Gondomar, January 16, 2025.- The subdelegate of the Government in Pontevedra, Abel Losada, valued the commitment of the Government of Spain to send European funds to the municipalities with the launch of the call for the new EDIL Plan (Local Integrated Development Strategy), promoted by the Ministry of Finance. This plan, endowed with more than 170 million euros in Galicia, represents an historic opportunity for the municipality of the province and the entire Community, since, as a novelty, it opens the door for municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants to opt for this financing for the first time by grouping in the so-called Functional Urban Areas (AUF).
This is the case of the City of Gondomar, which is grouped in an AUF together with Baiona and Nigrán. The subdelegate visited this municipality of the Val Miñor today and held a working meeting with the mayor, Paco Ferreira, and with members of the local government in which he met the different projects in which the City Council works to attract the funds of the EDIL. Thus, they visited the Casa Peralba, a property acquired by the City Council that plans to reform with funds from the EDIL Plan of the Val Miñor to allocate it to the municipal library. The project, which also provides for the rehabilitation of the environment, provides for an investment of approximately 2.7 million euros.
“If with the EDUSI strategy we managed to get more than 80 million euros to the municipalities of more than 20,000 inhabitants, we now open the doors to the smaller municipalities to design, plan and execute their second projects the needs of their neighborhood, and we also redouble the funding to the 174 million euros for Galicia,” said Losada, who described the EDIL Plan as “a new historic opportunity for the Galician municipalities.”
In addition, he stressed that this call represents a qualitative leap not only because of the increase in the budget allocation respect to the EDUSI, but because it reaffirms the model of direct management by the municipalities. “Through the EDIL Plan, it is the local entities themselves that lead their projects, without intermediation, which contrasts with the model of the Xunta de Galicia in the management of FEDER funds, which does not allow a direct arrival to the municipalities,” he explained.
“The EDIL Plan is another example of the Government’s commitment to territorial cohesion and sustainable progress. These funds are fundamental to address challenges such as depopulation, digitalization or the transition to a more sustainable economic model, key to the future of the province of Pontevedra and Galicia,” said Abel Losada.
Increasing funding versus autonomous stagnation
Abel Losada also stressed the continuous increase in state funding for municipalities through European funds and State Revenue Participation (PIE), which “grows year after year, strengthening the financial capacity of local entities.” On the contrary, he criticized that the Local Cooperation Fund of the Xunta de Galicia has been frozen for 15 years, which shows an absolute lack of commitment to local development.”
The subdelegate encouraged all municipalities that have a place in this program to present their projects this new call, which consolidates the commitment of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to sustainable progress.