There are pragmatisms that come as standard, that are part of the view that one has of reality. Perhaps because he grew up in a neighborhood, Sant Ildefons (Cornellà de Llobregat), where unnecessary complications are a luxury. Or perhaps for having worked 40 years in municipal politics, the most tied to the day to day of the citizen. The Vice President of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) and Mayor of Cornellà, Antonio Balmón (PSC)showed off all his natural pragmatism in the El Periódico Afterwork that he starred in this Thursday at Casa SEAT.
He recalled that the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona did not have an easy path until its constitution in 2011: “It cost us a lot to build the AMB and these 10 years we have shown that it was viable and necessary”. Thus, does not even want to hear about articulating governance for the Metropolitan Regionthat is, a Barcelona of 5 million inhabitants that would reach Mataró, Terrassa and Vilanova i la Geltrú. “We cannot get involved with institutionalization, because then we will not do anything & rdquor;he warned. This vision motivated last week a notorious plant of socialist mayors to the initiative Metropolitan commitment sponsored by the ‘comuns’.
Even less does Balmón consider the election of a metropolitan mayoran idea launched by the Mayor of Barcelona and Metropolitan President in 2016 and which has remained in a drawer due to lack of consensus. “Another mess! I don’t like wasting time!”he exclaimed. “Tangles, few. And more at the moment & rdquor;, he insisted, referring to the economic uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine and the post-pandemic. “In Great Britain there are some metropolitan mayors, but because the local reality there is different. In Germany there is only one in Hannover and in France there is none & rdquor ;, she compared.
Balmón’s recipe is simple: few messes and a lot of political stability so that the bureaucracy prospers quickly: “Instability harms institutions, because sometimes it takes more than 10 years to think, design, bid and execute a project”. Thus, he did not miss the opportunity to oppose the breakup of ERC and Junts in the Government against the strength of the quadripartite government (PSC, Comuns, ERC and Junts) of the AMB. The metropolitan institution was not shaken by this crisis, not even by October 1. “We manage day-to-day interests, such as public transport or beaches, and this forces us to take a higher view & rdquor ;”, he diagnosed.
He also wore government work and compared the housing production of the AMB and the Generalitat: while the AMB will close the mandate with 1,681 public flats promoted (in different phases of execution), the Generalitat has started 239 homes throughout the country between 2017 and 2021. “They have abandoned the social housing policy! & rdquor ;, he complained Balmon.
The next mandate, security and sharings
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The metropolitan vice president also pointed out what will be the two star themes of the next mandate. Not because of the political debates that may arise, but because they will already have the paperwork ready. The clearest is Metropolitan bicing, which goes “on time” to meet the premiere forecast before 2023. “We will start with municipalities that already have prepared systems and little by little it will be a metropolitan reality & rdquor ;, he advanced. He acknowledged, however, that it will not be possible to unify with the Barcelona network until 2028, when the contract in the capital expires: “With the administrative church we have topao& rdquor ;, he joked. He took it for granted that he would launch a metropolitan motosharing, despite the fiasco of the Barcelona license competition. “We will prepare the specifications so that when the current Barcelona contract ends we can intervene and extend it & rdquor ;, he said. Instead, a sharing of scooters seemed tricky to him: “There may be municipalities that have reluctance… Mine, for example, because the public space in Cornellà is not the same as that of a big city, you have to think about it a lot & rdquor ;, he admitted.
Another policy that he wants to leave ready for the next quadrennium is the “comprehensive security system & rdquor; which he announced in March. It is not about creating a metropolitan police, but about greater coordination between the municipalities and with the Mossos d’Esquadra, something that he assured that the Interior also wants. “We will prepare a folder with everything we can do, we have already spoken twice with the Minister Joan Ignasi Elena and now we are preparing a base document & rdquor ;, he explained. The key, he hinted, will also be to avoid entanglements: “There is an agreement to move forward and we are working & mldr; without making noise & rdquor ;.