The Mayor of Barcelona, ​​Mrs.Ada Colau, and the Mayor of Valencia, Mr. Joan Ribó, took part in the annual conference organized by the Fundació Catalunya Europa- Pasqual Maragall legacy, which this year was entitled: « Barcelona and Valencia, the Mediterranean axis? »

The two mayors spoke about the current situation of the cities of Barcelona and Valencia and have celebrated the good cooperation between the two. During the conversation, special attention was paid to the pandemic and the potential of a Mediterranean alliance that takes into account the diversity of the area and the cities and avoids the centrality of the main cities with respect to the less populated ones. The three shores of the Mediterranean have been vindicated as a productive, innovative and creative area.

MedCities was present during the event through its Secretary-General, Mr. Josep Canals and its director, Mr. Oriol Barba. For the association of Mediterranean cities, the participation in this event corresponds to one of the main objectives of the entity on the promotion of the interests of local authorities and the presence in international fora to meet the following objectives:

– To expand the association’s influence, both throughout the región and on the global agenda.

– To strengthen the visibility of individual members’ experiences and position them in international fora.

– To promote the participation of member cities in regional conferences aimed at sharing knowledge and practices.

Mr. Josep Vicent Professor of Human Geography at the University of Valencia and member of the Advisory Board of the Fundació Catalunya Europa was in charge of moderating the dialogue; from his side the opening and closing of the event was attended by Mr. Josep Maria Vallès, President of the Catalonia-Europe Foundation and Mr. Pau Mas Codina, the director of the Foundation.

You can watch the session here.