2019 December 5

The Government of Catalonia and Metropolitan Transport of Barcelona affiliate to Electronics Watch at the Annual Conference of Electronics Watch 2019 in Barcelona

At the inauguration of the Electronics Watch Annual Conference 2019, hosted this year at the Center of Contemporary Culture in Barcelona, La Generalitat (Government of Catalonia) announced its affiliation to Electronics Watch. Later in the event, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the main public transport operator in the Barcelona metropolitan area, also formalized their affiliation to Electronics Watch.

The Vice President and Minister of Economy and Finance, Pere Aragonès, said that "the commitment of the Catalan Government for social responsibility, sustainability and innovation is unequivocal", as evidenced by the fact that "almost 7 of each 10 euros that were spent in 2018 on public procurement included social clauses". However, the Vice President added that "we must continue advancing in the incorporation of new ethical criteria and responsible consumption in public procurement."

The affiliation of the Generalitat to Electronics Watch involves a cross-departmental agreement between Vice-presidency, Economy and Finance; Foreign Action; Institutional Relations and Transparency; and Digital Policies and Public Administration. The Vice President explained that the Generalitat's commitment to Electronics Watch pursues three objectives: to improve the socially responsible procurement of ICT hardware; Increase transparency in the supply chains of procured electronic products; and exercise visible leadership in socially responsible public procurement, giving an example of positive commitment from Catalonia in this area.

Later in the event, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) also formalized their affiliation to Electronics Watch, within the framework of the company's social purchasing policy. Elena Marquez of TMB said:

"In this way, TMB hopes to obtain measurable improvements in the area of ​​socially responsible public procurement of electronic equipment, from computers and display screens to scanners and phones."