Barcelona City Council has highlighted its role in the international local-government networks Metropolis and UCLG, United Cities and Local Governments. The council holds its own membership of Metropolis alongside its representation through the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), the metropolitan authority that groups 36 municipalities.
For Barcelona residents, the council's separate representation places the city directly in a network of major urban and metropolitan governments, alongside its existing AMB link. Barcelona City Council's international relations department has presented this as a strengthening of the city's international local-government role.
Metropolis, the World Association of Major Metropolises, said Barcelona City Council submitted an additional membership application in 2017 as a joint UCLG member. Its board subsequently ratified Barcelona and the Mayoralty of Baghdad as new members, taking the association to 137 governments of large cities and metropolitan areas.
Technical support programme to begin in 2026
Metropolis announced on 4 December 2025 that it will begin a technical assistance programme in 2026 for member cities and metropolitan territories in countries on the OECD Development Assistance Committee recipient list.
The Generalitat de Catalunya, Catalonia's regional government, is providing €750,000 over three years through the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD). According to Metropolis's programme announcement, the funding will support tailored advice on metropolitan governance, including ecology, mobility and urban renewal.
“With the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, this programme marks an important step in reinforcing Metropolis' capacity to support metropolitan governance for its members,” said Jordi Vaquer, Secretary-General of Metropolis.
The assistance is intended to support cities through planning, implementation and evaluation, with climate resilience, inclusion, innovation and long-term sustainability identified as cross-cutting priorities. The programme is scheduled to start in 2026.
Primary sources: ajuntament.barcelona.cat. Reported by metropolis.org, Gerard Pruna, Metropolis, 119/New Spirit, Jordi Castellana Gamisans Facilitator.
