PRIME Minister, Pedro Sanchez, will form a joint commission between the national government and the Valencia region to coordinate reconstruction following the October 29, 2024 floods.
Recently-installed Valencian president, Juanfran Perez Llorca, revealed the news at a press conference on Wednesday after meeting with Sanchez for the first time at the Moncloa Palace.
Perez Llorca said: “It has been 414 days since the tragedy, and contrast that with the response to the volcanic eruption at La Palma.”
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The president said essential issues concerning reconstruction should be discussed within the new forum which should have been formed far earlier.
It will consist of national and regional government representatives, as well as the Valencia Provincial Council and municipalities affected by the October 29 floods.
Key issues for Perez Llorca include speeding up tax exemptions for people who lost their business or their home; and the processing via emergency procedure for essential infrastructure construction to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2024 during torrential rain.
He also believes that individual municipalities should have greater flexibility to process grant aid.
Perez Llorca pointed out that the Valencian administration had borrowed €2.5 billion to ‘attend to aid’ carry out basic repair work.
“I have asked him(Sanchez) for it to be non-refundable aid from the Government,” he commented.
“It cannot be that the only contribution of the Government which will put us more in debt”, he continued- adding that he has not received a positive indication that the debt would be converted into a grant.
“That would have been a turning point,” Perez Llorca stated.
He presented Pedro Sanchez with a plan containing ‘100 proposals to move forward together’ combing historical demands of the Valencian Community, coupled with needs arising from the floods.
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