The Permanent Deputation of the Congress of Deputies validated this Wednesday the royal decree-law adopting a series of urgent measures in agricultural and water matters in response to the drought, as well as a series of reductions in the price of tickets bus and train for young people traveling this summer.
The royal decree-law garnered 58 votes, including those of the PP, in favor and 11 abstentions. No group voted against this package of aid, which Congress refused to process as a bill.
In defense of the royal decree-law, which despite being approved received criticism from various formations for being electoral, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, stressed that it is a package of measures "very important for the whole of the agricultural and livestock sector.
The greatest rejection came from the spokesmen for the PP and Vox, who, however, did not announce the direction of their vote. For the PP, Jaime Eduardo de Olano, labeled it "electoralist and scarce" and added that it is "tangible proof of how Sanchismo understands government action", while José María Figaredo, from Vox, described it as a "caricature ” and “absurd” because their measures “are not going to solve any of the problems that affect the sector”.
The Government's initiative establishes, among others, "support measures" for the owners of farms who "have seen their situation aggravated" by the climatic context of drought and high temperatures and which has added to "the serious situation" generated by the war in Ukraine, which will have an economic scope of 2,190 million euros.
Of this global item, the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge will contribute 1,400 million to build new infrastructure, such as desalination plants, double the reuse of urban water, and reduce the fees and rates of the affected farms. It also provides for the execution of a new transfer to reduce the pressure on the aquifers that feed the Doñana National Park.
The royal decree-law helps irrigators who this year suffer a reduction in their water supply, to whom an exemption will be applied to the regulation fee and to the water use fee. This exemption will be 50% if the endowment decrease is from 40% to 60%, and 100% if it exceeds that 60%. The indirect beneficiaries of the regulation works of the Guadalquivir basin are directly exempt from 50% of these quotas.
In addition, it modifies the Water Law to promote the reuse of urban water, so that it grows by 150% from the current 400 cubic hectometres per year to nearly 1,000 per year in 2027, when the water reused for the supply of populations will be of 20%
Ecological Transition will accelerate the construction of infrastructures, some immediately for the basins affected by the drought, such as emergency pumping and adaptation of intakes to guarantee supply over the coming months, for an amount of 35.5 million euros.
In this field of new infrastructures, several actions on the Mediterranean coast have been declared of general interest, so that the State will assume the construction of desalination plants in two autonomous communities that have requested support from the central government: Catalonia, with a plant in Tordera for a cost of 220 million, and Andalusia, with the construction of desalination plants in Malaga and Levante Almería worth 200 million. In addition, reuse will be intensified in Alicante (224 million).
Likewise, the green light has been given to the Sociedad Estatal de Aguas de las Cuencas Mediterráneas (Acuamed) to begin bidding for the construction of new desalination plants powered by photovoltaic solar parks, within the framework of its second Direct Management Agreement, which includes with an economic endowment of 600 million.
Within the scope of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the royal decree-law contemplates a global item of 784 million, of which the largest amount will be direct aid in the amount of 636 million.
There will be 355 million euros for beef, sheep and goat meat and milk producers, while the agricultural sectors will have a volume of aid of 276.7 million euros. Honey producers will receive 5 million.
The decree contemplates a new increase of 20 million euros in the endowment for the credit bonus of the ICO-MAPA-Saeca line (Sociedad Anónima Estatal de Caución Agraria (SAECA)) that can reach up to 15% of the principal of the loan. , the financing line of Saeca guarantees that are necessary to obtain these credits is increased by 3 million euros.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food once again increased the item destined to subsidize the contracting of agricultural insurance by 40.4 million euros. This endowment will subsidize up to 70% of the cost of the policies already contracted -the maximum allowed by European regulations- that include coverage for the risk of drought in dryland crops of extensive herbaceous, olive groves, wine grapes, almond trees, hazelnuts , kiwi, blackthorn, alfalfa, sugar beet and fodder corn.
In fiscal matters, with the royal decree, the properties of the owners of agricultural or livestock farms that have suffered, in the financial year 2023, a reduction in the net income of agricultural activities of, are exempted from the payment of the Real Estate Tax (IBI). at least 20% in areas with natural limitations, according to European Union regulations, or 30% in others.
At the same time, the aid received by the PAC eco-regimes is exempted from the payment of personal income tax and corporate tax.
The royal decree-law contemplates that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will establish the criteria so that, in a harmonized manner, the competent authorities of the autonomous communities can make certain requirements of the direct aid of the CAP more flexible, in order that the Circumstances resulting from the drought do not represent additional impediments for receiving said aid.
Thus, the deadline for submitting applications is extended until June 30. In this way, farmers will have more time to make decisions about their crops at a time when the drought produces many uncertainties.
In labor matters, a postponement in the payment of Social Security contributions and for joint collection concepts has been approved, whose accrual takes place between the months of May and September 2023, for companies included in the Special System for Workers Employed by Agrarian Employees, and between the months of June to October 2023, for workers included in the Special System for Self-Employed Agricultural Workers.
In addition, the exceptional measure of reducing to 10 the minimum number of real paid days necessary to access the agricultural subsidy in the autonomous communities of Andalusia and Extremadura is extended until December 31, 2023.
Farmers who are holders of irrigation rights and who have had a reduction in the water supplies granted to them will benefit from a reduction in the canon. This bonus will be 100% if the reduction in the supply of water exceeds 60%, and 50% if the supply cut has been between 40% and 60%. Indirect beneficiaries of regulation works in the Guadalquivir basin will have a 50% reduction in the canon.
Finally, it establishes a series of discounts that will be applied to the price of single or return tickets that have a date for travel between June 15 and September 15, 2023. Specifically, young people will be able to enjoy a 90% reduction in conventional medium-distance services and in metric-width networks.
They will also be able to benefit from a 50% reduction on Avant single titles. The same amount will be deducted for commercial long-distance or high-speed services from all rail operators, although with a maximum of 30 euros per ticket. The 10-day Interrail Global Flexible will also be reduced by 50% in two months, as long as it is marketed through Renfe.
