The Government delegate in La Rioja, Beatriz Arraiz Nalda, presented this morning the Report Complying of the Central Executive with La Rioja corresponding to the year 2022. As he highlighted, reviewing the commitments made with our autonomous community, “the Government of Spain has deployed a whole package of measures and rules to protect the people of Rioja and Rioja and to promote recovery.”
He also pointed out that despite the difficulties caused, first by the pandemic and now by the war in Ukraine, the Government of Spain has launched an intense reformist agenda so that our country can move forward and start the future with guarantees.
In addition, the delegate explained that “the Central Executive has confirmed that it is firmly committed to moving towards a better future, without anyone being left behind by strengthening the Welfare State of our country.” He recalled that 2022 was unfortunately marked by Putin’s war in Ukraine, its economic and energy implications, and also European and global security and humanitarian implications. This crisis caused by the war has been faced by the Government of Spain, as happened with the pandemic, with the same determination: from European unity and with the commitment to allocate all the necessary resources to protect Spanish families, our industries and our companies.
Arraiz Nalda has specified that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, in February 2022, the Government of Spain has approved six response packages with direct and immediate measures to alleviate its consequences with a triple direction: protect the middle class, the workers and the productive fabric of our country; distribute the burdens of this crisis equitably; and increase the so-called energy sovereignty, extending renewable energies and limiting the price of gas.
“This way of governing,” he added, “explains many measures taken, such as the significant increase in the Interprofessional Minimum Wage in recent years, that pensions are indexed according to the evolution of the cost of living, of the CPI, or the consensus with social agents to approve labor reform.”
In this sense, it has highlighted three indicators linked to labor reform that are a sign of the commitment that the Government of Spain has for dignity and equality.
First, the reduction in the unemployment rate in La Rioja at the end of 2022, which stands at 9.10 percent, among the country’s minors. It should be noted that this is the lowest unemployment rate in the historical series of the month of December for 15 years.
Secondly, a trend promoted by labor reform, which is reinforced month by month, is the evolution of the increase in indefinite contracts. In this way, during December 6,829 contracts were registered in La Rioja and of these, one out of every three contracts concluded was of an indefinite nature, when the average in 2021 was one out of every ten contracts.
Thirdly, with regard to affiliation to Social Security, in December 133,865 affiliations were registered, of which 24,819 are self-employed and 109,199 correspond to the general regime. This is the best affiliation data of the entire historical series of the month of December since 2007.
NEXT GENERATION BACKGROUNDS
Regarding the data relating to 2022, regarding the European funds Next Generation, the delegate has detailed that 319 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism were allocated to La Rioja as of 30 November 2022. In particular:
- €231 million for the deployment of investments from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan in its areas of competence: housing, sustainable mobility, education and vocational training, inclusion and social services, among others.
- 88 million euros executed directly by the State, such as the 35.8 million euros that have been allocated to modernize irrigation in the Autonomous Community.
In addition, the Government of Spain has allocated La Rioja 64.6 million euros in OBJECTIVE-EU funds, the purpose of which is to help repair the immediate economic and social damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
ECONOMIC DRIVE AND INNOVATION SUPPORT
In addition, Arraiz Nalda has indicated that the Complying Report comprehensively reflects the commitments of the Government of Spain with our autonomous community in 2022.
To boost the economy and support innovation, La Rioja has received €1,061.5 million in cash deliveries and €336.8 million in the annual allocation of extraordinary liquidity mechanisms to strengthen the welfare state.
He also recalled the 21.4 million euros corresponding to the extraordinary call for the program of Tourist Sustainability Plans in Destination 2022 that were assigned to La Rioja. In addition, the Tourist Sustainability Plans in Destinations in Cameros and in Alto Najerilla of the ordinary call have been developed.
Among others, EUR 4 million has been allocated to support the commercial sector, promoting its digital and sustainable transformation and strengthening the fabric in small and medium-sized towns and tourist areas. Also, 554 Rioja SMEs have benefited from the support of the Digital Kit Program
With regard to the advances in the PERTE Nueva Economía de la Lengua, the Rioja project “Valle de la lengua” is included in it. In addition, the Royal Decree for the creation of the Global Observatory of Spanish has been approved, which will have its headquarters in the territory of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja. Likewise, the Government of Spain has signed an agreement with the regional executive that establishes collaboration over the next four years with multiple actions in the implementation of the Language Valley initiative, linking it to the PERTE of the New Language Economy. About 50 million euros will be invested to finance, among other actions, the creation of the Intelligence Center of the New Language Economy.
