Barcelona City Council has officially acknowledged it has not carried out inspections or initiated sanctions against 76 businesses reported for failing to comply with linguistic regulations requiring the use of Catalan.
The admission came in a formal response sent to the Síndic de Greuges de Catalunya on 4 August 2026, following a complaint by language activist Miquel Mola. The council confirmed the reported establishments “have not been incorporated, for now, into any specific inspection campaign” and that “no inspections have been carried out nor sanctioning procedures initiated”.
Instead, the Municipal Office for Consumer Information (OMIC) sent written notices to the businesses reminding them of their legal obligations. These include providing commercial signage, receipts, invoices, contracts, and other consumer-facing information at least in Catalan, as required under regional and municipal rules.
Council defends awareness over enforcement
The council defended its approach, stating it currently “prioritises awareness and information actions before any inspection activity”. It also offered businesses access to advisory support from OMIC and the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística to improve compliance.
Political backlash grows
“Collboni says he defends Catalan, but when it comes to guaranteeing rights for Barcelona residents, he looks the other way.”
The CUP (Candidatura d'Unitat Popular) strongly criticised the stance, accusing Mayor Jaume Collboni of contradicting his public support for the Catalan language. The group warned that without inspections or follow-up on complaints, linguistic rights risk becoming “meaningless”.
Other parties echoed the concern. ERC has announced a formal written request demanding policy correction, while Junts accused the city government of deliberately choosing not to enforce available legal tools to protect Catalan.
Wider implications questioned
The case has reignited debate over the effectiveness of language regulations when enforcement mechanisms are not activated. With Catalan’s social use reportedly declining, CUP and other advocates argue institutional defence must go beyond awareness campaigns to include active enforcement of consumer language rights.
Residents and consumer groups are left questioning the value of reporting violations if no official checks follow. The Síndic de Greuges’ resolution, which made the council’s position public, is now being used by Mola in a separate appeal to the Commission for Guaranteeing the Right of Access to Public Information (GAIP), after the council initially withheld the data.
Primary sources: ajuntament.barcelona.cat, Sindicatura de Greuges de Barcelona, Barcelona City Council. Reported by llibertat.cat, racocatala.cat, La Veu Lliure, totbarcelona.cat, omnium.cat, abc.es, LaRepublica.cat, sindicaturabarcelona.cat, El Debate, [email protected], eldebate.com, beteve.cat, publicacions.iec.cat.
