Puig admits that the solution to the transfer is still far away, but the only way out is to bring the positions closer together.
Did Consell lack firmness in defending the Tajo-Segura transfer?
No, I’m talking about facts. In some claims, it is difficult to cross the boundaries of the Congregation over and over again, and there are even humorous programs in which I have been made visible.
Has the Head of Government been close to this area in the Tajo-Segura transfer?
During his last visit, the President assured that the Valencian Community will have water forever, and I will stick to that. It is necessary to see how this is transferred later, but the investments made by the Government are very important. What cannot be done about water is the pro-integrity change proposed by the right. We are in favor of Tagus being alive and in the best conditions. But we also disagree on how ecological flow is measured and how the transition occurs. And we agree that desalinated water should be produced.
Currently, desalinated water is already 80% more expensive as the state subsidy has been removed…
The government’s guarantee is that this subsidy for desalinated water will be approved this month. And we are ready to complete it if necessary, but the base has to be provided by the Government.
He was not present at the show called by the waterers. Can absences like this punish you in the state of Alicante?
Alicante’s waterers are fully aware of my commitment. No more demonstrations are in favor of water.
What happened to the National Water Council minutes?
I don’t know. What I do know is what is sanctioned, namely the ninth provision. We must then take into account that the Government may make another decision and make a provision that we can partly agree and partly disagree, and an issue that is very important to us has disappeared, the update in 2025.
Do they feel cheated?
We were disappointed.
Have you talked to Pedro Sánchez about this?
I talked to the vice president. He has a different opinion, but from inconsistency, I will always be in the field of solutions from dialogue. Determination is not shouting more, but finding solutions from beliefs.
After these meetings with the minister, do you think this solution is possible?
Still very far. But I can’t see any alternative other than trying to approximate the locations.
A recent resolution demands that the Confederation of Júcar grant the same rights to Alicante and Valencian irrigators. What is the Council’s position?
In the field of relevance to sentences, always respect and relevance.
What does it turn into?
Appropriately, depending on the sentence. In the Júcar-Vinalopó case, substantial progress has been made. In fact, it was the first time in history that such an important water transfer took place.
How do you explain that Alicante is once again the worst funded year in the General Government Budget?
This, by the way, is a false vision for the Government, which contradicts the Generalitat’s vision in recent years. This year, 40% of the Group’s investment will be made in Alicante. We maintained this rebalancing position between the three provinces, particularly in favor of Alicante.
The Innovation Department has not completed its rise in Alicante in these three and a half years. What went wrong?
There are areas of the department that are positively implemented, like everything digital and innovation-related, but with reconciliation costs. Now we want to somehow connect it to the city itself. It is the first ministry in 40 years of self-government outside Valencia, a giant step in decentralization, and it is costly. It’s also hard to know that this is a ministry in Alicante but this is for the whole Community.
Ana Barceló, mayor of PSPV in Alicante, is quite missing. Is the mayor leaving?
We tried to promote the candidate that I thought could be the best mayor for Alicante. Therefore, our commitment to Alicante is absolute. Another thing is that we are not in the election campaign yet and he is currently working to communicate with many people, many groups. I fully trust Ana Barceló, I think she will do a great job and, above all, become mayor of all Alicante people.