Diputación de Huesca has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism to provide financing through the Plan for Improvement, Transformation and Resilience (PRTR), a project of Aramón (a mixed company that manages the ski slopes in Aragón) and Mancomunidad del Aran . for the valley Join the Candanchú, Astún and Formigal ski resorts. The cost of the initiative amounts to 34m euros added to the approximately 30m euros requested in the previous phases of the project. In his statements to the media, the Minister of State for Tourism personally confirmed that the project can provide financing close to this amount.
Friends of Earth, Ecoologists in Action, Greenpeace, SEO/BirdLife and WWF and environmental and social organizations from Aragon demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism this Tuesday. Asking the government to stop financing the project with European funds A combination of the ski resorts of Candanchú, Astún and Formigal in the Aragonese Pyrenees.
NGOs, which sent a letter to the Ministry with their request, are willing to report the project to the Ecological Transition Office and the European Union for misuse of European funds.
In particular, they claim that This project goes against climate change scenarios and will have serious consequences for habitats. from one of the unique places in mountain habitats, therefore violating the principle of not causing significant harm to the environment. For this reason, they warn that the project cannot be financed through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR).
The union of stations includes: Infrastructure worth over 60 million euros It will be paid for with the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) funds distributed by the Ministry, which announced 33m euros for the PRTR’s Tourism Sustainability Plans in Aragon at the end of November.
NGOs have the following qualifications: The “inconsistency” of financing both opposing projects with the same funds they warn that if the project is implemented, serious environmental impacts will occur on ecosystems that are already very vulnerable. In this sense, they emphasize: the project ignores the predictions of the Pyrenean Climate Change ObservatoryIt warns that supporting ski resorts means increasing reliance on the use of artificial snowballs, which puts the region’s wetlands at risk and increases energy consumption.
Therefore, they inform the department headed by Reyes Maroto that if they continue to finance the project, they will apply to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Struggle, which must guarantee the principle of not harming the environment and also notify it. the project before the EU Inappropriate use of European funds.
Environmental organizations demand that Minister Reyes Maroto decide against the financing of the ski resort association and force the Aragonese Government to paralyze this “unsustainable” project.
The government defends it
Minister of State for Tourism Fernando Valdés, in his statements to the media, showed that he is in favor of the project to join the ski slopes: “The long-requested union between the ski resorts of Astún and Candanchú, a later association with Formigal as the first stage, It will place Aragon among the elite of world snow destinations. It is time to position Aragón as a preferred destination for mountain and nature tourism in international markets.”
The president of public-private organization Aramón announced the continuation of investments planned to continue expanding the slopes for the remainder of the current season, and Union of stations of the Aragon and Tena valleysWith the presentation of a second project in the new call for Next Generation European funds.
If the project materializes, a ski area of comparable size to large resorts such as those in the Alps will be completed.
Full statement of signatory organizations, at this link.
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]