“We will continue to strengthen in La Rioja the model of the Welfare State thanks to the firm support of the Government of Spain through the management of the economy of a country that puts itself at the service of people.”
The government delegate in La Rioja, Beatriz Arraiz Nalda, has appeared at a press conference to present the socio-economic balance of the management of the central executive in La Rioja during 2023. To this end, it has highlighted some indicators that demonstrate the commitment of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to the region.
In this way, he pointed out that, thanks to the revaluation of pensions, the average retirement pension this year in La Rioja rises to 1,362 euros per month compared to 1,055 euros per month in 2018.
Arraiz Nalda recalled that the PP government carried out a pension reform “with which it condemned our pensioners to a brutal loss of purchasing power”, given that “year after year they were impoverished because their pensions rose by 0.25%, or in other words, little more than one euro a month, well below the cost of living”.
Faced with this, the government headed by Pedro Sánchez has linked the revaluation of pensions to the increase in the CPI. Thus, the average pension in La Rioja has increased, compared to 2018, 307 euros per month, that is, 4,298 euros per year.
As the delegate insisted, “in this context of inflation it is when it makes the most sense, if possible, that pensioners who do not have the capacity to react in these situations are guaranteed their purchasing power”.
In this regard, he added that the Government of Spain is demonstrating that there is another way to face a crisis by shielding the purchasing power of pensioners against the 0.25% annual revaluation imposed by the PP in 2013.
To exemplify the application of the increases of the Partido Popular and the PSOE in 2024, he explained that with the PP we would be located in La Rioja with an average retirement pension of 1,077 euros compared to the current 1,362 euros. In total, Rioja retirees would lose 285 euros per month and 3,990 euros per year.
“Certainly, the revaluation of pensions according to the CPI is a positive measure, although the position of the People’s Party has once again been to vote against. In other words, to vote against the interests of the almost 73,000 pensioners in La Rioja”, he denounced.
“The people of La Rioja and La Rioja should know that the People’s Party does not systematically vote for any measure that improves their lives. He prefers to opt for crispation, for maintaining an attitude that encourages polarization and continuous confrontation without taking into account the purpose of the initiatives,” he criticized.
In this regard, he referred to the waiver of the nominative grant granted of 20.5 million euros that has been rejected by the Government of La Rioja to promote the industrial estates of La Senda, in Alfaro, and El Recuenco, in Calsalvo, which was entered into the coffers of the regional executive last June. “It is incomprehensible that an administration, simply because it is of another political color, rejects the help of the central government and damages the interests of the industrial fabric of Rioja,” he said.
Other indicators
Regarding affiliation to Social Security, the growth in La Rioja during the period of December 2018, last year of government of the PP, to December 2023 is noteworthy. In five years, it has increased from 128,495 affiliates to 136,555, a total of 8,060 more affiliates.
The employment data also reaffirm the firm commitment of the Government of Spain to quality and job stability and the improvement of workers’ rights and conditions. As the delegate has specified, one of the aspects that has most affected it is labor reform. In this way, La Rioja counted 12,895 indefinite contracts in 2019, while in 2024 they have risen to 39,009, a total of 26,114 more in this period, which means an increase of 202.5% in the autonomous community.
As for the Minimum Vital Income, the beneficiaries accumulated in La Rioja amount to 15,253, of which 8,316 are adults and 6,937 minors. In addition, 3,064 benefits are granted with additional assistance for children in the Autonomous Community. Likewise, the number of recipients of the electric social bond rises to 13,303, according to the latest available update of October 2023. These recipients also benefit from the social thermal bond, although the difference is that the first is paid by electricity and the second is paid by the General State Budgets.
In the educational field, he has detailed that in the academic year 2022-2023, in non-university levels there were 3,000 beneficiaries of a scholarship in La Rioja, of which 2,322 correspond to the general call and 678 to aid to students with specific need of educational support. The total amount of scholarships awarded at this level of education was 5,348,000 euros.
At university level, the previous year, 4,307 scholarships were awarded, amounting to 5.5 million euros.
Therefore, “7,307 students benefited from 10.8 million euros of financial support from the central government,” he said.
Arraiz Nalda said that “support for transport is one of the policies that the Spanish Executive has led and promoted”. To this end, Renfe has granted 1,797 free medium-distance subscriptions in La Rioja, “a figure that shows the great reception of this initiative approved to combat the rise in prices, facilitate mobility, strengthen the use of public transport, reduce energy dependency and contribute to alleviate the effects of the climate emergency that we suffer”.
After specifying these indicators, the delegate reiterated that “the Government of Spain will continue in this legislature on the path already begun to provide more rights to people. The figures corroborate the Executive’s commitment to improving people’s lives; every action and agreement of the Council of Ministers aims to make their day-to-day lives easier.”
European funds
On the other hand, the latest update of the execution of European funds in the autonomous community has advanced, “another example of the commitment of the Government of Spain to La Rioja”.
According to the data, the central executive continues to deploy in our region the investments foreseen in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), amounting to 492 million euros. Of this amount, La Rioja has received 327.5 million through transfers in sectoral conferences, agreements and direct concessions agreed with the regional government.
In addition, through direct execution actions of the General Administration of the State, about 3,100 projects with 165 million euros of aid are being executed.
As for these 165 million euros, they have been produced through competitive calls and tenders and other actions managed by AGE agencies in different areas such as the development of infrastructures, such as the drafting of the basic project and construction of the Rincon de Soto variant or the connection with the Lardero road of the currently existing upper pass of the AP-68 through a cycle-pedestrian lane.
“These European funds that are being allocated to La Rioja are allowing our community to advance in modernity, in sustainability, in cohesion, in rights,” he stressed.
Thus, it has concluded that among the beneficiaries of the PRTR are the companies, SMEs and self-employed people of Rioja, a further sign of the commitment of the Executive of Pedro Sánchez to the economy of our autonomous community and to the entire region.”