Nerja will receive €2.3 million under part two of the Plan de Inversión Local, more commonly known as ‘Plan Zapatero’.
This second fund is called the Empleo y la Sostenibilidad Local (Employment and Local Sustainability) and is designed to revive employment and boost local economies to help them get through the crisis. Some 8,000 municipalities will benefit under this latest plan.
Granted that construction is considered a vital industry – alternatives not having been developed – it would be good to see other industries benefit from the millions being poured into certain areas.
Personal view.
The vast bulk of these aid packages appear to be being channelled into various small infrastructure projects, renewing plazas here and there, a new roundabout here and there, new traffic signs, renovating various streets etc. Yes, this seems to benefit a few (the same few?) local construction companies but who else?
Does it actually benefit local business, stimulate the economy to any extent other than short term, create new jobs in shops or offices? On the contrary, businesses suffer the consequences of reduced trade due to the area being dug up.
These projects obviously do improve the appearance of the town and in most cases are long overdue, but a broader distribution of the millions in aid to stimulate new enterprises wouldn’t come amiss. Rather than setting up umpteen new municipal bodies, why not a retraining centre or sponsorship of new ideas and businesses?