Activists to protest Hard Rock casino, B-40 highway, and airport expansion on March 4

Social and environmental activist groups announced plans for a March 4 protest in the Catalan capital against large infrastructure projects linked to the 2023 Catalan budget: the Hard Rock casino complex in southern Catalonia, the B-40 highway near Barcelona, and the "modernization" of the El Prat airport.

According to members of the Aturem Hard Rock, Zeroport, and Campanya Contra el Quart Cinturó associations, the budget deal between ruling Esquerra and the Socialists in the opposition is but a "set of environmental and social aberrations."

The large infrastructure projects detailed within it, they argue, "deteriorate the environment" and exacerbate "the climate crisis while increasing the use of energy and increasingly scarce materials."

These groups have also demanded to meet with Catalan president Pere Aragonès to discuss their concerns, but have not yet been able to do so. 

"We've asked for a meeting, but it looks like they've got a busy agenda for us," Campanya Contra el Quart Cinturó's Santi Martín said. 

The demonstration will begin at Plaça Catalunya in the city center at 6 pm on March 4. 

2023 budget infrastructure projects

The minority government led by Esquerra was able to secure support for the 2023 budget from the Socialists after agreeing to vote on a motion on the B-40 highway, also known as the 'Quart Cinturó', in the Vallès area near Barcelona. 

The 2023 budget deal states that the Catalan and Spanish governments will have to reach an agreement on the so-called Ronda Nord project for the Vallès area northwest of Barcelona by the end of the first quarter.

As for the Barcelona airport, both parties agree on the need to "modernize" facilities and there will be a new technical committee formed by members of the Catalan and Spanish governments to find a way "to improve its capacity to make it a true intercontinental hub" that "respects biodiversity" and takes residents' concerns into consideration.

Plans to build the southern Catalonia Hard Rock casino-hotel complex will go ahead subject to the approval of the urban development plan by June 2023. These were halted last October due to environmental criteria. 

Barcelona airport sea runway

The future expansion of Barcelona-El Prat Airport is the source of perpetual debate among politicians and wider society in Catalonia. 

The latest idea to be floated is the construction of a new 3,400-meter-long runway, one nautical mile out to sea.  

A private consultancy firm has sent the €2.1bn proposal to the Catalan Government for consideration, Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia reported on Saturday. 

Government sources told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that all options must be studied and that it is positive that there are experts working on this issue. 

Daniel Pardo of Zeroport, however, argued that the proposal is "not viable" and said the 2020 protest against expanding the airport was proof enough of its widespread rejection.