The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, stressed today that “Lugo is living its best moment thanks to the sustained commitment of the Government of Pedro Sánchez”. He did so after a working meeting with the president of the Provincial Council of Lugo, Carmela López, in which the deputy delegate of the Government, Olimpia López, also participated.
The delegate valued the more than 1.4 billion euros in investments that the Government has mobilized in the province in recent years, with actions in infrastructure, industry, housing, public services and territorial cohesion. “We are in every town hall, in every parish, in every region,” he said. Thus, he stressed that “in times of noise and interested confrontation, institutional collaboration is more necessary than ever”, stressing that the meeting served to focus on the rural, the demographic challenge and the real needs of a large and deeply rural province such as Lugo.
“We talk about projects, yes, but above all we talk about people, small municipalities, districts and how to guarantee future and opportunity, wherever you live,” said the delegate, who reaffirmed that “there is no territorial cohesion without living rural, and there is no future for Lugo without better infrastructure, more industry and a strong Welfare State.”
Better infrastructure
In this line, Pedro Blanco put in value the more than 650 million euros invested in railway infrastructures, with the impulse of the intermodal station of Lugo, the modernization of the line with Ourense and the elimination of steps at level. “Never has such a great effort been made for the railroad that Lucenses deserve,” he recalled.
He also highlighted the effort in terms of road infrastructure with special mention to the next completion of the last section of the Lugo-Santiago motorway, which will allow connecting both cities in 50 minutes and structuring Galicia interior. Since the arrival of Pedro Sánchez, he recalled, half of this infrastructure was put into service, “a symbol of the step from abandonment to commitment.”
In addition, he said that the Government will continue to improve the A-6, the A-8, the connection with Ourense and the Mariña motorway, along with a strong boost to the conservation of the road network, with an investment of more than 170 million euros in the province.
A stronger industry
Pedro Blanco also stressed the impact of the Recovery Plan in the province, where he mobilizes 150 million, in large part aimed at the reindustrialization of Lugo, with direct aid to solvent, innovative projects adjusted to the real needs of the industry. Within the framework of these funds are programs such as the Digital Kit, which has already reached 25,000 SMEs and self-employed people in the province.
Both the delegate and the president of the Provincial Council agreed to call for more involvement on the part of the Xunta de Galicia in this matter, remembering that the industry is autonomous competition and Lugo needs a Galician government that believes in its potential and drives it decisively n.Por the contrary, the delegate highlighted the role of the Provincial Council in the deployment of European funds through initiatives such as the Territorial Innovation Center or the Digital Rural Challenge.
They also addressed the demands of the primary sector, Lugo’s economic and social pillar in which the government injected more than 40 million euros in recent years only in extraordinary aid, because “the dairy, meat and fishing sector, with ports of reference such as those of Burela and Celeiro, know that this government is and will continue to be by their side”.
Greater well-being and more employment
The government delegate detailed the social shield promoted by the Government of Pedro Sánchez, which benefits more than 113,000 pensioners in Lugo who benefit from an average increase of 400 euros per year since 2018 in their pension. He also highlighted the impact of the Minimum Vital Income, which reaches more than 6,000 households and the labor reform, which allowed us to exceed 26,000 indefinite contracts in the province.
The delegate also focused on access to housing, noting that the rental price in Lugo grew nearly three times the wages in the last decade and “we can’t afford it.” Thus, he stressed that the Government is deploying record funding for rehabilitation, public housing, affordable rentals and support to rural and youth and recalled that more than 530 million euros have already been transferred to the Xunta, with which a large part of the programs announced by the Galician government are financed.
The delegate also highlighted the commitment to sustainable tourism, with investments in destinations and infrastructures such as the paradores of Monforte and Vilalba. He also claimed the candidacy of the Ribeira Sacra as a World Heritage Site as “a landmark of a country in which we are putting all the effort from the Government”.
Finally, Pedro Blanco thanked Carmela López “for her commitment to the territory and her leadership” and assured that the Government Delegation will be a constant ally to continue promoting projects and opportunities for Lugo. “Lugo does not wait for his moment, he lives his best moment, and we will work together to keep it that way,” he concluded.