He advise of Industry and of Ecological and digital transition of businesses of the Government of Navarra, Mikel Irujodeclared that the resignation of Flamasats to install a new one Clipper lighter factory In Aoïz meant “an absolute blow” for the Regional Executive and that it was a “unilateral” decision of the company. “We do not understand it and, in our opinion, it was not properly explained,” he said. -he noted.
This is what was declared this Wednesday during a parliamentary appearance asked at his own request. As noted, the company acquired the building old installations of Siemens Gamesa in Aoiz at February 2023 to set up a new Clipper lighter factory, but “inexplicably, the company communicated the past July 6 who canceled the project.
“It is the company that must explain why it made this decision, when it also had all the permissions for its implementation. This is a unilateral decision, which has been neither contrasted nor shared until now. July 4 this year,” he said. Specifically, he reported that on July 4 “they told us that the Board of Directors de Flamasats had decided irrevocably to abandon the Aoiz project. “They made it clear that this was an exclusively commercial decision,” he commented.
According to Irujo, the company claims that “during the second half 2023 suffer from a stock market crashespecially from a featured project they have, a visit sales drama which had not been corrected in the first half of the 2024”, and “they also alleged geopolitical instabilitiesas well as the gas price volatility“. “They told us that they were even considering the application of a ERTÉ in its own factory Barcelona“, he said, after adding that “we did not expect such a radical decision from the company, an express resignation from the project, it was a real blow.”
“The news was a hard blow. It was absolutely one-sided, unverified. When they communicated the information to us, they emphasized that it was a decision already adopted by their Board of Directors and that it was non-negotiable, which we never understood. They never gave us any written information about any of this, it was only at the July 4 meeting,” he criticized.
The advisor stressed that he had contacted the company “from the start”, from which it had asked for “flexibility in order to work in coordination” to “find a way out” of the building. He also assured that “there was no contribution from public money” to the company.
Regarding the next steps to be taken, he explained that the July 10during a meeting in Aoiz, the mayor and a member of the corporation “we agreed to constitute a working group coordinated between different government departments, public companies, local action groups and town halls of the area, with the aim of continuing to work on the reindustrialization of Aoiz and its surroundings. basic document and “next week we will have on the table a first scenario of a work plan“.
In the turn of the groups, the parliamentarian of UPN, Ana Élisaldestated that “we note with concern that there are companies that have decided to invest, have started working and decide to withdraw or paralyze their investments in Navarre, with the consequence mistrust which is transmitted.” “Only in the first half of 202440 companies that have had the head office in Navarre they have disappeared,” he said.
From the PSN, Javier Lecumberri He stressed that “this was a blow that comes after that of Siemens and some others” and that “on the other hand, the position” of the department of “betting on a reindustrialization” of Aoiz is clear. “Business decisions are just that, decisions of the company itself,” he said, after emphasizing that it was “good news” that there were no losses for the company. public treasury.
From EH Bildu, Oihan Mendo He said the company’s decision was “very surprising.” “Perhaps we could expect a delay, or a reduction jobsbut not an irrevocable lock on the project, especially when they were already carried out investments very important,” he stressed, after adding that the company “at no time” declared that the project “was in danger; something, in our opinion, incomprehensible.”
Mikel Asianof Geroa Baistressed that “unfortunately, everything was lost due to a commercial decision not communicated in writing, but verbally, and for the four reasons mentioned.” “We believe that the reasons given will be true, we have no reason to doubt the company in principle, in the same way that we did not doubt when it decided to settle in Aoiz,” he said. -he emphasized.
In the name of PPN, Maribel Garcia Malo “deeply regretted” not having “been able to successfully conclude” this investmentwhich “was particularly important because its objective was, among other things, to mitigate the serious effects” that the fence of the Siemens Gamesa factory in Aoiz in 2020. He also missed a certain “self-criticism” on the part of the advisor, because, according to him, the government “could have done something more”.
Miguel Garridoof With you-Zurekinsaid: “I don’t know if -the government- could have done more control or not, what was in the hands of the ministry was to speed up the procedures and it is doing it.” Furthermore, he considered that “it is fair” that if the company “has left the region behind”, it “has this corporate social responsibility” and “not only do not speculate on the ship you have acquired, but facilitate the arrival of another investment“.
From Voice, Emilio Jiménez indicated that this case “seems to contain all the elements of a possible scam“. “I am not saying that they committed fraud, but all the elements are present: harm caused to a third party, deception and personal benefit. We are now worried about what will be done with these land“, he stressed, after considering that the reasons given by the company for abandoning the project “are very weak”. “The ministry is not responsible for what happened, but something is happening. passes through our industry” he said.
