The latest conflict the Ministry of Economy has plunged into in the province of Alicante is that of the Fundesem business school after the Valencian Business Competitiveness Institute (Ivace) agreed to terminate the lease of its headquarters occupied as a business centre. result of defaults. While the situation is currently on hold, the business is finalizing a viability plan that allows it to continue operating on the property it currently occupies.
The conflict erupted last June, just as Ivace’s management agreed to terminate the contract and demand Fundesem’s €1.65m in rent debt accumulated since 2012. This decision was made despite the center submitting an offer to repay the sums owed through an agreement with the European University to which it will transfer some of the facilities. But this solution did not bear fruit.
Ivace’s location has drawn criticism from the Alicante City Council and the business community, so Minister Rafa Climent and the city’s mayor, Luis Barcala, agreed to give Fundesem a new opportunity to propose a new proposal, but yes, 600,000 Euros to the Generalitat. immediate payment.
However, taking into account that the foundation had other debts that brought the total figure to 2.5 million euros, the legal entity itself decided to propose voluntary bankruptcy because of the greater risk than the fact that the creditor would file a claim in court. This fact coincided with the European University’s decision to withdraw from the contract it signed last year due to the impossibility of starting the next course and Ivace’s position to continue with the termination of the contract.
Despite everything, Fundesem’s managers do not throw in the towel. The directive, led by Cayetano Sánchez Butrón, is working on the drafting of an implementation plan, which it plans to submit at the end of this month or the beginning of the next. Sánchez Butrón himself, who assures that they do not give up their activities in the same place, also points to this. “Of course – he states – it would be with a less powerful use and a smaller staff, but our intention is always to continue in the spirit of dialogue”. The minister points out that he is waiting “to see if the problem can be redirected” with the intention that the building can continue to be used as an education center no matter what.