The delegate of the Government in Cantabria, Ainoa Quiñones, has assured that “the Government of Spain believes, invests and bets on Cantabria as never before” and in 2022 has again demonstrated that “it meets the needs, projects, investments and development of this Autonomous Community”.
Quiñones highlighted this fact this Friday at the press conference in which he gave an account of the Report ‘Complying’ of accountability of the action of the Government of Spain in Cantabria in the year 2022 and in which he extolled that, for this Government, accountability and transparency are two fundamental pillars of political action.
He has indicated that the Government of Pedro Sánchez “has not stopped complying with Cantabria” throughout the legislature and this despite having to face “three years full of difficulties, uncertainty and adversities such as the worst pandemic of the last 100 years, the eruption of a volcano and the war caused by Putin in Ukraine”.
“We have a government that has listened to Cantabria, that has had the empathy to worry about the problems of the Cantabrians and the Cantabrians, and that has also trusted in the future of this land,” said the delegate.
In this sense, he has praised that “the debt of the Valdecilla Hospital has been settled, the arrival of High Speed is a tangible reality, the investments in the network of Neighbourhoods are constant for its modernization, the actions in the field of roads are inaugurated and the emblematic projects of the Government of Cantabria such as the MUPAC or the logistics center of La Pasiega have for the first time a solid and effective support from the Government of Spain”.
MORE THAN 3 BILLION MOBILIZED IN 2022
Going into the data of the Complying Report of 2022, which can be consulted from today on the website of La Moncloa (www.desdelamoncloa.es), the delegate of the Government has detailed that in 2022 more than 3 billion euros were mobilized for Cantabria through economic funds both of the State and European, aid and subsidies to institutions, entities, companies and citizens.
As for the economic funds, it has highlighted the 1,967.6 million deliveries on account in 2022, which have been almost 152 million more than the previous year and that for this 2023 will reach the record figure of 2,226 million; the 462.5 of the financing fund, which for this year will approach 600; and the 66.2 million destined to compensate the Autonomous Community for the VAT of 2017.
Quiñones has praised the important measures promoted by the Government of Pedro Sánchez to protect citizens, especially the most vulnerable. At this point, he has detailed that in Cantabria a total of 14,791 people have benefited from the Minimum Vital Income in 2022, including 6,106 minors.
In addition, it has indicated that more than 130,000 pensioners have benefited from the revaluation of pensions under the CPI in 2022, 5,388 people have benefited from the maternity supplement or the supplement to reduce the gender gap in pensions and more than 34,000 public employees have enjoyed a 2% pay increase.
In terms of social cohesion, it has also indicated that Cantabria has received 49.7 million in the framework of the Dependent Shock Plan, 13.5 million for care policies or 3.5 million for the program of protection of the family and attention to child poverty.
Cantabria has also received 36.6 million euros for active employment policies, 9.5 million euros for workshop schools, 3.1 million euros for the Joint Responsibility Plan and more than 3.7 million euros in the field of the fight against gender violence.
In the field of education, Cantabria has received more than 39 million euros through items such as 2.5 million for the educational reinforcement program PROA+, 4.4 million to boost schooling from 0 to 3 years, 4.3 million for the modernization of Vocational Training, 600,000 euros for the financing of textbooks and didactic materials or 15.6 million for the training of employed and unemployed workers.
HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
Among other areas included in the Report ‘Complying’ of 2022, Quiñones has highlighted the area of Housing with 36.8 million for subsidies and aid for the rent of vulnerable groups, to increase the public housing stock and to promote the rehabilitation of homes or to develop the Rehabilitation Program in residential environments and public buildings.
In addition, Quiñones has highlighted that the State continues to promote the improvement of the vicinity with the conclusion of contracts worth 37.3 million and several tenders in progress, some very important such as the installation of the automatic blocking system banalized by 28.6 million. At this point, he recalled that for this 2023 the General Budgets of the State collected an investment of 90 million euros for the network of neighbourhoods of Cantabria.
In terms of investments, it has highlighted that in 2022 a new link has been put into service on the A-67 motorway with the Valderredible valley and the new access to the Port has been inaugurated and, at the same time, significant progress has continued to be made in the Sierrapando – Barreda branch of continuity and work has begun on the integral remodelling of the road of the Desfiladero de La Hermida, “a historical demand for decades of the region of Liébana and of all of Cantabria and that this Government has set in motion”.
In this area of actions of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, the delegate has pointed out that actions have been promoted of the "not so much spoken but that involve very important investments and improve safety on our roads" as the 43.8 million euros for the modernization and adaptation of tunnels and improvements in the State Road Network in Cantabria.
He also pointed out that Mitma authorised in 2022 the contract for the construction of an extension of the height of the silo of automobiles of the port of Santander for 41.7 million euros, “a very important investment for the port and, therefore, for the economy of Cantabria”.
COHESION, ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL, TOURISM AND CULTURE
Progress has also continued in projects that will allow greater structuring and territorial cohesion of Cantabria, such as the development of Broadband with the UNICO Program or the infrastructure to deploy 5G.
With regard to the Ecological Transition, Cantabria received more than 22.5 million euros in 2022 for environmental protection, industrial energy efficiency, the promotion of self-consumption or the compensation of CO2 emissions, another 22.2 million for clean energy projects in municipalities of demographic challenge and for the creation of areas of low emissions.
In terms of rural environment, Cantabria has received more than 70 million euros, highlighting 18.9 million EAFRD funds, 46.4 million from the EAGF or 3 million for rural development programs.
The delegate of the Government has detailed that 20.3 million have arrived in the Autonomous Community for the tourism sustainability plans of Torrelavega, Arnuero, Comillas, Santoña, Suances and Ribamontán al Mar, and 1.5 million to support the commercial sector of Reinosa, Santander and Potes, promoting its transformation.
And, in cultural matters, it has praised the fact that the State has acquired the Lafuente Archive for 29.8 million euros and has launched the Young Cultural Voucher, which, in its first year, has requested and received more than 3,300 young Cantabrians.
MEASURES AGAINST THE CONSEQUENCES OF WAR
On the other hand, Quiñones has claimed the extensive package of measures promoted by the Government of Spain to deal with the consequences derived from the war in Ukraine, such as the implementation of free subscriptions to travel on commuter and medium-distance trains, from which in Cantabria 34,747 people have benefited in 2022 and which, since January 1, have already obtained 16,928 Cantabrian citizens.
Also, in 2022, 1.1 million were granted to Cantabria to finance the discount of 30% of the price of public transport by bus, a measure that is extended in this 2023 to communities and municipalities that raise the discount to 50%.
In addition, 5,075 people have benefited from the aid of 200 euros for low income and wealth, approved by the Government to mitigate the impact of high inflation, having already paid one million euros in Cantabria., where 4 million euros have also been disbursed for the additional aid of 400 euros for the 10,741 students awarded in the academic year 2022-2023.
Cantabria has also received 5.1 million exceptional adaptation aid to compensate for the economic difficulties resulting from the war in Ukraine in the beef, sheep and goat meat and cuniculture sectors, and 9.7 million exceptional aid to the dairy sector due to the increase in the costs of milk producers.
Likewise, the Autonomous Community has counted on 494,208 euros to finance the provision of direct economic aid for the beneficiaries of the Temporary Protection regime, amounting to 1,469 in the region, as well as other items to meet the basic needs of displaced persons and the schooling of minors arriving from Ukraine.