I participate at 9-N because I want to decide. And you?

This November 9 marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Undoubtedly, one of the most important events in contemporary European history, since it involves the end of the Cold War and the Soviet regime and, at the same time, a decisive impetus for the construction of a new Europe that aspires to live in peace and freedom. A quarter century later, in the same November 9, Catalans also want to bring down the walls that bar the way to our most basic rights. And the ban on the new 9-N, implemented by the Spanish government and executed by a Constitutional Court totally devoid of any impartiality, can be considered an indiscriminate attack against freedom of expression, opinion and participation. All three, incidentally, recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The best reaction to the total absence of dialogue of the Spanish State is a complete mass mobilization to fill ballot boxes, to show the world that the desire for self-determination of Catalan society is not only legitimate, but fully in force and shared by most in an unprecedented manner. That's why I encourage all inhabitants of Sitges to join the participatory event this Sunday to cast our ballots to decide the political future of Catalonia. This is a personal commitment that I assumed as mayor, together with all the government, when eighteen organizations from Sitges asked, during the last National Day of Catalonia, that all elected officials of the town did all that was in our hands to allow that the citizens of Sitges could exercise their right to decide.

Our loyalty to the Catalan institutions, and our support for the proposed consultation process, will materialize on Sunday with the opening two points of participation (Institut Juan Ramon Benaprès and Institut Vinyet) with special and free transport to facilitate the movement of all the people who need it. All this will contribute to the development of a festive day of protest in which, beyond the vote of each individual, the entire Sitges and Catalonia must prove again that we are part of a civic, democratic and peaceful society with excellent organizational skills.

This 2014, 300 years after Catalonia lost its national rights, the citizens of this country will express at the ballot boxes what will be our collective future. Referendums in Scotland and Quebec –previously agreed by UK and Canada– are the most obvious proof that the political challenges of the twenty-first century cannot solved, as the government of Spain pretends, with restrictions and denials associated with authoritarian states and not to modern advanced democracies. President Mas often reminds that laws are made to serve and listen to people, not to prohibit their dreams and silence them.

This November 9, Catalans will rewrite an outstanding page of our ancient history. The big difference is that this time,we will consider all opinions. Catalonia's fate depends only on each and every one of us. I will participate in the N-9 because I want to decide my future. Would you like to do the same?

Participatory Budgeting: Sitges citizens decide

I am very pleased to address you all to encourage you, ass citizens of Sitges, to be an active part of the public participation process for the 2015 budget. This is the first time that the City implements a process of direct participation on municipal finances, and we did it through the consensus of all political parties represented in the local council.

We are laying the foundation for a consolidated practice of participatory democracy that must be sustained over time. For this government, your voice and your needs are a priority. As described in Municipal Governance Plan, it has been so from day one, and the reason we have not started the process before it was because of the complicated debt situation of the City.

During our three years in office, we had the opportunity to receive your complaints, suggestions and proposals to improve Sitges. Public hearings, neighborhood meetings, full houses or social networks are some of the channels of expression that we made available and that many of you have used. But now we make a very important step, because you'll be the one who decides the fate of one million Euros to be invested in the first participatory budget.

We have made together a very hard but possible journey towards the recovery of municipal finances. The citizens of Sitges should be able to enjoy now the capacity to decide what they want for Sitges. In addition to laws that now do not allow debt levels capable of  endangering  public resources, you will also help avoiding any return to critical situations, thanks to the knowledge acquired during the participation in this process.

In a Democracy, citizens always have the last word. People have the right to decide and the inhabitants of Sitges over 16 years old can submit their proposals for the future of Sitges. I invite you to do so!

Actions against illegal flea markets

Summer has begun with the aggravation of a problem affecting Sitges and other towns with a high volume of visitors: illegal flea markets. The streets of our town were the target of organized crime groups responsible for illegal flea markets. The situation provoked a rebuke by shopkeepers and residents. The City Hall is aware of the problem and its negative effects (for shopkeepers, but also for the image of the municipality), and launched an action plan during July. Working together with Local Police and Mossos d'Esquadra, different operations allowed several arrests and seized a large part of the counterfeit material that was being sold illegally.

These actions have been constant throughout the summer and have managed, on one hand, to significantly reduce the presence of illegal vendors, and other, send direct messages to the mafia clans that hold the wires telling them that Sitges has Zero Tolerance for illegal flea markets. However, we must realize that police action will not remove this problem from our streets. Not enough. Similarly, neither local police nor the regional units of the Catalan police can devote themselves exclusively to this problem and ignore other security concerns.

