Mayor of Barcelona elected Vice President of Eurocities

Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona, has been elected Vice President of Eurocities and will help lead the network of major European cities for the next two years. He joins Mathias De Clercq, Mayor of Ghent, who was elected as Eurocities President for the same period.

Colboni, elected by delegates from over 200 large European cities, will promote a clear agenda focused on housing, climate action, innovation, and democratic renewal. He will serve as Vice President of Eurocities in tandem with Laia Bonet, First Deputy Mayor of Barcelona.

As one of the founding members of Eurocities, Barcelona brings a track record of ambitious urban leadership and a renewed political drive to advance shared European goals.

As cities, we are the level of government closest to people’s lives. In these challenging times, we must take the lead on delivering tangible, citizen-centred solutions,” said Collboni. “Barcelona will work to ensure that the voice of cities is heard and that local priorities, like affordable housing, climate justice and democratic participation, are reflected in European policy.

Barcelona has made housing its top political priority, pioneering policies such as rental caps, a forthcoming ban on tourist rentals, and major public investment to ensure affordable housing for all. The city is also leading the ‘Mayors for Housing’ coalition, calling on the EU to provide direct funding and regulatory reform to support local governments.

On climate action, Barcelona is a frontrunner in the EU Mission for Climate-neutral and Smart Cities. The city’s €1.8 billion climate plan aims to cut emissions and build resilience across all 73 neighbourhoods, with a strong focus on social equity and climate justice. Barcelona will continue advocating for EU investment in local climate solutions and greater alignment between EU policy and the needs of mission-driven cities.

As a European hub for science and innovation, Barcelona will boost Europe’s competitiveness by advancing tech sovereignty, ethical digital transformation, and linking innovation to social progress.

Barcelona will also champion democracy, citizen engagement, and subsidiarity, pushing for a stronger role for cities in EU decision-making and supporting democratic values, including in Ukrainian cities.

I am honoured to take on this role at such a crucial time for Europe,” said Collboni. “Barcelona stands ready to work with Ghent and all our fellow cities to deliver bold, collective solutions and ensure that Europe’s future is shaped from the ground up.

1. Eurocities wants to make cities places where everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, is able to move around safely, access quality and inclusive public services and benefit from a healthy environment. We do this by networking more than 200 larger European cities, which together represent some 150 million people across 38 countries, and by gathering evidence of how policy making impacts on people to inspire other cities and EU decision makers.

Connect with us at https://eurocities.eu/ or by following our BlueSky and YouTube

2. The election of the Eurocities President, Vice President and Executive Committee took place at the Eurocities Conference 2025. This theme of this year’s conference, held in Braga from 4-6 June, was ‘ Stronger Cities, Fairer Europe’.

3. View the updated members of the Eurocities Executive Committee.

Andrew Kennedy, Eurocities Communications Advisor andrew.kennedy@eurocities.eu// 0032 (0) 470 65 01 73.