The next head of the Generalitat, who will head to the polls after the 28 May elections, already has a first list of tasks drawn up by the Valencia Community’s main sectors. Representatives from about a dozen groups and economic structures share their most urgent needs and urge the future Generalitat Government to tackle a range of problems that will shape the development of Valencian autonomy.
By focusing on the 5% barrier on both the left and the right
From the longstanding call to reform the regional financing model to recent debates about a tourism tax, including efforts to promote quality employment and invest in educational infrastructure, Alicante is outlining its demands just weeks after the election.
Investments
The health, education, employment, tourism, unions, housing, and youth sectors all agree that attracting new and larger investments will be essential to reversing the downturn in the Valencian Community. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine has left the region with clear socioeconomic consequences. Almost a dozen groups spell out the policies the next Council should develop to meet the basic needs of a large portion of Valencian society.
In a political climate that increasingly leans on polling, understanding how to accommodate proposals from regional formations across different electoral programs could sway the balance and open the door to one of the two major blocs. The Botànic coalition’s tenure could end, or the Generalitat could return to Carlos Mazón’s Popular Party after eight years under Ximo Puig.
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Health commits to promoting pay equity and a complete redesign of the protection system. Education calls for the construction of decently maintained infrastructures and greater involvement of families. The state plans reforms to change the regional financing model and to streamline bureaucratic processes.
Tourism rejects the tourist tax and pushes for tighter control of tourist apartments in residential areas. Unions advocate policies that raise productivity and ensure decent, secure employment, with education aligned to business needs. Project owners review measures to ease access to housing. Finally, young people highlight housing shortages, mental health, and the environment.
Salary equality and guard reform
The health sector has clearly been hit hardest by the pandemic. They point to several key issues from the medical community that require regional action. First, ensuring better working conditions and salary parity with other autonomous communities that offer higher pay.
The focus also lies on reducing pressure on Primary Care by building adequate staffing and increasing the number of specialists. In addition, the unions call for restructuring the village guard system to address gaps such as not recognizing the contributions of health workers.
Building decent education infrastructures
Parents’ associations in the Valencian Community demand stronger support for honest and quality educational facilities. FAPA Gonzalo Anaya calls for a genuine commitment to public schools in Valencia, removing concerted models and encouraging new construction with more staff resources, both teachers and support personnel.
There is also a call for active family participation in school governance and for administration to involve communities in decision making. FAPA Gabriel Miró agrees on the urgency of strong educational infrastructure but asks that centers engage in politics in a manner that protects participation and avoids discrimination or resource shortfalls. The Community of Valencia aims for an autonomous agreement.
More funding and less bureaucracy
Esther Guilabert, general secretary of the Valencian Community Business Confederation (CEV), highlights the long-standing aim of reforming regional financing to secure investments for residents. He argues that the central government should relieve the contracted debt regardless of political color. He also calls for cutting red tape and speeding up administrative procedures, insisting that projects, investments, and public revenue should not stall due to bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Additionally, the proposal includes easing the tax burden on businesses that drive activity and job creation. Public administration should improve and tackle the economy’s weaknesses without dragging its feet. Guilabert also emphasizes active social dialogue as a tool to reach these goals.
Preliminary stance against the tourist tax
“In our view, there is nothing more misguided in a market economy than taxing exports,” stated Fede Fuster, president of the Hosbec hoteliers association. Opposing the measure, promoted by Botànic and rejected even by the region’s tourism minister, Francesc Colomer, is a top industry priority.
Fuster also calls for tighter controls on the rapid growth of tourist-occupied homes in residential blocks, which he says are currently unchecked. He views better management of EU NextGeneration funds as crucial, seeing significant opportunity losses similar to those seen with Feder funds. The return of European aid has begun.
Boost productivity and tailor training to needs
Employment will be a central objective in the coming period, seen as key to countering inflation and the economic fallout from the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Unions advocate measures that strengthen the productive base and ensure that worker profiles match market requirements. They advocate a triad of higher productivity, added value, and innovation, championed by UGT.
They also call for a robust public workforce guidance system that aligns supply with demand, preventing gaps between business needs and job seekers. CC OO says it has implemented regional employment policies through agreements that combat job insecurity and enhance occupational health and risk protection at work.
Accessibility for youth and vulnerable families
The housing sector outlines proposals for the leader of the Valencian Community Government to ease access to a fundamental right. Jesualdo Ros, secretary-general of the Provincial Association of Real Estate Contractors in Alicante, stresses building a realistic framework for affordable housing so young people and disadvantaged families can become homeowners.
This requires reflection on and analysis of recent legislation with measures such as priority rights and rent assistance. It also calls for a review of Valencia Community’s Regional Strategy, which promotes growth-friendly approaches to innovative housing and tourism, plus a General Directorate of Residential Tourism.
Mental health, housing emergency, and the environment
The presidency of Consell Valencià de la Joventut (CVJ), led by Àlvar López de Medina, centers its priorities on three axes. First, address the housing emergency with ambitious actions to regulate rents and expand housing stock, aiming for a structural market impact.
Second, tackle the climate crisis by steering the production model toward ecological transition. Third, focus on mental health to prevent anxiety, stress, and depression, urging a health system and society ready to respond to youth mental health challenges.