Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona

On 27 and 28 November, the Annual Conference and 15th General Assembly of MedCities (MedCités). the network of Mediterranean cities, took place in Tunis. The Tunis City Hall was the venue chosen to host representatives from the network's almost thirty member cities and international agencies active in the Mediterranean Region during the two days the event lasted.

Elisenda Alamany, metropolitan councillor, attended the events in representation of the AMB's Area of International Relations and Cooperation. During the General Assembly, Alamany underscored the importance of expanding the network, going on to say that, "Mediterranean cities have much in common, and we need to work together to address the challenges of the 21st century".

Decentralisation helps to provide better service to citizens

The main issue discussed during this edition of the conference was the need to decentralise responsibilities in efforts to cover the demands and needs of the cities and improve citizen services. Representatives from the participating cities agreed that decentralising responsibilities would help them better attend to citizen needs, become more efficient and enable them to capitalise on synergies with other cities.

The responsibilities that generated the greatest demand with regards to decentralisation and cooperation between neighbouring municipalities were mobility, waste management, energy efficiency and the water cycle. The Mediterranean cities delivered a common message: making cities more accommodating and adaptable to citizen needs requires a greater economic and technical investment and increased networking.

To conclude the annual conference, participants shared experiences regarding metropolitan governance in urban areas, in which attention was brought to the example of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, taking into consideration, yet again, the challenges facing cities in the Mediterranean Basin.

On day two, the new secretary-general of MedCities, Josep Canals Molina, was presented to network members during the General Assembly. The members also approved the accounts and the 2020 project budget and discussed the key points from the 2023 strategic plan. The Assembly also gave its approval for the entry of new members into the association: Valencia, Montpellier, Gaziantep (Turkey) and Mersin (Turkey). With these additions, the network now has 61 member cities.