Alongside the publication of the latest report from the Consello de Contas, a new front of discussion has opened between the Galician socialists and Xunta: the execution that was given to the European funds that the EU provided to the Galician government to deal with the covid crisis, its efficiency and effectiveness. Using the document, the PSdeG criticizes that “more than 50%” have not obtained employment in 2022, and the Xunta points out that the same document recognizes the “jams” in the programming of a good part of them. them, which corresponded to the State. and this affected all autonomy; but we are in no way talking about “lost” funds, but about the fact that they were – and are – incorporated in subsequent years. Added to the crucible is the complaint of the Galician socialists based on data from the transparency portal of the Administrative Court of Public Procurement of Galicia (Tacgal), which, it reports, paralyzed Sergas contracts between May 2023 and the same month of this year. worth 45 million due to “irregularities”.
The spokesperson for the Galician socialist executive, Julio Torrado, on Thursday accused the Xunta of not “resolve, manage and try to use Galician funds” and the Galicians so that the economy and the health system do better”, and to bring “citizens, businesses and entities that must use [los fondos europeos] they can’t“; an “unfortunately worse” scenario if funds “which should be allocated to improving the health system” are lost. Torrado spoke to the press during which he raised the issue of Sergas contracts worth 45 million which were stopped by Tacgal for “irregularities, scams and opacity”, he said. This shows, according to him, “the inefficiency and lack of control of the Xunta in terms of recruitment”, and “especially” health care; All this, a few months after the PSdeG also questioned the fairness of the contract for the Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital in Vigo.
Facenda’s advisor, Miguel Corgos, was quick to respond. In an audio sent to the media, also on Tuesday, he defended that he had not applied the funds in 2022 “does not imply” that they were not incorporated in subsequent exercises and that in fact, Galicia is still “in time” to apply them in 2026. “Therefore, we will not lose any euro from these funds of the recovery and resilience mechanism”, he underlined.
Such a case corresponds to one of the categories of European funds that Galicia received: recovery funds. Corgos explained that these represent the most important position, 36% of the total, and record the “most pronounced” losses due to “traffic jams” in their programming by the State, this “affected all autonomous communities, making it impossible to manage them effectively during the 2022 financial year itself.” On the other hand, there are the React funds, also configured due to the covid crisis, which, the councilor assured, have already been fully implemented. And he added, regarding the structural funds, whose programming period has already ended, that they have been executed above “100%”.
