The Diplomat
The European Commission yesterday approved the award of €382.7 million from the REACT-EU regional recovery fund (one of the largest programs under Next Generation EU) to support the digital and ecological recovery and transition of ten autonomous communities and two autonomous cities in Spain: Aragon, Asturias, Cantabria, Canary Islands, Castile and Leon, Catalonia, Ceuta, Extremadura, Melilla, Murcia, Navarre and the Basque Country.
These funds are in addition to the €354.8 million allocated for 2022 to five other communities (Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Galicia, La Rioja and Madrid) from the same fund and the €10.9 billion in funding provided to Spain in 2021 from Next Generation.
The most benefited community will be Catalonia, with €130.1 million for health and education infrastructures and for ecological and digital transition. It is followed by the Canary Islands, with 58.5 million euros for health services, sustainable tourism and educational, health and reception infrastructures. The Basque Country will receive 40.6 million for energy efficiency and renewables, improvement of hospitals and schools and digital transition.
Murcia will get 32.8 million euros for health infrastructures and digitalization, Navarra will receive 13.9 million euros for educational facilities, health and social services and climate and digital transition and Extremadura will benefit from 12.7 million euros in support for healthcare against the coronavirus and to help SMEs and improve primary care.
Asturias will get 9.9 million euros for investments in R&D projects, purchase of medical equipment and infrastructure, among other objectives, and Cantabria will receive six million euros for health services, purchase of medicines against the pandemic and improvement of public infrastructure and energy efficiency in homes.
Aragon will receive two million euros for the recruitment of medical personnel and the digitalization of the public sector, Melilla will get three million euros for the digitalization of its economy, Ceuta will have two million euros for ecological transition, energy efficiency and social and health services, and Castilla y León will receive one million euros for energy efficiency, improvement of social and health services and digital transition.
