On 14 and 15 June, the Barcelona Economics Institute (IEB) held its sixth biennial Symposium on Fiscal Federalism at the Caixa de Catalunya Auditorium in La Pedrera. On this occasion, the meeting centred on the financing of Spanish local governments, and explored viable alternatives for improving the economic management of local financing by providing greater levels of autonomy to city councils and encouraging cooperation between municipalities. 

Several experts in local financing were guest speakers at the symposium. One of the most distinguished was Richard Bird, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto and consultant for the World Bank. In a special interview for the IEB, Bird expressed his views on the situation of local government financing in the current crisis.