The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce has described the current collapse of the railway system in Catalonia as a "tragedy" and has harshly criticized both the planning and execution so far of the commuter rail plan for 2020-2030. The Chamber denounced delays of hundreds of millions of euros in both the bidding and execution phases of infrastructure projects, according to business entity Alicia Casart. However, the Chamber's vice president, Miquel Martí, advocated giving "a vote of confidence" to the Ministry and the two state-owned companies that manage the affected infrastructure, Adif and Renfe. Specifically, Casart recalled that, prior to the system collapse two weeks ago, the commuter rail service had suffered from deficiencies for years, to the point that it had become "normal" for "users' patience to be routinely pushed beyond its limits," resulting in a "low quality" of the network. Therefore, she added, the commuter rail plan approved by the Spanish government was intended to "make up for lost time" and "bring the network up to date." This is complemented by the creation of a new mixed operating company with a stake held by the Catalan government (although the State retains a majority stake) and progress in transferring the infrastructure to the Catalan administration. However, the head of infrastructure at the Chamber of Commerce asserted that the plan is experiencing implementation delays, both in the bidding process for construction projects and in their execution. Thus, according to the initial plan, Adif, Renfe, and the Ministry of Transport are €800 million behind schedule. The execution of works and nearly €1 billion more in tenders—a delay that will ultimately penalize future projects as well: "Today's tenders are the news in Barcelona." Casart also criticized the plan's poor planning regarding the necessary actions. Specifically, the plan included a €1.018 billion program for replacing all types of assets on the network and at Renfe, which was progressing at a "fairly good" pace in 2024. However, that same year, the copper theft at Torre Baró triggered "a series of fires that crippled the Rodal network." This incident "set off all the alarms," ​​as it compounded other problems between 2023 and 2025, causing "a range of incidents that could not be explained solely by the volume of renovation work" being carried out on the railway infrastructure.

The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce will close 2025 with a profit of over one million euros and has increased its budget for next year to 34 million euros. This decision was made by the plenary session of the organization, chaired by Josep Santacreu, this Friday. Specifically, the budget anticipates a 5% increase in activity revenue compared to the previous year. The accounts for next year include allocating 15 million euros to training and 17 million euros to business economic development focused on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the self-employed, and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, they reflect an increase of approximately 7 million euros in all costs related to consultative and representational functions. Regarding revenue, the Chamber explains that it will focus on service income, which is expected to increase by 17%. Activity expenditures will increase by 11% compared to 2025, while structural costs will remain stable. The Chamber will also invest in talent, increasing its staff to meet new business and technological challenges, as well as strengthening the organization's consulting area with an approximately 10% budget increase. "The 2026 budget includes key investments for the corporation's development, dedicated to completing the modernization of the headquarters and investing in the offices of its regional branches, as well as the Chamber's technological commitment to modernize all its services with the implementation of AI." Specifically, the Chamber will allocate approximately €2 million to investments, 50% of which will be dedicated to infrastructure and the remaining 50% to technology. To this end, the Chamber's plenary session also approved a €2 million increase in its long-term borrowing capacity, given the positive results of recent years, in order to finance the corporation's long-term investments. "Strengthening institutional and consultative activity will be one of the key pillars of the Chamber's strategy for 2026," the Chamber states. In this regard, the institution hopes that the new Chambers Law – now once again in controversy– be approved during the first half of 2026, "which would give the chambers the capacity to cover their institutional, representative and consultative expenses," the institution says.

The traditional Christmas meetings of Pimec and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, held this Thursday – which have coincided for several years now – have become a battleground for the controversy surrounding the law on chambers of commerce. How He already explained it NOWLast month, the employers' associations Pimec and Foment del Treball, along with the unions CCOO and UGT, sent a letter to parliamentary groups expressing their disagreement with the bill presented in the Parliament of Catalonia. This came as a shock to the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Council of Chambers of Commerce of Catalonia, given that the text "had been agreed upon." According to Pimec, the text that has finally entered parliamentary proceedings is not "exactly" the agreed-upon text, and therefore the social partners have submitted a series of amendments. Although the law is now in the hands of politicians and its future course no longer depends on business institutions, the negative sentiment surrounding it is clear. When asked about this discrepancy, the president of Pimec, Antoni Cañete, asserted this Thursday during the Christmas breakfast that the text as it currently stands "creates legal uncertainty and an overreach of authority" by the chambers of commerce, "which cannot under any circumstances participate in social dialogue." "The chambers of commerce must act as chambers of commerce, employers' associations as employers' associations, and unions as unions," Cañete stated, adding that "order" is necessary. Thus, the president of Pimec said that they did not oppose the bill's passage at the time, but that the text, after thorough analysis, includes elements that "concern" them. "It's like the Hundred Years' War," Cañete joked. "We've been debating this text for years." "We are not against the legislative process itself, we are against the ambiguities that could create uncertainty," he said, while also asserting that "it is a matter of democracy" and that they hope the political parties will take their amendments into account.

The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce revised upwards its growth forecasts for the Catalan economy this year on Tuesday. The business institution believes that economic activity will rise in 2025 thanks to an improvement in household consumption and business investment, something that is also being reflected in the rise in productivity, one of the historically unresolved issues for the Catalan productive sector. Therefore, the president of the Chamber, Josep Santacreu, sent a message of "optimism" but with "caution."

Barcelona, ​​​​and by extension Catalonia, could lose 14% of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2050 due to climate change. This is according to a study by the AXA Foundation presented this Tuesday at the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, which also indicates that the main risks linked to the climate crisis for the city of Barcelona are extreme heat, water stress, and flooding.

The Catalan economy will maintain the expected growth rate over the next two years, provided that the trade war initiated by US President Donald Trump does not escalate further than it has so far, according to forecasts by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.

The incorporation of immigrants into the labor market and the improvement in productivity were the two main drivers of the Catalan economy last year, which has allowed Catalonia to exceed the growth rates of the major European economies, according to the report. Economic Report of Catalonia 2024, presented this Thursday by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.

The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and seven other Catalan business organizations have rated "very positively" theAgreement between the Generalitat (Catalan government), the Spanish government, and the state airport operator Aena to expand El Prat Airport.In a joint statement, the Chamber, the employers' association Pimec, Fira de Barcelona, ​​​​the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC), the College of Economists of Catalonia, and the business organizations FemCat, Barcelona Global, and the Círculo de Economía have positively assessed "the project announced by the Catalan government and consider it necessary and strategic to improve intercontinental competitiveness."

The city of Barcelona is increasingly appearing in more global and European rankings as one of the best cities in many areas. It stands out, above all, for being second in the world and first in Europe for foreign investment projects in research and development centers. In short, it is one of the 20 most competitive cities in the world. This is according to the report prepared with 2024 data by the Barcelona Observatory, an initiative promoted by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the City Council, presented this Thursday morning.

The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce estimates that the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump will have an impact of around €1.055 billion on the Catalan economy this year, equivalent to around three-tenths of the Catalan gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the size of an economy).

Positive year. The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce closed the 2024 financial year with a positive result of €4 million, an amount that exceeds the anticipated budget and has allowed it to increase its net worth. This result, presented during the ordinary plenary session in April, also allows the Chamber's finances to be stabilized, currently chaired by Josep Santacreu, "and to overcome the losses recorded in previous years," as stated in a statement.