Barcelona calls for a halt to the auction of El Centro de la Villa without the government's vote

BarcelonaThe critical situation The proposal from the El Centro de la Villa shopping center arrived at the City Hall this Wednesday. During the presidency committee meeting, two motions presented by Barcelona en Comú and Esquerra were debated, requesting... stop the auction of the complex and reopen negotiations with the State to acquire it. Two initiatives that passed with the votes of these two groups and Junts per Barcelona, ​​but did not receive the support of the municipal government. The fourth deputy mayor for Economy, Jordi Valls, defended the abstention, stating that the City Council is closely monitoring the situation and continuing negotiations, but called for waiting to see how the auction process for the center concludes.

Until now, sources within the council had limited themselves to stating that, "as it has done until now, the City Council is closely monitoring this process to see how the operation evolves and what projects are being considered." This observer role remains in place, awaiting whether or not Mercasa finds buyers in this auction and, if not, whether a new window of opportunity opens for the City Council to negotiate the purchase of this space in the Olympic Village at a more economical price. This Wednesday, Valls did not explicitly address this scenario, but he did explain that the city council rejected paying 27 million euros for the center and emphasized that the auction will reveal its true value. As reported by ARA, Mercasa—the state-owned company that manages the center—will auction the property on June 10th with an initial price of 25.7 million euros, which will drop to 21.9 million in a second round if no higher bids are received, and to 18.5 million euros in the final round. "Abstaining sends a message to Mercasa and to anyone who participates in the auction," said Valls, who argued that the City Council should convey the message that the auction "allows us to differentiate between a price and a value." Despite abstaining, Valls did commit to forwarding the agreement signed by the City Council this Wednesday to Mercasa. Valls also questioned the request to halt the auction. "If someone makes a good proposal, should we say no?" he asked, and reminded everyone that the use of the shopping center depends on the City Council, regardless of who manages it. "No auction or operator will use the center in a way that this City Council doesn't control," he said. However, Valls stressed that the municipal government will continue "talking, negotiating, and paying close attention to what happens with the auction." The deputy mayor expressed skepticism about the possibility of obtaining the transfer of the space, another scenario the opposition had put forward. Where Valls did agree with the groups was in their criticism of the State's management of the shopping center so far. The fourth deputy mayor said he shares the "apocalyptic" view expressed by the opposition, which considers Mercasa's management of the center "dramatic," "unsustainable," and an "absolute failure." "Disappointment" from the opposition

Although the proposals have been approved, the promoting groups have expressed disappointment with the municipal government's stance. "We're missing an opportunity," said ERC councilor Jordi Coronas, who added that public buildings in Barcelona shouldn't be auctioned off without the City Council's approval. Barcelona en Comú spokesperson Marc Serra went further, stating that the government is demonstrating that "it doesn't care what happens to the city center, the residents, or the neighborhood." Junts councilor Neus Munté lamented that the government is going into negotiations with the central government "defeated." Sònia Devesa, from the PP, on the other hand, said she doubts the City Council should bear the cost of such an operation: "The debate shouldn't be about who buys the building, but rather what project is developed and how it's guaranteed to bring added value to the neighborhood."