As of June 2024, Extremadura has received more than 1,765 million euros from the Government of Spain in account deliveries and has been allocated 2,223 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, as well as 187 million euros in OBJECTIVE-EU funds. These are some of the outstanding data collected in the management report presented by the Government of Spain on the first six months of 2024 and which has been made public today. The delegate of the Government of Spain in Extremadura, José Luis Quintana, has valued this report as “a set of actions and policies aimed at advancing territorial cohesion and reactivating the economic recovery of Extremadura and, on the other hand, protecting people.” To advance this model, the Government of Spain has transferred to Extremadura almost 4,788 million euros that has been received through deliveries on account of the Autonomous Financing, the Financing Fund to strengthen the Welfare State and through the European Funds of the Recovery Plan of the Government of Spain.
In this sense, and from European funds, 28 projects are being developed in the community, which have involved a total of 502.7 million euros, among which stand out the gigantic electric vehicle batteries of the multinational AESC; the creation of the Iberian Research Center in Energy Storage; the road renovation projects on the Mérida - Los Rosales --between kilometer points 106 and 111 in the Llerena - Fuente del Arco section--, as well as the actions on the high-speed line Madrid-Extremadura.
In addition to the major projects, José Luis Quintana highlighted the real investments in strategic sectors for the region such as “the 25 million euros dedicated to tourism; in digital development and R+D+I have been invested more than 80 million euros; housing have been dedicated 23 million; another 24 million to irrigation; 378 million have gone to strengthen the agro-livestock sector: more than 8 million have been invested in these six months in programs of rural development and fight against depopulation; 23 million have been dedicated to projects of energy optimization and ecological protection; 9 million for educational improvements; 12 million for health; 76 million for the equal dependence, policy of care and employment measures.”
The Government Delegation highlights in the report the importance of these measures reaching the territory, especially the fact that in Extremadura almost 21,500 companies, institutions and citizens have benefited through the European Next Generation Funds.
The report also states that in the field of infrastructure during the year 2024 more than 600 million euros will be executed in works in progress to continue promoting rail connections and the road network, with the objective that this year 70% of the railway platform of the Talayuela–Monfragüe section can be completed, and the investment of 7 million euros will begin to be executed for the construction of the branch that will give direct access to the Plasencia station with traffic coming from Madrid.
The balance sheet of management of the Spanish Government in Extremadura during the first six months of 2024 also contemplates the impact of these measures on citizens, highlighting the 268,000 Extremeños who have an indefinite contract; 10% more than before the entry into force of the labor reform; the 72,900 workers who have benefited from the rise of the SMI; the 69,179 Extremeños who receive the IMV, or the 26.4% increase that the 222,747 pensioners of Extremadura have experienced in their payrolls since the government of Pedro Sánchez. In these months 34,954 young people from Extremadura have registered in the Junior Summer Program to travel with discounts this summer; 3,592 have applied for the Young Cultural Voucher; and 19,092 free multi-travel subscriptions have been issued from Renfe.
The Government Delegation would like to recall that this week the Ministry of Finance has informed Extremadura that it will receive 4,198 million euros in cash deliveries for the financial year 2025, in a letter that shows both the provisional amount of the deliveries on account of the resources of the Financing System next year and the forecast of the definitive liquidation of that system by 2023. These are the largest installments in history for this Autonomous Community and represent an increase of 8.3% compared to the 3,877 million euros received by Extremadura in account installments in 2024, which is 321.2 million more.
Extremadura, in the Government stage of President Pedro Sánchez, will have had resources worth 26,261 million. This figure includes, in addition to regular funding, the distribution of extraordinary funds that the Executive mobilized to counteract the effects of COVID-19. This means that in the last seven years this Autonomous Community will have had financing 39% higher than that received in the mandate of Mariano Rajoy, that is, 7,372.1 million more.