Antonio Balmón: "I doubt that the debate on expanding the metropolitan area is opportune"

BarcelonaAntonio Balmón (Barcelona, ​​​​1960) has been the mayor of Cornellà de Llobregat for 21 years. He is also executive vice president of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB). He speaks to the ARA in the midst of a debate on the future of the metropolitan region.

Has the time come to expand the metropolitan area?

— I understand the reflections that exist, but I seriously doubt their appropriateness. I cannot be distracted and I believe that the AMB cannot do so either. We must create a very solid space from the management point of view. This is not the time to lose sight of what our horizons are.

What are those horizons?

— To start with, we are still waiting for the approval of the Urban Master Plan. We have also made housing, mobility and social policies. And we want to create a comprehensive system to address coexistence policies. When you are on this journey, you cannot open discussion groups. Don't count on me.

But it was the mayor of Barcelona and president of the AMB himself who opened this debate.

— He has an opinion, and I have the intellectual freedom to have another.

Do the challenges of the metropolitan region not go beyond the current 36 municipalities of the AMB?

— It is true that the economic reality, the need for infrastructure, mobility... goes beyond the metropolitan area. But when one starts to talk about powers that are not within the local sphere, this corresponds to the Generalitat, which for too many years has been absent.

And why can Cervelló be part of the AMB and not Rubí, for example?

— If you start this debate, you never end it. Why not Martorell? Why not Igualada? Why not Rubí, Terrassa or Sabadell? Why not Masnou, Alella, Sitges or Vilanova? Nobody takes into account the history of this house. They must think that this was a gift from heaven, and that is not true.

What does it mean?

— Some people naively think that the State and the Generalitat pay for this. But no. This is paid for by the citizens of the metropolitan area and also by the town councils. And then I would like to remind you that this is the only administration that has gone from four institutions to one without increasing the cost of the structure. If someone wants to create more structures and allocate more money to them, then they should look into it.

But doesn't it make sense for coordination between municipalities to go beyond the 36 of the current AMB?

— Yes, but for that no administration is needed. All that is needed is the will. A meeting should be held in which all the mayors come. These policies do not need structures, they need support. The Provincial Council already has spaces in which they could cooperate and collaborate. But I am not saying that we do not want more partners in the AMB. I agree that we should change the scale, because when we talk about the ring road between Terrassa and Sabadell, this affects us all, not just Terrassa and Sabadell. Or when we talk about the airport. But what I am saying is that all this is the responsibility of another administration, which is the Generalitat.

What specific things do you think the Generalitat should do?

— Planning the territory. This is what must be done to plan the growth of public services, education, health, and mobility, which is very important. Organizing a competitive territory with the necessary infrastructure. This is what must be done.

Does Barcelona sometimes act with a touch of superiority?

— Barcelona is essential because it is your calling card. But then you have a very powerful territory from the point of view of attraction, economic activity, talent, and you must take advantage of it. Barcelona must understand that we are not in the 80s, 90s or 2000s. We must share, but if someone thinks they can dominate, they will be wrong.

As metropolitan mayor, tell me something good and something bad about the influence that Barcelona has.

— I have always refused to play the victim. I believe that territories should be competitive. Barcelona is an incentive, a provocation, a motivation to stimulate you.

How does the housing problem affect Cornellà?

— The issue of housing is not new. In Cornellà, since the 80s and 90s, housing policy has always been in place. Many people come to us from Barcelona, ​​but Cornellà has not been able to support all the people who needed housing and who have gone to other parts of the region.

The other day, a former senior official told me that there are municipalities that are reluctant to grow and have more residents. Do you agree?

— Within the AMB, most municipalities are working to provide plots of land and implement a housing policy that allows people to stay in the city, especially those with greater difficulties.

Part of the AMB's funding also comes from the metropolitan tax, which has been hotly debated in the courts.

— Judicially, there is a clear ruling that says that the metropolitan area can charge it. Then there is another ruling that says that what we cannot do is give bonuses. In other words, it says that we must charge more to the citizen. And we are trying to find a solution so that this is not the case.

Should the ATM keep the discounts on tickets?

— Does it make sense for an income of 100,000 euros a year or 70,000 euros a year to be subsidised on transport? I don't think so. We have to look at how to scale it up, because there is no money for everything. There is no money to subsidise and upgrade the service at the same time.

Will he run for mayor again?

— It is not a question of whether I will continue or not. I have never thought about it like that. I only think that within 10 years Cornellà will have been able to make another leap in human and territorial quality. This is my objective.