Jaume Collboni subsidizes entities aligned with Ada Colau with 500,000 euros

During their time in the Barcelona government, the Comuns created an entire network of entities and organizations to extend their influence on the streets. These were organizations generously funded with public money and a transfer to high-ranking positions with Ada Colau's party. They were key to keeping the Comuns in power for eight years, and they continue to be so now with the Colauists in opposition.

Collboni arrived at the mayor's office with an intended will to break with Colauism. But as Aleix Mercader has reported in El Economista, the socialist mayor continues to finance entities aligned with Ada Colau. In this year and a half, they have received subsidies worth 494,453 euros.

The figure has been provided by the PP of Barcelona in conversations with the aforementioned media. The Popular Party denounces the distribution of resources based on political and ideological criteria. This contravenes the General Subsidies Law, according to which they must be governed "for reasons of public, social, economic, or humanitarian interest."

The PP also points out that some subsidies don't even have a municipal scope. They have asked Collboni to stop financing the Colauist organizations. And to allocate the resources to third sector companies "that do work for the well-being of the people who are struggling the most in our city."

Big prize for the Observatori DESC

The crown jewel of the Colauist associative network is the Human Rights Observatory (DESC). This has also been the most favored by the PSC government, with 175,218 euros in subsidies in a year and a half. The second is Espai Ambiental, which has received 137,139 euros.

Both entities have something in common, which is that they have their registered office at number 43 Casp Street. The same goes for Consum Responsable, Nusos, Ecos, Sostre Cívic, Etcèteres, LabCoop, DiomCoop, and I-Labso. All of them are entities subsidized with amounts ranging from 4,225 to 84,145.

Some of these entities received subsidies for projects of dubious utility for the residents of Barcelona. The most flagrant case, the 1,318 euros granted to the Observatori DESC for its 25th-anniversary party.

Despite the PSC continuing to finance the Colauist entities, their relations with the Comuns are not at their best. In fact, it was speculated that the Comuns used these organizations to undermine the socialist government by stirring up the streets.