“This activity below me conditions everything I do” complained Joseph.When I want to relax, I have to put the TV or music on very loud to mask the noise, when I try to sleep, the noise still bothers me. It’s still weird: before I had a bar below my house and now I have 18 restaurants!”
Impossible to enter the kitchen but Josep was able to see it and it is in a deplorable state: no hygiene rules are respected. With the new regulations, it will have to close. “It’s regarding bringing order” justifies Janet Sanz, deputy mayor of Barcelona. “We don’t want these kind of kitchens and stores anymore. They land in our city, cause noise, smoke, sometimes even fires and pose problems for the public space. And then it’s regarding protecting local businesses.“
It will be a drag on the digital economy as a whole
On his electric scooter, Nelson, 20, spends his nights delivering customers for the Glovo platform. This 20-year-old Colombian does not understand this ban. “It’s a shame because we’re doing people a favor. And then for me it’s a good job: it’s my second job. I work nights and I get paid well. By working 20 hours a week I earn 800 euros a month. I hope to continue.” Lhe delivery sector denounces a discriminatory measure. “It’s disproportionate” indignant Miguel Ferrer, spokesperson for Glovo. “It will be a drag on the digital economy as a whole.”
Since his arrival as mayor of Barcelona in 2016, the left has made life difficult for the big platforms: record fines have been imposed on Airbnb, Uber has only 200 licenses, self-service electric scooters are banned and soon Amazon will have to pay a fee to continue delivering to Barcelona.
