The delegate of the Government of Spain in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, has today taken stock of the 4,895 million euros of the funds of the Transformation and Resilience Recovery Plan that have arrived in the community since 2020, where the different lines of financing included in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) are framed, “of which 70% is managed directly by the Junta de Andalucía, that is, 3,420 million, while the other 1,475 million correspond to the direct investment of the Government and almost 35% --1,700 million-- are headings that have reached different calls.”
With the objective of shielding public services from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Junta de Andalucía received 1,881 million of the REACT EU funds, approved in December 2020, “community most benefited in the distribution and to that amount are added the 3,420 million that have already been delivered to it for its direct management by the regional administration and those processed by the Government, which adds 6,776 million euros, with the objective that the funds of the Recovery Plan contribute to transform the social and economic reality of the entire Andalusian territory, making it more sustainable, more competitive, more egalitarian, help to reorient the entire population and strengthen it.
Pedro Fernández has defended that “Andalusians and Andalusians need the Board to manage funds swiftly” and has expressed his concern about the alert issued by the Chamber of Auditors about the low execution by the regional administration of the funds, which has motivated him to send a message to the Board so that “it focuses on management, cares less about photos and dedicates more work for and for companies, workers and families”.
“According to the data available to us, the Junta de Andalucía has made calls for tenders for approximately 33% of the total allocated and has recognized obligations, that is, it has executed 10%”, figures that in the opinion of the Government delegate “do not allow the objectives of the more than 3.4 billion euros of the Recovery Plan that have arrived in Andalusia and that claim the territories to be able to see the results of a historical financing”.
He also recalled that the distribution of the funds of the PRTR “is the result of more than 144 sectoral conferences, where for the first time the municipalities are represented through the FEMP, which means that the administrations are informed in advance of the amount they are going to receive and the purposes that have to comply with the financing lines”, a communication that, he stressed, “must indicate to them that they must get to work”.
“The big figures speak for themselves and refute any discourse that calls into question the impact of the PRTR funds in Andalusia,” said Pedro Fernández, referring to the more than 230 autonomous and state calls resolved, the 29,332 projects developed and the more 27,000 participating entities, more than 1,000 public entities, 22,000 companies and research centers, 3,500 people and 190 associations and foundations.
Investments
Going into detail about the investments executed or in execution, he referred to the more than 408 million euros invested by the Government of Spain in the modernization of transport infrastructures and mobility in Andalusia, among which are the projects to improve mobility and reduce emissions in 35 cities of Andalusia, with more than 148 million euros of subsidy, “12.5 million euros for the province of Granada with actions in Granada capital, Baza and Armilla”, he explained.
He also mentioned the more than 1.1 billion invested in ecological transition actions, such as the €440M for the energy rehabilitation of homes and buildings, €209M in self-consumption and €87M for the construction of homes for social rent in sustainable buildings, as well as the €217 million delivered for Demographic Challenge actions, such as bringing broadband to 277,000 homes and companies in 550 municipalities.
In the area of industry, he pointed out “two projects that add up to 300 million euros: Green Hydrogen, with 14 projects that add up to 125 million, and 10 initiatives within the PERTE of electric vehicles”. For SMEs, “it has been more than 139 million euros that have allowed to deploy about 30,000 Kit Digital bonds, more than 3,500 bonds for Grenadian companies that add up to more than 16 million”.
In Education, 591 million euros have already been transferred for the expansion of places of 0-3 years; the creation of 32,500 new FP places, to strengthen support for vulnerable students. For Health, there have been 143.6 million euros for the renewal and acquisition of 137 high-tech healthcare equipment, “among which are the more than 10.5 million for the Granada hospitals PTS, Virgen de las Nieves, Clínica San Cecilio and Santa Ana de Motril”, he said, adding to these items the 200 million already transferred for active employment policies.
In addition, he continued, “Andalusia has received 216 million for the development of infrastructures, among which are the 95 million for the southern extension of the metropolitan of Granada”; 127 million for the rehabilitation of public buildings, “of which 24.7 million are destined to the province of Granada to rehabilitate buildings such as the Sports Palace, the Congress Palace, the Palace of Carlos V, the courts of La Caleta or the Faculty of Fine Arts, and the more than 200 million executed by the Government in works for a better water --123.5M€ for the modernization of irrigation and water treatment.
Open calls
Finally, Pedro Fernández referred to the 94 calls currently open under the PRTR, 56 state, which total more than 32,000 M€, and 38 of an autonomous nature, which total 708M€.
In addition, the Government has already commissioned the public company TRAGSATEC to provide technical support to municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants (67% of municipalities in Andalusia - 527 municipalities total) in the participation, monitoring and implementation of projects financed through the Recovery Plan.