The Diplomat
The European Commission yesterday formally adopted the disbursement of €354.8 million from the REACT-EU regional recovery fund to support five autonomous communities -Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Galicia, La Rioja and Madrid- in their green and digital transition during 2022.
“Spain is taking decisive action to overcome the pandemic and EU solidarity has played a key role in this process. The investments funded through this last tranche of REACT-EU will pave the way towards a stronger and greener digital economy,” said Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira in a statement.
The largest tranche of the recovery fund, which strengthens cohesion policy, is earmarked for Andalusia, which will receive €191.4 million to mainly finance the construction and renovation of hospitals and schools.
The aid for Andalusia will also be used to digitise public health services, help SMEs mitigate the impact of the crisis and improve energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy, support sustainable mobility and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Madrid will receive €85 million over the next year to strengthen the procurement of personal protective equipment in the health sector, increase testing capacity and fund the staff needed to respond to the crisis.
Part of the support will also be used to increase renewable energy production in the Madrid region and improve public infrastructure, such as a building at the 12 de Octubre Hospital.
In the case of Galicia, the aid amounts to €44.4 million and is intended to reinforce funding for research and development in the field of health, health waste treatment and e-health.
It will also be used for the digitisation of the public sector and SMEs, to provide working capital to SMEs in sectors with high job creation potential, as well as for innovation in forestry, sustainable construction and fire prevention, among other sectors.
Finally, the Balearic Islands will receive €28.2 million to support the fight against the coronavirus through the purchase of medical, pharmaceutical and research equipment. It will also support the working capital of the most affected SMEs, sustainable mobility and the improvement of facilities and equipment in schools, health centres and hospitals.
