On November 5, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, inaugurated the fifth edition of the Spain-India Forum, organized by the Fundación Consejo España-India and Barcelona City Council within the framework of the Smart City Expo World Congress. Under the title “Connecting with India: Talent, Science and Strategy for a Shared Future”, the event kicked off two days of meetings aimed at promoting bilateral relations between the two countries.

The session featured prominent institutional representatives from Spain and India. Speakers included Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares (video intervention); the President of the Fundación Consejo España-India, Juan Ignacio Entrecanales; India’s Ambassador, Shri Jayant N. Khobragade; and Nilanjan Ghosh, Vice President of the Observer Research Foundation and development expert.

The Mayor thanked the Indian Ambassador for the decision to open, last August, a Consulate General of India in the city, as requested by the City Council a year and a half ago. “This represents mutual trust, a willingness for shared growth, and recognition of India’s importance in global affairs. From now on, India will have a structural and lasting presence in our city,” he said.

During the event, the Mayor unveiled the ‘India Chapter’, the strategic document outlining relations between Barcelona and India, which identifies synergies among cities, think tanks, and economic actors to boost joint economic and social ties.

The strategy is based on the potential for shared growth and the inclusion of Indian talent in Barcelona’s society. The Mayor explained that Barcelona is the first city to have a strategic document “that clearly defines the priority lines of bilateral cooperation.” This work has been carried out in collaboration with Casa Asia, which, as Collboni recalled, will soon inaugurate its new headquarters at the Palau de Pedralbes.

The ‘India Chapter’ is part of Barcelona International Strategy 2025-2029 and sets out the action areas to strengthen collaboration in talent attraction, biotechnology research, urban projects, support for the Indian diaspora, logistics promotion, tourism, startups, and academic mobility, reinforcing Barcelona’s role as an international benchmark.

The Mayor concluded that, through these initiatives, the City Council aims to start “a new relationship with India to make Barcelona a true gateway for the country and all of Asia to Southern Europe.”

Main objectives of the ‘India Chapter’ for Barcelona

The ‘India Chapter’ establishes nine key objectives regarding interaction between India and the city of Barcelona:

• Objective 1: Promote mechanisms for attracting Indian talent
• Objective 2: Collaborate in the field of biotechnology
• Objective 3: Participate in international city network programs with activity in India
• Objective 4: Foster collaboration with Indian cities and entities aligned with Barcelona’s interests
• Objective 5: Support the Indian diaspora in Barcelona and its cultural diversity
• Objective 6: Collaborate in logistics and trade fairs
• Objective 7: Attract Indian tourism
• Objective 8: Collaborate in the field of startups
• Objective 9: Develop academic and research mobility programs