The Minister of Finance, Economy and Public Administration, Ruth Merino, has highlighted that the Generalitat's budget for 2024 includes more than 97 million euros to execute connection infrastructure in Parc Sagunt linked to the battery gigafactory that the Volkswagen group will install.
Specifically, 51.4 million will be invested to begin the construction of the Parc Sagunt intermodal station and another 46 million in the road interconnection from the Port of Sagunto to the Mediterranean Corridor passing through Parc Sagunt I and II.
In his appearance at the Les Corts Budget Committee, Merino presented the budgets of the Ministry of Finance and the Presidency for 2024, which amount to 469.75 million and 183.99 million, respectively.
As explained, these two investments are joined by the search for land carried out by the General Directorate of Heritage for the FP center known as Campus Battery and the inclusion of ten million euros through the Department of Public Works for the expropriations of the land on which the photovoltaic plant that will supply the gigafactory will be built.
Merino has highlighted that these are "important actions that, despite the promises, had not had a budgetary reflection until now." Furthermore, he has pointed out that these investments explain the increase in the budget of this company up to 148.5 million due to the transfers it will receive from the Generalitat to carry out the works.
Regarding Heritage, the counselor has indicated that it will have 36 million in 2024 compared to 47 million in 2023 "with the aim of undertaking construction works and necessary renovations of its properties."
Thus, he explained that the auctions of Generalitat assets from inheritances without a will that have not been carried out since 2019 have already been launched. To this end, the forecast for income from the disposal of real investments increases in this budget by 78.4 % up to almost 75 million.
Among the new public infrastructures, the construction of the new Campanar administrative complex has stood out, for which 8.2 million will be allocated in the vacant space of the plot where the Department of Education is located: "With this new building we intend to provide a solution to the space problems for the location of personnel assigned to this Department".
He has also referred to the role played by the Valencian Institute of Finance as a "fundamental instrument" for Treasury policies. For 2024, the IVF budget is 83.1 million, 14.12% lower, "due in large part to the end of aid linked to the European Temporary Framework."
With the aim of maintaining the IVF as a reference financier of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, the ERDF "fund of funds" will have 19.3 million, 8.96% more than in 2023.
Regarding the Presidency budget, it amounts to 139.03 million - excluding Chapter I related to personnel expenses -, which represents a reduction of 0.5% on the initial 2023 budget in homogeneous terms.
Merino has defended municipalism and local administration as "the closest" and has stressed that the amount intended to finance the Municipal Cooperation Fund increases by 25% and goes from 40 to 50 million, to which are added the 4 .3 million for the provision of the line of this fund specifically destined to the fight against depopulation.
Regarding Transparency, included in the Presidency as a result of the reduction in the number of departments, it is endowed with 12.2 million. The lines of subsidy to public universities (205,000 euros) and to the councils (500,000 euros) stand out for the dissemination and compliance with transparency obligations.
In addition, Merino has reported on the subsidy lines aimed at promoting self-government, the recovery of Valencian regional law and the defense and promotion of "our hallmarks", which total 410,000 euros, and about investments and aid in matters of historical and democratic memory, which reach 2.7 million.
During the debate, opposition groups have criticized the inclusion of "fictitious" income in the budgets from the State (health care for displaced people and dependency) when the claim item that included the Botànic for regional underfunding has been eliminated.
The councilor has replied that the income included is quantified and "has nothing to do with financing", which the Consell "will never stop claiming" in a "serious" manner and "where appropriate." Regarding the forgiveness of the regional debt - included in the PSOE-ERC investiture agreement - she has insisted that they do not deny it, they just want the Government to "take them seriously" with fair financing.
Faced with criticism for the deficit objective, which according to the PSPV the Government informed Brussels that it would be 0.1% for the Autonomous Communities, Merino explained that they considered last year's 0.3% deficit because "it is going to cost them a little" to reverse the financial situation of the Generalitat. He has also rejected criticism of the shrinking of the public sector, insisting it will be audited to decide what services can be offered from other areas.
For her part, Mercedes Caballero (PSPV) has regretted that the items of self-government and signs of identity have increased and not that of democratic memory -- "they may have to leave the graves open," she has launched. The former spokesperson of the Consell Aitana Mas (Compromís), after conveying encouragement to her successor, has questioned the allocation of five million in the Presidency for strategic projects "by hand."
Merino has replied that this general direction will have "a lot of work" because they plan to attract projects that, he stressed, "will not go to family and friends of the 'president'." He also wanted to make it clear that they plan to "be transparent."
And from Vox, Teresa Ramírez has guaranteed that her group will fight to "eliminate ideological subsidies that only reopen wounds."
