Seven out of 10 calls for European funds for the industry remain empty

Seven out of every 10 calls for Next Generation European aid to the industry sector have been void in Spain as a whole, according to calculations by the Generalitat presented today.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
17 December 2023 Sunday 15:49
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Seven out of 10 calls for European funds for the industry remain empty

Seven out of every 10 calls for Next Generation European aid to the industry sector have been void in Spain as a whole, according to calculations by the Generalitat presented today. Faced with this situation, the Minister of Economy, Natàlia Mas, has presented a plan to create a territorial PERTE with the objective that Catalonia can distribute the resources that could not be allocated.

According to calculations by the Generalitat, this territorial PERTE could have an endowment of around 1,820 million euros. The plan is expected to be sent to the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, and the Ministry of Economy still headed by Nadia Calviño.

In total, the industry calls equivalent to 2,539 million out of a total of 3,504 million have been void, 72% of the total according to the estimates of the Generalitat.

Mas has given some examples of calls where unallocated amounts are up to 90% of the total. At the presentation, the councilor was accompanied by the secretary of Economic Affairs and European Funds, Miquel Puig, and the general director of European Funds and State Aid, Aleix Cubell.

The Generalitat's calculation is based on the weight of the Catalan industry in the state total, which is 22.5%.

The funds claimed by the Government of the Generalitat would be allocated to calls for non-refundable aid to "strengthen the industry" and would be divided into three main lines: innovation, investment and new production.

The councilor has disfigured the "little effectiveness" of the State when it comes to allocating funds, since, in her words, they are poorly designed and carried out in a homogeneous way and not adapted to each territory.