority

Red flags in the fight against fraud

ASSESSMENT

Assessment of the ERDF Catalonia Operational Programme for the period 2014-2020 is implemented according to the specific assessment plan for the same. This plan sets out the criteria and procedures which the ERDF’s managing authority and intermediate bodies must adopt to measure the results and the level of compliance with the programme’s goals.

Common Evaluation Plan, which contains the elements common to all the 2014-2020 ERDF Operational Programs

Specific Evaluation Plan

COMMUNICATION

Download graphic image and communication manuals PO 2014-2020 FEDER

Spanish government

Government of Catalonia

Eurpean Regional Development Fund (ERDF) opened in the City of Barcelona

ERDF funds: ISUDS (Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Strategy) 

Project funded: Sustainable urban development of the Eix Besòs

The purpose of this project is to improve the social and urban inequality indicators in the Ciutat Meridiana, Vallbona, Torre Baró, Roquetes , Trinitat Nova, Baró de Viver, Bon Pastor, Verneda - La Pau and Maresme-Besòs neighbourhoods, with a population of 114,014 inhabitants that could potentially benefit .

It is designed to meet the following challenges.

• Economic challenges: eliminating the imbalances between family incomes, reducing the unemployment rate and generating commercial activity.
• Environmental challenges: creating a quality environmental and heritage space in the Besòs area, reducing the use of private vehicles (17% share of transport) and getting more businesses to revalue their waste.
• Social challenges: reducing educational failure and dropout rates, cutting the number of people at risk of social exclusion and increasing the number who do sport.
• Demographic change challenges: increasing the number of people covered by telecare and other programmes, as well as the number connected to the internet.
• Climate change challenges: increasing climate change resilience.

The project is planned to last four years and is equally funded by the EU and Barcelona City Council, with a total investment budget of €30 million.

RIS3CAT Agreement

Barcelona City Council signed a collaborative agreement with the Catalan government (Generalitat) in November 2015 to carry out operations as part of the Research and Innovation Strategy for smart Specialisation in Catalonia (RIS3CAT), jointly funded through the ERDF Operational Programme under the Investment in Growth and Employment Objective for Catalonia 2014-2020.

The agreement provides joint funding for various activities that come under three working programmes:

Barcelona City Council is working through several departments and with its own means to put forward various actions as part of the process of implementing EU funds in Catalonia.

DIRECT MANAGEMENT FUNDS

URBAN INNOVATIVE ACTIONS

Project funded: B-MINCOME

Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) provides urban authorities across Europe with spaces and resources to try out innovative ideas not previously tested in order to tackle inter-related challenges and study how these ideas respond to the complexity of real life. These projects must be high-quality, innovative projects that are designed and developed with the participation of any interested parties and geared towards results that are transferable.

B-MINCOME is the winning project submitted by Barcelona City Council, which is led by the Area of Social Rights. The aim behind it is to analyse how all the city’s residents can be guaranteed the minimum income required for a decent life and it is based on the premise that the current social assistance system is insufficient for achieving that aim.

The project will be implemented over the course of the next two years with the following partners:

• Ajuntament de Barcelona 
• The Young Foundation (London)
• IVALUA
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
• Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
• NOVA - Centre per la Innovació Social Nova - CIS

Project funded: GBG_AS2C

Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) provides urban authorities across Europe with spaces and resources to try out innovative ideas not previously tested in order to tackle inter-related challenges and study how these ideas respond to the complexity of real life. These projects must be high-quality, innovative projects that are designed and developed with the participation of any interested parties and geared towards results that are transferable.

The GBG_AS2C project will address the heat island effects in the City of Barcelona and prepare the city to face predicted increasingly high temperatures in summer, by transforming 10 pilot schools into climatic shelters.

Considering their low degree of adaptation to heat, but also their spatial distribution throughout the city as well as their great level of penetration within communities, schools are relevant spaces for adapting the city to climate change for the benefit of all. The project will implement a package of measures designed through a participatory process, introducing blue (aquatics playgrounds), green (greening playgrounds) and grey (traditional) components in schools in order to convert them into climatic shelters - not only for students, but also for summer school camps and all citizens outside of school time, as a refreshing and shaded leisure facility. In parallel, a climate change educational project will be adopted to contribute to climate change awareness, including the involvement of children and school professionals in the health assessment process.

The project will be implemented over the course of the next two years with the following partners:

• Ajuntament de Barcelona 
• Public Health Agency of Barcelona
• Barcelona Consortium of Education
• Barcelona Cycle of Water
• Barcelona Institute for Global Health
• Institute for Environmental Science and Technology UAB
• Vila olímpica School

URBACT

European exchange and learning program that promotes sustainable and integrated urban development.

• Genderedlandscape

HORIZON 2020

EU Research and Innovation Framework Program.

• SCOREWATER
• PLEDGER
• LOCALIZED

INTERREG MED

Interregional cooperation program in the Mediterranean.

• + RESILIENT