The Metropolitan Council initially approves the AMB Internationalisation Plan 2021-2025

This Plan converts the AMB into one of the first metropolitan governments in the world to have a planning instrument for its international action over a five-year period
The Plan defines five strategic lines: impact on the EU and international political agenda, attract European and international funds, innovation and knowledge management, international economic projection and international cooperation
The document's geographical deployment —which places priority on Europe, the Mediterranean and Latin America— intends to strengthen ties with the United States, Canada and Asia
This roadmap is aligned with the metropolitan strategy to attract Next Generation EU funds and the EU budget for 2021-2027

Internationalisation Plan

The Metropolitan Council held on Tuesday 27th July initially approved the AMB Internationalisation Plan 2021-2025, a roadmap that defines the AMB's strategy in the international context for the 2021-2015 period.
El Consell Metropolità d'aquest dimarts 27 de juliol ha aprovat inicialment el Pla d'internacionalització de l'AMB 2021-2025, un full de ruta que defineix l'estratègia de l'AMB en l'àmbit internacional per al període 2021-2015. 

The Plan materialises the terms of the Metropolitan Action Plan (PAM) 2019-2023, which aims to boost the AMB's projection abroad in line with the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda (Habitat III), the Paris Agreement on climate change, the European Green Deal, the Leipzig Charter, the Pact of Amsterdam and the defence of human rights, among others.

The general objective of the Internationalisation Plan is to boost sustainability, competitiveness, the innovation dimension, the quality and effectiveness of policies promoted by the AMB and project its assets. This general objective will be deployed through three specific targets:

  • Impact European and international political agendas with the intention of promoting the interests, needs and expectations of the AMB and the metropolitan territory.
  • Help to transform the productive model and the social and territorial cohesion of the metropolis of Barcelona.
  • Project the AMB as an innovative public administration, focused on knowledge, based on values and open to the world.
The Plan pivots on the institution's own competences, assigned by the Act 31/2010 of the Parliament of Catalonia: territory, sustainable transport and mobility, ecology, housing and economic and social development, as well as other areas not included within the legal framework, but still having a strong metropolitan component: digital and technological transition, tourism, culture and creation, sustainable food policies and the promotion of health as a cross-cutting policy, among others.

To achieve the objectives set in the Plan, five strategic lines have been defined. At the same time, these lines are structured into actions and specific expected results.  

  1. Impact the EU's political agenda and the system of the United Nations. This task is developed through the following networks: European Metropolitan Authorities (EMA), Metropolis, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), MedCities, etc.
  2. Attract European and international funds with the desire to continue boosting transformational strategies in the AMB and metropolitan councils. The AMB has presented a very significant portfolio of metropolitan projects through the Next Generation EU. The AMB is a leading institution in attracting European funds. In this regard, the metropolitan body is currently participating in a total of 55 European projects and it is managing a total budget of nearly €82.31 M, of which €38.27 M are received in subsidies.
  3. Innovation and knowledge management. The aim is to extend, capitalise and transfer knowledge in the metropolitan area, developed bidirectionally by both the AMB and other local and metropolitan governments from around the world.
  4. International economic projection of the metropolitan territory as a whole. The goal is to define an international projection strategy, promoting elements of added value in strategic sectors in order to attract opportunities for the territory's socio-economic development. This line of work is driven by the Economic Development Agency of the AMB.
  5. International cooperation through the International Cooperation Master Plan (2020-2023) approved by the AMB.
The Plan is presented after a consultation process in which over 30 interviews and meetings have been held with about a hundred institutions of the metropolis and abroad: local councils, public and private metropolitan bodies, research centres, think tanks, international networks, technical services of the AMB, etc. As a result of this participatory process, it has been possible to extract considerations supporting the goals that give structure to the Plan, its priorities and strategic lines. These conclusions and the knowledge obtained have been reflected on a SWOT matrix (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats).

Geographical deployment around the world
Despite the fact that the AMB's international action has a global scope, different priorities and intensities are defined, which depend on the geographical area:
  • Europe. It continues to represent the central action for the institution and is the only geographical area where actions will be developed in each one of the Plan's five strategic lines. The Plan places priority on alliances with Greater Manchester, Grand Lyon, Città Metropolitana di Milano, Città Metropolitana di Torino, Área Metropolitana do Porto, Metropolis GZM-Katowice. In addition, relationships with the metropolises of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Grand Paris will be intensified.
  • Mediterranean and Latin America. They hold a place of importance and the Plan will work to strengthen ties with these territories. As regards the Mediterranean, the Plan targets priority relationships with Tunis, Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, Città Metropolitana di Roma (Libya), Tangier-Tetouan and Sfax. Furthermore, ties with the metropolises of Naples, Algiers or Thessaloniki will be encouraged. In relation to Latin America, priority is given to San Salvador, Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, Montevideo, Mexico City, Guadalajara metropolitan area, Bogotá and Santiago de Chile.
  • Asia, United States and Canada. The Plan intends to broaden relationships in these regions as they offer significant potential for the future, especially in the technology, scientific and commercial fields. In relation to Asia, the Plan maintains priority relationships with Seoul and Guangzhou. And with Canada, the Plan aims to consolidate relationships with Montreal and establish new ones with metropolises in the United States.
  • Africa. Relationships will mainly focus on the area of decentralised cooperation and bidirectional knowledge exchange. The Plan seeks to create strategic cooperation with Gauteng, Maputo and Dakar.

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