The Elche City Council is processing the 30 projects subsidized with European funds

Specifically, the City Council has tendered initiatives for an amount of 13.5 million euros, 45.15% of the total Strategy. Of this amount, 4.8 million euros have been awarded – that is, 16.15% – and 2.7 million materializedAmong which are actions such as the General Hospital interchange, the intervention in the Hort de Felip, the remodeling of the Tourist Office or the renovation of the lawn of the Carrús Sports Center football field.

“The rest of the plans, pending bidding, are in the process; In other words, these are operations already designed and with projects prepared awaiting processing. In some cases they await their bidding and, in others, the completion of a previous phase; for example, waiting for the presentation of the project by the company to be able to tender the work, as is the case with the Sports Pavilion, budgeted at 7.2 million euros ”, specified Arabid, who has continued to emphasize that 2022 and 2023 will be key for EDUSIs as the work carried out in previous years is reflected.

For 2022, the budget contemplates the crystallization of projects for 13 million euros “to which the Government Team will give the Maximum priority with a double objective: to carry them out on schedule and to make them a reality in the next two years ”, he stressed, referring to some of them. Such as the San Antón-Travalón Social Center, for 1.5 million euros, in the bid submission phase; the landscaping of the surroundings of the Old Cemetery, for one million euros, in tender after the deadline for submitting offers; the new urban planning of Olegario Domarco Seller street, which has also finalized the presentation of offers; or the reform of the Sports Center of Los Palmerales, in tender for an amount of 550,000 euros.

“After a first phase of design and development of projects in the field of EDUSI”, continued the municipal manager, “we are entering the implementation phase of the larger initiatives with which we want to transform the city in 2023”.

Commitment to the Ministry of Finance

The Ministry of Finance has given the green light to operations presented for an amount of 28.3 million euros, while others are in the process of approval for an amount of 1.4 million that make up practically all the EDUSI, has detailed Arabid, who has Specified that this step to be completed by the Ministry has been carried out once the Town Hall has entered all the EDUSI projects –some already executed– in the program established for this purpose.

The exception, an initiative related to smart city of Mobility on validation and electronic sale of bus tickets, for an amount of 550,000 euros, which will be more ambitious and will be eligible for Next Generation funds. “For that amount, the completion of the EDUSI would remain to be determined, so we have called a manifestation of interest so that the different Councils can present projects,” said the mayor.

Arabid has explained that information is periodically sent to the Ministry of Finance on the status of EDUSI processing at the request of the same body. In the last request, Treasury warned the City Council of the low execution rate of the EDUSI in 2021, therefore, from the City Council, the execution forecasts have been sent to the Ministry with the commitment to give them priority and thus be able to carry them out within the established period.

European funding

The projects framed in the EDUSI, co-financed 50% with European funds and by the Elche City Council, seek to develop cities in a sustainable and integrated way, dividing them into different thematic objectives such as citizen access to information technologies, improving the transition to a low-carbon economy, conserving and protecting the environment, promoting social inclusion or fighting poverty.