The Diplomat
The Council of Ministers yesterday authorized the contribution of a maximum amount of five million euros for the expenses derived from the management, evaluation, monitoring, inspection and technical assistance of the Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in the 2022 fiscal year.
The Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation (FCAS, for its acronym in Spanish) was created within the framework of the General State Budget of 2007 with the aim of financing actions for the promotion and improvement of access to water and sanitation services in Latin America, within the policies of international cooperation for development.
The Council of Ministers has the power to authorize the necessary operations to meet the expenses derived from the management of the fund. On April 21, the FCAS Executive Committee decided to allocate a maximum amount of five million euros to meet these expenses in 2022.
The FCAS currently has 30 active programs, in addition to various regional technical cooperations which, “in the context of the current pandemic, and taking into account the intrinsic relationship between water and health, are more necessary than ever”, according to the Government.
By far the largest expenditure comes from the 4,351,000 euros to finance current orders with the Empresa de Tecnologías y Servicios Agrarios, S.A (TRAGSATEC), followed by 295,729 euros for the Centro de Estudios y Experimentación de Obras Públicas (CEDEX). These two entities are essential to ensure the design, implementation and monitoring of FCAS programs, as they provide technical and engineering expertise that AECID does not have.
