Inspections Target Bilingual Signage Compliance
The Ajuntament de Reus (Reus City Council) will conduct visits to 200 public-facing businesses over the final months of 2026 to verify compliance with language regulations requiring signage to be at least in Catalan. The targeted premises include shops, restaurants and service offices previously identified as having inadequate or non-Catalan signage. Half of the 200 establishments are located in the southern districts covered by the Pla de Barris Reus Sud, a regeneration initiative backed by the Generalitat’s Pla de Barris i Viles 2025–2029. The remaining 100 are spread across more central areas of the city.
Advisory Approach with Support Measures
The initial visits will be informative rather than punitive. Officials will explain to business owners the necessary changes to meet legal requirements and inform them of available support, including free linguistic advisory services from the Centre de Normalització Lingüística (CNL) and Catalan language courses. A key resource being promoted is the 'Comerços aprenents' programme, which offers six 30-minute training sessions on basic vocabulary and customer service phrases delivered directly at the workplace. The initiative aims to help non-Catalan-speaking staff improve communication with clients.
The goal is not fines, but integration and compliance through support,
The selection of the 200 sites follows prior detection work by the CNL and the council’s language office, drawing on data and complaints submitted to the Ajuntament, the Agència Catalana de Consum or the Generalitat’s Department of Linguistic Policy.
Wider Context of Language Promotion
The campaign forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Catalan in commercial settings, supported by the Generalitat and the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística. Reus has previously participated in awareness events such as 'A Reus fem Comerç!', where language use in retail and hospitality was discussed alongside consumer standards. The city’s efforts align with the Ofercat study, which assesses linguistic offer in commercial environments across Catalan cities. According to the 2019 Ofercat report, Reus scored 30 out of 100 on the index measuring public interaction in Catalan, indicating significant room for improvement. Businesses seeking guidance can consult the Generalitat’s official guide on linguistic regulations for businesses.
Primary sources: govern.cat, Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Cultura. Direcció General de Política Lingüística. Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística, REUS.CAT, eb.gencat.cat, llengua.gencat.cat. Reported by Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística - CPNL, diaridetarragona.com, diarimes.com, tarragonadigital.com, reusdigital.cat, correllenguareus.cat.