Unfortunately, illegal flea markets are a complex and global phenomenon and, as such, requires complex and global solutions. Such practice is common in several countries of the European Union since the late nineties, and is concentrated in large cities and touristic coastal towns like Sitges.

The precarious living conditions in their home countries and the lack of job opportunities in host countries, have transformed illegal flea markets in emergency solutions to survive to a reality tougher than expected.

The institutions cannot accept the dramatic situation of some people as an excuse to perpetuate illegal flea markets. Illegal flea markets do not improve the quality of life of those who practice it, it’s against the law, fosters a bad image for the population and discriminates all traders who do pay their taxes. Only in Catalonia, the Confederation of Commerce has estimated the negative impact of illegal flea markets in more than 100 million Euros annually.

A grievance that calls for a more effective and decisive response that the one offered by the Spanish legal framework. Some national laws arrest peddlers a few hours to let them go home free the next day. 

In this situation, the commitment of the City of Sitges is still just as strong as ever: cooperate with government and law enforcement agencies to eradicate illegal flea markets from the town, protect local businesses and ensure that people who are forced to perform this activity can choose other paths to a better future.

Illegal flea markets and assorted illegal peddlers: problems and measures

Illegal flea markets are one of the biggest problems we have in Sitges.The wild proliferation of this practice creates a bad image for our city and is a grievance for legal traders. It is not a problem exclusive to Sitges. All towns and cities with economic activity and large affluence of visitors suffer from similar problems in proportional terms. And no definitive solution has been found capable of eradicating such activity from our streets.

But there can be no excuse. At the City Hall, we are fully aware that this issue requires a specific action. Illegal flea markets are a very a complex phenomenon that cannot be untangled with a single-sided approach, but requires the confluence of several elements: prevention, prosecution, and also, needless to say, the awareness of all potential buyers. And to solve it, it is also essential a full collaboration of everyone involved directly or indirectly: traders, different police forces, the City Hall...

Last week, I met with the new Director General of Police of Catalonia. I exposed the extent of the problem and the complex reality, and at the same time, I asked additional resources to address this situation. Due to our effort against crime prevention, we cannot devote all local police officers on patrol to fight illegal flea markets and illegal peddlers. We need the complementary collaboration of Mossos d'Esquadra.

Recently, we expanded police reinforcements to fight illegal flea markets, and such action will allow a stricter control and impose the necessary fines, not only to sellers, but also to buyers. 

But make no mistake. The solution to Illegal Flea Market will not come by the hand of police action. Or, at least, not exclusively police action. We must make a real picture of the situation: sellers are people who have nothing to lose, they fled poverty, crossed deserts and narrows leaving many behind, and a police patrol will not curb their yearning for an amount of money that allows them to live (or just survive). In other towns that opted for police action, the problem has not been solved and indirectly generated parallel conflicts.

However, I repeat that we should not shy away from our responsibilities and we must keep on trying to solve the problem from every standpoint. We will strengthen patrols, we will enhance collaboration between different police forces, we will act at street level to block and encumber their activities, and we will use all the resources at our avail to reduce the negative impact of such issue.

In parallel, we will continue working on measures to boost trade and the local economy, such as the Shopping Night that we held ten days ago, or the socio-economic revitalization measures that stimulate local entrepreneurs and small businesses.

About the past and our vision of future

Last week, we had the opportunity to examine the results of works in buildings making up Cau Ferrat and Maricel Museums once refurbishment was over. We were aware that we would find cozy spaces that preserved legacy elements, but adapted to the needs of the twenty-first century. But even so, the surprise was overwhelming and gratifying. All the work done in museums was magnificent, and they have insured facilities geared up for the future while preserving the past.

The reform and refurbishment of museums was quite a challenging project. Works proved to be difficult right from the onset. The uniqueness and location of buildings and the need to adapt to the current regulations (safety, removal of architectural barriers, installation of services ...) transformed the project in an intervention that required special care to preserve heritage.

For this reason, as soon as we won elections, the current government of the City of Sitges and Barcelona Provincial Council did not hesitate for a second to change the initial project. The initial project involved a blatant and outright aesthetic aggression against the buildings, both in the grotesque catwalk on the seafront as in the installation of interior platforms that disrupted the layout of buildings. The results of works show that it was technically feasible to remove such elements and achieve environmentally friendly buildings that were not an aggression to our legacy.

The restoration of stained glass and ceramics, the recovery of the original paintings at the Cau, the refurbishment of Saló Gran, or Great Hall, the improvement of services and facilities, the establishment of a historical route or the creation of new spaces (like the exhibition hall, the training classroom or the museum shop), among many other elements, highlight the extraordinary work carried out in this project.

