The two leaders met on Monday morning at Moncloa Palace

Pedro Sánchez and Emiliano García-Page agree on significant new steps on infrastructures in Castile-La Mancha

2018.10.15

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Moncloa Palace, Madrid

As regards the reform of the regional financing system, the President of the Government explained that this issue will be addressed at the work forum set up as part of the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council (Spanish acronym: CPFF). Pedro Sánchez stated that the government intends to take into account the specific situation of each autonomous region, as well as cater for specific factors such as rural depopulation in such regions as Castile-La Mancha. The CPFF will also study the potential restructuring of the regional debt. Furthermore, the Government of Spain will try and improve the current regional Liquidity Fund (Spanish acronym: FLA) and will seek a consensus on the exclusion of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) from compliance with the deficit target.

Major improvements to infrastructures

As regards infrastructures, the President of the Government undertook to speed up actions to improve the conventional train line to Talavera de la Reina. The situation of the C-2 and C-5 commuter lines is also being reviewed at this time. The Ministry of Public Works is concluding its informative study of the high-speed Madrid-Extremadura line, in the stretch from Madrid to Oropesa, with a scheduled investment of 1.12 billion euros. The procedures for implementing multi-journey tickets with AVANT fares on four trains in each direction on business days between Madrid and Cuenca are also being speeded up.

As regards road transport, the Ministry of Public Works is working on actions to improve several major highways in Castile-La Mancha, such as the A-43 (on the stretch passing Puertollano), the N-430 (in the province of Ciudad Real), the A-32 (between Linares and Albacete), the Toledo-Ciudad Real motorway and the A-40 (between Cuenca and Teruel). It will also try and resolve the lighting issues on the A-2 to Guadalajara.

In addition, the viability studies of the logistics platforms in Alcázar de San Juan and Talavera de la Reina are about to be completed. Actions are also being carried out to promote industrial land at very competitive prices in Castile-La Mancha, both in terms of rentals and purchases. Pedro Sánchez and Emiliano García-Page also highlighted the agreement signed with the Ministry of Public Works, thanks to which Castile-La Mancha will receive 57.72 million euros for housing policies.

Water transfer between Rivers Tajo and Segura and ATC

The agenda of the President of the Regional Govenrment of Castile-La Mancha also included several issues related to the water transfer between the Rivers Tajo and Segura. In this regard, they brought up two important questions: one, the price of the water transferred has now been duly calculated and, two, the aim is for Spain to double its current capacity of desalinated water production by the year 2021.

The government will also try and implement some form of representation on the Tajo-Segura Aqueduct Committee, although the regional governments, in principle, do not form part of this management body. Pedro Sánchez and Emiliano García-Page also agreed to push through an environmental plan for the river banks of the Entrepeñas and Buendía Reservoirs, together with the work pending to ensure an adequate water supply to neighbouring towns and villages.

At any event, the two leaders agreed to maintain dialogue and collaboration with all regional governments to agree on a sustainable water policy that complies with the European Framework Directive.

In relation to the Centralised Temporary Storage Facility for high-level waste (Spanish acronym: ATC), Pedro Sánchez and Emiliano García-Page agreed to reassess its need, something that will be done under the new Radioactive Waste Plan

Greater resources for long-term care and healthcare

President of the Government Sánchez also undertook to increase, as far as possible, the number of National Police and Guardia Civil officers posted to Castile-La Mancha.

In light of the demands to improve long-term care made by Emiliano García-Page, the President of the Government recalled that this item has been considerably increased this year in the Draft Bill of the 2019General State Budget. Specifically, this increase amounts to 120 million euros.

The government also wants to increase the resources under the Healthcare Cohesion Fund allocated to those people displaced from other autonomous regions and also expensive and highly complex healthcare resources.

Agricultural policy and telecommunications

Furthermore, the government of Pedro Sánchez expressed its interest in maintaining the current budget of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the system of direct payments to guarantee the stability of farmers, which is essential.

They also established two priorities. Firstly, to promote the much needed generational replacement at a rural level (key for combating rural depopulation) and, secondly, to boost the shared ownership of agricultural holdings (within gender equality policies).

Both Pedro Sánchez and Emiliano García-Page highlighted that climate and environmental sustainability must be one of the hallmarks of the Spanish agricultural sector, within the framework established by the 2015 Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

During their meeting at Moncloa Palace, Pedro Sánchez and Emiliano García-Page analysed various measures to boost tourism in Castile-La Mancha, regulate the so-called collaborative economy and improve the rollout of broadband in the countryside. Also the revision of the National Plan for FM Radio Frequencies will soon commence.

Work and Social Security

As regards employment policies, it was announced that, over the course of this year, a new model for the distribution of funds will be agreed with the regional governments in line with the proposal made by the Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha, to ensure that this distribution is made over a longer period of time.

Pedro Sánchez and Emiliano García-Page also addressed various changes in the vocational training system and in regional powers over active employment policies. Furthermore, the social dialogue roundtables and regional governments are working on a new Youth Employment Plan, which will also receive a budgetary increase.

Non official translation