The government delegate in Galicia, José Miñones, expresses his satisfaction that “the most social General Budgets of the State in history are already in force” to “enter the homes each of the Galicians and Galicians”. The delegate has highlighted social security and people as the main protagonists of the state accounts of 2023, which allocate 6 out of 10 euros to social spending. Health, Education, Scholarships, Employment and Housing have seen their allocations increase significantly to €264 billion. In the case of Galicia, the investment allocated amounts to almost 1.2 billion euros. This figure represents an injection of 400 euros per Galician, 40.8% above the state average, of 284 euros per inhabitant. In addition, the Xunta will receive from the financing system the record figure of 9.402 billion euros, 24% more than in 2022.
“Pedro Sánchez is the best president for Galicia”, concluded the delegate in view of the fact that in five years of the Government of Sánchez the community has received 31.7% more resources than in the last five years of Rajoy. The delegate stressed that “we are dealing with budgets that help families, to protect and move forward” and praised the adoption of measures that benefit the population as a whole, such as the extension of free rail transport subscriptions, which are reinforced with the new anti-crisis package.
José Miñones values the great impact that the PGE2023 will have on society, in combination with the new anti-crisis package that the Council of Ministers approved last week. “This government responds to the challenges and difficulties we face, advances with new measures to alleviate inflation and protects the most vulnerable groups,” says the delegate. The reduction of VAT from 4% to 0% on food of first necessity, the aid of 200 euros for families with incomes of up to 27,000 euros and the prolongation of the reduction of electricity and gas taxes directly alleviates the economic situation of the Galicians and Galicians with more difficulties to reach the end of the month.
In addition, it highlights the strong impact on Galician society of the revaluation of pensions of 8.5% this year, to guarantee the purchasing power of the elderly. In this regard, José Miñones has advanced that one in three Galicians and Galicians will see their contributory, non-contributory pensions and Minimum Vital Income increased month by month. “There are 873,000 people whom the government does not leave behind and who guarantee that they do not lose purchasing power in the face of rising inflation.” The revaluation of 8.5% of pensions will help 814,000 pensioners in Galicia, and the help of 100 euros per month to parents with children under three years of age will reach 38,000 families. In education, the government will increase study aid funds by 400 million.
The Government will also guarantee the purchasing power of public employees by including in the budgets the 2.5% increase agreed with the social agents and that “the salaries of 155,000 Galicians and Galicians who work in the different administrations will improve”.
Infrastructures
The 2023 budget of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) for Galicia contemplates more than 1.056 M€, 4.4% more. Of these, 53.6 million are for the financing of the railway services declared OSP (Public Service Obligation) in Galicia.
More than 433 M€ are for railway actions mainly destined to continue the investments in the Atlantic Axis with the electrification of the Vigo-Tui section, the renovation of the Vigo-Ourense and Santiago-Coruña sections or the intermodal sections of Vigo, Coruña and Santiago; the variant of Ourense and its station; the renovation and electrification of the Ourprague-Monforte-Lugo line and the renovation of the Cudillero-Vegadeo-Ferrol metric width line and the connection with León. There is also provision for further progress in the projects of LAV Vigo-Portuguese border (Vigo-Oporto connection) and the Baipás de Betanzos on the Coruña–Ferrol line.
More than 224 M€, 10% more, are allocated to continue developing or completing road actions such as the Arză-Melide and Melide-Palas de Rei (Lugo) sections of the Lugo-to-Santiago motorway (A-54) or the orbital link of the A-54 with the AP-9, in Coruña; the Vilaboa-A Ermida section of the Pontevedra bypass (A-57); also highly demanded actions such as the firefighting knot of the AP-9 in Licitevedra, the Northern section 56.
And the Government continues to make progress in the dossiers of actions also very demanded such as the improvement of the N-120 in Ponteareas, the variants of Ponteareas (connection PO-403 and N-120) and A Estrada (N-640), the Rías Baixas motorway (A-52) or the Avda. of Madrid in Vigo, in Pontevedra; the link of Rivela (Coles) and rearrangement of accesses of the N-525, in Ourense.
More than 145 million, 43% more than in 2022, will go to port operations in Coruña and Pontevedra. Among them, the train to Punta Langosteira.
More than 8 million are destined for actions in the three airports through the ENAIRE and AENA group.
In the budgets, one of the largest investments for Galicia stands out the almost 340 million euros of the F-110 frigates in Ferrol, a item that, like many others, is not included within the territorialized investment of almost 1.2 billion euros.