SOCIAL COHESION
Regarding social cohesion, the delegate has assured that it is one of the priorities for the Government of Spain. Therefore, it should be noted that at the end of last year, 10,829 people in La Rioja received the Minimum Vital Income, 5,989 adults and 4,840 minors, and 10,411 Rioja and Rioja benefited from the thermal social bond with a budget of 5.6 million euros.
On the other hand, 65,380 Rioja pensioners have benefited from the revaluation of pensions under the CPI in 2022 and, therefore, the maintenance of the purchasing power of our elders is guaranteed.
In terms of employment-related measures, it has highlighted 13.5 million euros that have been allocated to active employment policies and 8.1 million euros for training for employment. Another 3.1 million euros has been received by the Autonomous Community for the execution of investment projects that correct the imbalances that affect the labor market.
A remarkable milestone in 2022 was the opening of the Orientation and Entrepreneurship Center of La Rioja, a space for orientation, entrepreneurship and innovation, which had an investment of 4.2 million euros from European funds.
Finally, within this section of social cohesion, the delegate has valued the 33.6 million euros for care policies that the Government of Spain has allocated to La Rioja during the past year. Specifically, 20.1 million for the promotion of personal autonomy and care for people in situations of dependency and 13.5 million to finance projects of care policies for Rioja citizens.
ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION AND TERRITORIAL COHESION
Measures to promote ecological transition and territorial cohesion include advances and support for Rioja’s infrastructure.
In this section, you have cited several examples:
- Regarding the train, the presentation and submission to public information of the informative study of the Castejón-Logroño section of the Cantabrian-Mediterranean high-speed corridor. In addition, the contract of services for 1,969,592.06 euros has been formalized for the drafting of the basic project and construction of the variant of Rincón de Soto. In December, the tender for the services contract was announced for the drafting of the “Feasibility study of the improvement of the railway corridor between Logroño and Miranda de Ebro”, with a tender budget amounting to 612,677.45 euros
- In the field of road infrastructure, the contract for works of “Structural rehabilitation of the N-232 road for the Variants of Ausejo, Casalarreina and Tirgo” has been formalized for an amount of 6.3 million euros. The contract for the refurbishment works of the Lodosa link has also been formalized for 4.1 million euros; and the contract for road maintenance and operation services for the LO-01 sector of Logroño has been authorized for 25.8 million euros
Likewise, 2022 ended with an execution of 41.73% of the Southern Round, with a certified work that rises to 46.6 million euros, and a degree of execution of the A-12, in the stretch between Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Villamayor del Río, which amounts to 48.42% and a certified work worth more than 35 million euros.
For the ecological transition in the region, there are 10.4 million euros for investments in local projects within the Aid Plan for Unique Clean Energy Projects in Municipalities of Demographic Challenge, the so-called DUS 5000. Also the 1.7 million euros that have been allocated to La Rioja to improve the management of municipal waste and 6.1 million for the creation or operation of low-emission areas in metropolitan environments.
Within the framework of Rioja agriculture, another important investment was 9.6 million euros to La Rioja within the Support Program for the Spanish Wine Sector and the selection of the “Enorregion Project”, within the Agri-Food Complementary Plan, with a grant of 3.8 million euros to La Rioja.
RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS DUE TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE
Before concluding, he briefly referred to the response that the Spanish Government has put in place to alleviate the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
- 2,946 people in La Rioja benefited from the free purchase of Renfe multi-travel subscriptions in medium distance from September 1 to December 31, 2022.
- 2,313 people in the autonomous community have benefited from the aid of 200 euros for low income and wealth, approved by the central government to mitigate the impact of high inflation, having already paid 462,600 euros
- 1.8 million euros have been allocated to the additional aid of 400 euros for the 4,852 student scholarships in La Rioja for the academic year 2022-2023.
- The Rioja primary sector has received 1.6 million euros as exceptional aid to compensate for the economic difficulties arising from the war in Ukraine.
PURPOSE OF THE REPORT COMPLYING
The Complying with La Rioja Report, which had a first presentation by government delegations in February 2021, responds to the commitment of the central executive to democratic regeneration and represents an exercise of transparency and accountability to the citizens for government action, on a biannual basis.
The aim is to raise public confidence in its institutions and help improve the functioning of democracy, a pioneering initiative that consolidates Spain as a country at the forefront of accountability.