Barcelona is set to strengthen consumer mediation across the province after the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Barcelona Bar Association, ICAB, signed a four-year agreement on 3 June 2026. The deal was announced at ICAB headquarters and is aimed at making out-of-court consumer conflict resolution more accessible for residents and local councils.
The agreement creates a stable framework for sharing knowledge, promoting mediation, offering training, and giving advice to councils. ICAB will also join the mediation commission of the Local Consumer Network, known as the XLC, which is led by the Provincial Council. The network brings together Municipal Consumer Information Offices to review legal changes, share procedures, and propose training.
Josep-Ramon Mut, the Deputy for Commerce, Consumer Affairs, and Public Health, said the agreement is meant to ensure that any citizen in the province can access quality, free, and accessible conflict resolution, regardless of their municipality. He added that the partnership with ICAB will strengthen the technical knowledge and training of professionals who deal with the public every day.
The Provincial Council says it is committed to universal and free access to consumer mediation throughout the province, and to supporting the XLC in local councils. It coordinates the XLC Improvement Plan Commissions and promotes staff training. In 2025, it offered a 60-hour course in mediation techniques, and two more editions are planned for 2026. The aim is to help public service staff meet the training requirements set by Catalan law.
The Consumer Policy Support Service starts consumer mediations for cases registered through Mobile Units and Municipal Consumer Information Offices. These mediations are typically resolved in an average of 51 calendar days. The council also highlighted a derived mediation resource for more complex consumer cases, which began this year after a pilot in 11 municipalities.
During that pilot, municipal technical staff referred 128 cases to the Provincial Council. The most common issues included automobiles, unregulated education, retail trade, commerce and home appliances, and off-premises sales. ICAB, through its Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre, ADR ICAB, will support the wider use of mediation and other alternative conflict resolution methods. More information on the council’s consumer work is available on the news tag page, and on the Barcelona Provincial Council and ICAB websites.