28/07/2025 11:12 h.
New dedicated Next DIBA programme: more funding, more support
The Barcelona Provincial Council renews the dedicated Next DIBA programme to strengthen support for local authorities in accessing and managing European funds.
On 24 July, the Barcelona Provincial Council approved the amendment of the dedicated Next DIBA programme.
With this renewed initiative, the scope of support offered to local authorities in the province for accessing and managing European funds is expanded. The objective is to maximise the absorption of European funding by the local sector and ensure effective grant management, fully aligned with the requirements of each call.
What’s new?
Building on the strong uptake of the Next DIBA programme since its launch in 2022, and looking ahead to the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034, the programme is being renewed to incorporate three key developments:
More funding, more opportunities
In addition to NextGenerationEU calls, Next DIBA will extend its support to other shared management European funds, particularly those stemming from EU cohesion policy.
More beneficiaries
While municipalities will remain a priority, the programme will also provide support to county councils (consells comarcals) and decentralised municipal entities.
Permanent and stable support
For each grant call, technical support resources will be automatically activated for the application phase and, now also, for the implementation phase. Furthermore, the programme will have an indefinite duration to cover different calls and all stages of the grant lifecycle, regardless of the political term of office of the Barcelona Provincial Council.
How can you request support?
Through the Municipal Procedures Portal (PMT) of the Barcelona Provincial Council, local authorities can access the appropriate support resource in each case:
During the application phase, when submitting a proposal to a call for grants, or
During the implementation phase, from the moment the local authority becomes a beneficiary until the grant is fully reported and justified.
In both cases, comprehensive support is offered to municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, while procedural support is provided to other municipalities, county councils and decentralised municipal entities.
The difference between comprehensive and procedural support lies mainly in the level of assistance provided. Both include verification and review of the documentation to be submitted, as well as guidance and clarification of doubts. Comprehensive support may also include drafting the project proposal report or verifying compliance with the applicable regulations when preparing the final reporting documentation.
European funds represent a major opportunity to promote transformative projects across the territory, but their management can be complex. For this reason, the Barcelona Provincial Council continues to stand by local authorities in the province, helping them make the most of European funding opportunities. This support is now channelled through the newly created Next Diba Service – Support for Accessing and Managing Funds, which has been reinforced with additional dedicated staff at your disposal.