The Monitoring Committee of the Regional FEDER Program of Cantabria has visited the Rupestrian Art Center of Monte Castillo, located in the town of Puente Viesgo, which aims to turn the region into a reference of the Paleolithic in Europe.
Cantabria has 70 caves with cave art, ten of them World Heritage Sites, but only seven of them are open to the public. The object of the operation is the construction of a rock art center to spread the knowledge of this important heritage, especially to those who cannot access the cavities.
The project, which has been co-financed by the ERDF Fund with a total of almost 4.9 million euros, has two laboratories for archaeological research carried out in all the caves of the region.
For the period 2021-2027, the FEDER Program of Cantabria plans to continue betting on the diffusion of the Paleolithic, through the construction of a new headquarters for the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria (MUPAC), in the city of Santander. For the construction of this new complex, bioclimatic techniques with glazed patios will be used for lighting, natural ventilation or materials typical of bio-architecture, such as the artisanal exposed brick for the facade, as well as recycled natural materials for insulation. The museum will have an investment of 12 million euros from European funds
Approval of selection criteria and procedures
The Monitoring Committee of the Regional ERDF Programme of Cantabria analyzes annually the deployment of these European funds in the region. This year’s meeting will give an impetus to the deployment of projects for the period 2021-2027, with the approval of the Operational Selection Criteria and Procedures (CPSO), a document that sets out the general criteria to be followed to select the projects to be financed during this period from the ERDF.
The Committee was attended by the Minister of Economy, Finance and European Funds of the Government of Cantabria, Luis Ángel Agüeros, members of the General Directorate of European Funds, from the Ministry of Finance, as well as members of the European Commission.
The FEDER 2021-2027 program of Cantabria
The FEDER Program of Cantabria foresees an aid of 78.85 million euros in the region in the period 2021-2027.
About 40.5% goes to policy objective 1 of the funds: a more competitive and intelligent EU, especially through the promotion of business innovation projects or the digitalization of different sectors of the administration such as the public health system or the tax administration.
Another 36.8% is aimed at the political target2: a greener EU, with lines of action such as the energy efficiency of homes and public buildings, the fight against forest fires or the prevention of flood risk.
For its part, 3.28 million euros, 4% of the total, will go to political objective 5: an EU closer to the citizens, with the rehabilitation of the Lechera building in Torrelavega, with the aim of becoming a cultural, artistic and exhibition center.