Once works were over, the three buildings known as Cau Ferrat, Can Rocamora and Museu de Maricel will have to install air conditioning before the reincorporation of works and collections. We must be very strict in such interventions and abide conservation policies applied by the Museums of Sitges.

Museums are one of the most important legacies of Sitges. Collections exhibited and stored are remarkable important, and the buildings are privileged store windows for our city. The refurbishment will allow and encourage the preservation of buildings and works and at the same time, create a new magnet for visitors. The museum discourse and the intensive program performed by the Consortium team, under the drive of Vinyet Panyella, will be a significant support for this purpose. The first step was achieved, fully equipped buildings that respect our heritage, and to achieve the latter we will keep on working vigorously.

Social policies are a top priority for this City Council

One of the core ideas of our Governance Plan and one of the top priorities of this government team is what we dubbed "Sitges for the people," a broad line of policies revolving around social policies. Last week, we launched new initiatives at the Municipal Plenary related with such policies, such as a change in credit to make an extra contribution to Caritas and Red Cross for their projects to supply food to the needy.

This action is part of the package "Sitges for the people" promoted by the local government team and allowed the implementation of several initiatives aimed at supporting people and groups most in need: the "Carnet Blau" or Blue Card ( which provides discounts to the needy on certain services, both public and private), the Soup Kitchen (included in the Blue Card and that everyday provides food to people who do not have sufficient resources), or agreements and bill payment arrears with Third Sector organizations (the improvement and change in the system of our Treasury Department allowed payment of invoices of social organizations that had not been scheduled or budgeted by the previous government).

These are some of the activities in social policies aimed at the most vulnerable. But the core of "Sitges for the people" is designed to reach a broad segment of the population that suffered the most for the crisis, provoked mainly by revenue reductions, budget cuts and limitation of opportunities. This policy is aimed at people that are directly affected by poverty and also people affected negatively by the current crisis.

For this reason, we have driven a socioeconomic revitalization plan for entrepreneurs through the services of Nivell 10; measures to promote employment; aids to nursery users; a contract to ensure the activities of the "Casal de la Gent Gran" or Senior Home, which, with the demise of the bank charged with patronage was in serious risk of disappearance...among other actions.

The crisis has taken its toll on many people. A lot. Also in Sitges. For this reason, social policies are a top priority for this City Government. In some cases, such as those just mentioned, we are dealing with specific policies and initiatives, in other cases are actions that require utmost discretion and respect for those affected, but this is also the reason for our involvement. And will continue to be a priority.

Entrepreneurs, small businesses, cooperatives: we have a tool that will be useful to you

On Monday, the Plenary Session approved a Plan for Municipal Aids, with the intention of reviving local economy, promote employment and help entrepreneurs. The Plan is endowed with 195,000 Euros, which will be devoted entirely to the three goals mentioned above.

The plan is divided into four areas: 

- Bonuses for freelancers.

- Entrepreneurship.

- Improving the competitiveness of businesses already in operation.

- Boosting trade in Sitges.

Based on these four areas and departing from the limited economic capacity and competence of our City Council, the Plan is a concrete and active statement in favor of economic revitalization. The aim of the measures is to be alongside entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises and workers and provide them with tools that facilitate the work and open new roads.

The plan includes a subsidy covering the total cost of the Social Security for freelances during the first year, for all inhabitants of Sitges registered in the General Social Security Scheme and that have developed their business plan through municipal services of entrepreneurship. This measure allows covering gaps in funding due to the restriction of bank loans imposed by the financial institutions, and help young entrepreneurs to open their small business in Sitges.

Meanwhile, the plan also provides measures to support new cooperatives, with a refund of 80% of costs, whenever chartered in Sitges and by their residents. There is also support in the provision of services that contribute to their ideas, such as the creation of a corporate image or communication plans.

Companies can also benefit from the plan measures in areas such as a 50% discount in the costs of study for internationalization of its products, or the application of communication technologies.

These and other measures are part of the plan, which aims to be a useful tool for entrepreneurs. Often, small but big ideas or initiatives have failed to see the light due to lack of resources or funding to back them in their beginnings, which are always the most difficult part for any new business project.

The economy recorded signs of improvement. Also in Sitges, a City that maintains employment levels significantly higher than in surrounding areas or the whole country. But the situation, we are well aware, it is still very difficult and will remain so. For this reason, support for economic activity, along with social services, remains a very important priority for our City Council. And this plan can be a useful and valid tool in this line.