The president of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, sent this Friday 108 pages with requests to Pedro Sánchez for the bilateral meeting next Friday. “We deserve answers,” said the popular leader.
In total, the document covers 44 “urgent” requests addressed to the Community in terms of financing, infrastructure, water resources, depopulation… “We don’t want you to tell us that you are taking note of them or that you are going to study them. We want it to be a successful meeting, the photo is not enough,” he said.
According to him, Sánchez has “the obligation” to know the problems of Aragon. All these topics They were agreed “90%” with the opposition groups of the Cortes of Aragon. “We are talking about strategic issues, some of a historical nature. These are challenges that the Community must meet to continue to move forward, attract businesses and establish the population. If the government takes them seriously, it will be a step forward,” he added.
Among the main issues is regional funding. In this regard, the Regional Executive urges the national leader to increase the allocation for Aragon through a new system that takes into account the particularities of the territory. “Funding must be negotiated in a multilateral and transparent manner,” emphasized Azcón, which will be recorded during his meeting with Sánchez. of the “frontal” rejection that exists in Aragon “both towards the privileged financing of Catalonia and towards the cancellation of the 15 billion euros of debt”.
In terms of infrastructure, this will require that balance criteria are integrated in favor of the most depopulated areas, as well as the recovery of the working group which studied the investment needs of the Community. The letter also speaks of the Somport border post, the A-21, the A-23 or the A-68, which are accumulating “absolutely unbearable delays”. The same thing happens with the A-25, the A-40 or the reopening of the Canfranc.
Likewise, investment projects will be put on the table like those of the Almudévar, Mularroya or Biscarrués reservoirs, as well as the second phase of raising the waters of the Ebro to Andorra.
In the energy chapter, demands include “improvement of the electricity transport network”, Red Eléctrica’s priority is “to increase investment in the Community”. In addition, it will be requested to accelerate the resolution of Loss III, essential for the Stellantis gigafactory to become a reality.
Co-financing of the Pirineos plan at 50%, The region’s rejection of photovoltaic panels in reservoirs or the modernization of irrigation are other demands to which Aragon aspires.
Azcón will also emphasize the Teruel Investment Fund (Fite), frozen for two decades, and the need to increase so-called operating aid to 20%. In this regard, he confirmed that the Government of Aragon will increase its contribution to the same extent as the State, which is logical on the other hand given that it is co-financed at 50%.
In addition, it will be a question of increasing the medical staff in the Community, “extraordinary measures” so that there are no vacancies during the election of MIR positions and 50% co-financing of dependency and early childhood education from 0 to 3 years old.
The eighth point of the document concerns housing. He calls for “making state domains available to the region”. and that debt can increase to build more apartments. The popular leader will also demand a state pact to end the migration crisis and greater coordination, as well as greater collaboration in the fight against lindane.
The demands do not stop there, since they also include that Zaragoza be the headquarters of the National Health Agency or that the “unfair exclusion” of Huesca for the 2030 World Cup is overturned.
“Aragon goes to the meeting with his homework done. We know the list is long, but it’s been a long time since the last meeting. If Sánchez does not respond, it will have been a failure of the President of the Government and of the Spanish government. “We deserve justice,” he said.
For the Aragonese leader, the fact that the meeting is limited to one hour is not really good news, which is why he hopes that “at least the document has been read” and that the answers will not come in the form of deadlines or studiesbut of “euros” and “budgetary commitments”.
“All questions are relevant. We will not accept that one thing is resolved and all the others are forgotten,” “That would be a bad approach” pointed out.
The government would have liked to arrive at the meeting with a common position on financing with the rest of the parties, but the bilateral itself and the debate on the state of the Community ended up marking time. Despite everything, Azcón invites us “not to be short-term.” “We will respect everyone’s time,” he guaranteed.
