The municipal government of Barcelona will be required to prepare a protocol for the holding of major events with the aim of having minimum impact on the city and on the normal life of its citizens, with requirements that will include communication campaigns and direct and tangible returns to the affected neighbourhoods, as well as ensuring the presence of the Catalan language in these. This is the bill that Jaume Collboni will have to pay after the recent holding, with wide opposition, of a Formula 1 exhibition in Passeig de Gràcia and a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Park Güell.
The municipal plenary passed a proposal presented by the Trias for Barcelona group which had the support of Barcelona en Comú and the Republican Left (ERC) which stated its support for the celebration of major events but foresees the need for these to be approved by consensus and held without causing inconvenience to the public. The initiative was opposed by the People's Party (PP) and Vox and, significantly, Collboni's Socialists (PSC) preferred to abstain in the face of a proposal that questions its handling of these events. In fact, one of the main criticisms of this type of event was the accusation that the mayor acted unilaterally.
"They will have us in favour of the America's Cup, but we are not in favour of how things are being done", said the head of the opposition, Xavier Trias, who accused Collboni of acting "as if he had an absolute majority because he knows that we can't pass a motion of no-confidence against him, and that's why he does what he thinks, and does things without consensus". Trias quoted three instances where things had been done badly, starting with last summer's urban stage of Spain's major cycle race, which ended with the streets in darkness: "La Vuelta was a disaster, the Louis Vuitton parade in Park Güell was a mistake, and the Formula 1 in Passeig de Gràcia was an error," said the Junts politician, pointing out that his proposal is not a rejection of the celebration of this type of event, but of its "management".
For her part, the spokesperson for the Comuns, Janet Sanz, despite noting her differences with TriasXBCN, gave support to the proposal, pointing out that with regard to major events, the municipal government has been acting "in ways that are not what the public need and nor what Barcelona's residents are asking for". Sanz spoke of the Parc Guëll private fashion event, also linked to the America's Cup, for which the park was closed: "The Louis Vuitton event was a mistake and a symbol of what it means to put Barcelona up for sale, like the Formula 1 show", said Sanz, who insisted that Barcelona "needs a mayor who is not a tourist promoter". For his part, the ERC spokesperson, Jordi Castellana, asserted the need to consider "the impact these events have on the city".
On behalf of the city government, the deputy mayor Jordi Valls announced the abstention of his group, but defended the holding of the Louis Vuitton parade due to the "need to define the city in terms of a design framework" and noted that this company has "four industrial factories in Catalonia that employ 2,000 workers", in addition to highlighting the importance of Formula 1 in Barcelona and Vallès Oriental, where the Circuit de Catalunya is located. The proposal to develop a protocol for major events received the negative votes of the PP and Vox.