We welcomed a large delegation from our member city and Presidency, Montpellier, led by its mayor, Mr. Michael Delafosse. We presented MedCities and some of its flagship projects, and discussed our shared interests with Secretary General Mr. Aleix Villatoro and Ms. Clare Hart.

The visit by the MedCities presidency formed part of a series of meetings that Montpellier City Council was holding in Barcelona, and the day concluded with an introductory meeting at the Mediterranean association’s headquarters.
For most of the Montpellier team, this was their first meeting with MedCities’ technical team. It was a great opportunity to build synergies and ensure that the various departments of the local authority, such as the sustainable urban planning service, the walkable city plan and cycling initiatives service, and the Attractiveness and Influence within the Economic Development Division, the urban development and housing service, the Community and Public Spaces Division, or the Community and Public Spaces Division, among others, were aware of what MedCities does and how it can support them in their projects.

Members of the MedCities technical team, such as Noé Viedma, Pedro Fernández or Irene Zarza, outlined the organisation’s main areas of focus in the Mediterranean and the key projects and cities involved in events. They provided examples of the most flagship initiatives and the largest-scale projects that MedCities is undertaking in 2026.

On the advocacy front, the head of policy, Carolina Pérez, outlined the calendar of events linked to political actions and positions centred on water management at the EuroMediterranean Water Forum in Roma, the Mediterranean Cities Conference in Barcelona, the participation at teh Smart City Expo World Congress in November, or several technical visits linked to projects that some city members will participate to in Barelona, amongst other issues. Looking ahead to the autumn – a period when MedCities’ activity is always intense- we explained the most important event of the year, the General Assembly, which this year will be held in Mersin, and other sessions in which MedCities will participate, being represented by Clare Hart, Deputy Mayor of Montpellier, acting on behalf of the MedCities presidency.

Furthermore, this visit marked the first occasion on which the Mayor of Montpellier, Mr Delafosse, was able to meet the MedCities technical team and its new Secretary-General in person.

Both Mr Villatoro and Mr Delafosse were able to hold a cordial conversation and discuss the processes in which both the organisation and the city are currently engaged, with a view to identifying future areas of collaboration, particularly regarding key events for both organisations.

For MedCities, it was a pleasure to meet the various representatives from the city council’s departments, with whom we can address key issues and work together with our member cities.

This is the second face-to-face meeting between Montpellier and MedCities, taking place on the 21st of July, following the first, which took place in 2024 at the headquarters of the Department for External Affairs and International Relations.