Catalan president and Barcelona mayor hold first working meeting since election

The newly elected Catalan president, Salvador Illa, and the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, held their first work meeting together since Illa's election on Friday morning. 

Both politicians are from the Socialist Party, and it is the first time since 2010 that the Catalan government and Barcelona council are led by the party, when Jordi Hereu was mayor of Barcelona and José Montilla led the executive.

Illa was named the 133rd president of Catalonia in early August after receiving the support of a majority of lawmakers in the chamber. To do so, the Socialists had to cut deals with pro-independence Esquerra Republicana and left-wing Comuns Sumar. 

This first meeting of the new president is a first contact with the Barcelona mayor's office before a more institutional meeting on September 4.

Collboni wants to push the government to maintain the decree approved by the last executive to slow down the growth of tourist flats in the city. He will need this approval if he is able to carry out his pledge to remove all 10,000 tourist flats in the city in five years.

Other points of discussion will be the modification of the tourist tax, the limiting of cruise ships arriving into the city, and the construction of social housing flats in Barcelona, ​​which was halted when the budgets for 2024 were not approved.

Access to housing, improving security, improving the public transport network and other elements of mobility, and the improvement of public space and quality of life in neighborhoods were set as priorities to be addressed when the two offices work together.