Aspremetal, the Extremadura metalworking employers’ association, has denounced that it is the only autonomous community that has still not activated the aid plan for electric vehicles, known as “Moves III Program”which involve direct aid to people who buy this type of vehicle, thus harming both citizens and dealers in the region who see sales hampered in a sector that has been suffering from a serious crisis for some time.
In this sense, its president, Francisco Pantín, declared that “The Junta de Extremadura is solely responsible for this delay.which is also the second time that this has happened, since the first expansion took almost 7 months to activate them in Extremadura.” Aspremetal brings together 90% of the dealers in Extremadura, who warn of the serious economic losses caused so far by the fact that they have had to warn their customers for a month and a half about the lack of help.
“It is enough to change the date in the decree that governs aid for electric vehicles because the rest of the bases have not changed, they were only extended“, Pantín points out. They recall from Aspremetal that the deadline to access the funds offered by Moves III expired on July 31 and that the Spanish government extended it until December 31, 2024 so that it could reach more citizens, especially taking into account the high demand and the commitment to sustainable mobility. “In other autonomous communities, their governments published the extension a few days before the initially proposed expiration, that is, without wasting time and offering continuity to both citizens and the vehicle sales industry.”
Aspremetal has repeatedly asked the regional government of Extremadura to modify the decree, both before and after its expiration, but “Extremadura and Extremadura concessionaires are the only ones in all of Spain that cannot benefit from the aid of the Moves III program.“, they complain to the Association.
From Aspremetal, they highlight the inconsistency of the Extremadura government in matters of electric mobility and regional industry, “since they talk about wanting to achieve the milestones and objectives set by the State within the framework of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, but at the same time “At a time when they are putting obstacles in the way of access to up to 7,000 euros of direct aid per applicant offered by Moves III”, explains Francisco Pantín, president of Aspremetal, “we ask the Extremadura government not to further harm Extremadura’s car dealerships”, are the headlines we read; “The large business projects that are taking place in the region are interesting for the Extremadura economy, but let’s not put a spoke in the wheels of companies that are already established and have been creating jobs for many years.”
Months of economic losses
They remember from Aspremetal that the first time the Moves III program was extended, until July 31, 2024, was in November 2023, but the Government of Extremadura did not publish the decree to access it until May 17, 2024, that is to say: almost seven months preventing citizens from benefiting from it“Now they have accumulated a delay of a month and a half, specifically since August 1, but it will increase because at the moment they are not considering updating the date as requested by the automotive sector.”
“What good is it for these professionals that the Regional Government of Extremadura announced in May a financial allocation of 17 million euros for the acquisition of electric vehicles if they have only responded to 16% of the aid presented,” comments Pantín, who thus focuses on another of Aspremetal’s demands, more agility on the part of the Council for the resolution of the lucky ones who have been able to benefit from this aid.
