Work Path
A plan of economic and social actions supported by the province’s main productive sectors, while also considering sustainability, health, and workers’ rights. This is the central agreement reached by the EU. The Alicante Provincial Council’s Economic and Social Council (CES) met this Wednesday, with participants prioritizing a package of measures that the plenary session should approve at the gathering scheduled for September 26.
Advice came from Ineca, CEV, Cocemfe, the College of Nursing, the Consumers Union, Lucentum Housewives, UGT and CC OO unions, the University of Alicante, the Consulate Corps, Covapa, and Fapa Gabriel Miro. The participating groups presented a range of measures they deemed urgent and important. The plan will outline actions to be followed by the Provincial General Assembly. Among the objectives, the recommendations include promoting vocational training at the industrial level and in the tourism sector, creating guidelines to help provincial companies meet the goals of the 2030 Agenda, and establishing mechanisms to curb the informal economy.
Path Forward
The CES meeting was chaired by Vice President Eduardo Dolón. “These axes will steer the working course in the coming months to meet society’s demands,” said a spokesperson for the people after the session. The proposal to prepare a guide on sustainability plans and the Sustainable Development Goals emerged from Ineca, while CEV suggested a plan to foster sustainable development among other priorities. The Costa Blanca initiative called for establishing a working group of government and business representatives to improve administrative agility and to position the region as a tourism destination in international markets.
Diputación allocates four million to help municipalities bear energy costs
The action plan also designs other measures, such as efforts to improve knowledge about health problems and healthy lifestyle habits, and programs to reduce the digital divide among residents over 65. Unions proposed creating an observatory for labor market research and drafting an annual report on the economic and social situation. On socio-educational matters, Covapa and Fapa Gabriel Miró proposed a study on functional diversity within the total school population and a campaign to promote healthy consumption habits among students. [Cited: Ineca, CEV]
Nearly all attendees praised the meeting for its consensus-driven tone. Carlos Baño, President of the Chamber of Commerce, described it as a positive session and said the agreed actions should now be prioritized for approval. “All parties acted with harmony and dialogue,” he noted. Javier Gutiérrez, a spokesperson for the Diputación government, added that CES is a useful tool and that the province would act on matters within its remit while deferring others to the appropriate authorities. [Local governance records]
Among those who expressed dissatisfaction was socialist representative Miguel Millana. He claimed a proposal for a financial participation fund to support productive sectors through local organizations was dismissed by Dolón, who directed him to the controller. “Many offers are good, others are generic,” said Gerard Fullana, spokesman for Compromís. [Parliamentary notes]
4 million in aid to counter energy hikes
Diputación will immediately mobilize four million euros to assist the province’s municipalities in facing the country’s energy crisis. The plan will spur actions that promote savings and sustainability, including a new subsidy line for smaller communities to mitigate the economic impact of rising energy and fuel prices in municipal facilities. [Economic briefings]