Economy

Balearic government to spend 3,500 million euros on the economy

President Armengol speaking on Wednesday.

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma13/05/2020 15:22

The Balearic government is to allocate 3,500 million euros to reactivating the economy. While continuing to stress the health message, President Armengol announced on Wednesday that a decree law will cover four areas for economic recovery: more agile administration and procedures; movement of public service employees between departments in order to facilitate this agile administration; reduction to a "minimum" in the time taken to process subsidies and support for local industry that can manufacture medical equipment; promotion of key sectors of the economy.

This plan will cover an eighteen-month period and be accompanied by other measures, such as ERTE. Over the coming weeks, more measures will be announced. There is to be a focus on the building of homes, and the normal summer suspension of construction where there this causes noise will not apply this year. There will be a streamlining of building licence applications.

It is also envisaged that construction will have a role in the tourism sector. Provision is to be made for the change of use of obsolete tourist accommodation, which can become social housing (along the lines of VPO), social care accommodation, e.g. residences for the elderly, or facilities for research.

Hotels will also be able to increase their areas by up to 15% as part of investment for modernisation. This does not include increasing the number of hotel places.

In explaining plans for the construction industry, the vice-president and minister for energy transition and productive sectors, Juan Pedro Yllanes, added that transport projects are to be declared "strategic". Sustainable mobility will therefore be promoted, with the processing of railway and tram projects being simplified.

The government indicates that this plan will create some 30,000 jobs.