El Prat de Llobregat has presented its Reading Plan 2026-2030, a municipal strategy that places reading at the centre of cultural policy, education and social cohesion in the city. The council says the plan treats reading as a cultural right and a tool for social transformation.
The document builds on work that began in 2004, when El Prat drafted one of Catalonia's first municipal reading plans. It comes at a time when the council points to information overload, digital inequality and falling reading proficiency, especially among adolescents and young people.
The plan was developed through community work between 2024 and 2025, led by a cross-departmental steering group made up of the council's Culture and Education services and the Generalitat's educational services. According to the council, 102 local partners took part through sector tables and consultations.
Those partners included about 40 cultural organisations, bookshops and creators, 20 educational centres, 16 municipal cultural centres, and more than 20 agents from areas such as health, sport and social services. The council says the aim is to give all these groups a shared strategy for making reading a stronger part of daily life in El Prat.
The plan's priorities include strengthening the library as a reference point, placing schools at the centre of reading development, linking reading to all cultural activity in the city, improving access for vulnerable groups, and involving community groups as mediators. An annual Reading Management Plan will set out activities and a system to assess impact.
The launch event featured mayor Alba Bou Jordà and Pau Gonzàlez Val, delegated president of the Culture Area of the Barcelona Provincial Council. Gemma Font, director of the Antonio Martín Library, outlined the plan's development, while Nicolás Barbieri, professor in Arts and Humanities Studies at the Open University of Catalonia, spoke about cultural rights and reading. For more Catalonia-wide civic coverage, see our news page.
