Santander (EFE).- The Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, has vindicated this Monday “the total commitment” of the Government of Spain with Cantabria and has assessed that the Executive continues “advancing in all sections” for the arrival of the AVE to the region and that the train between Santander and Bilbao will be made “independently” of the arrival of European funds.
Bolaños has conveyed this to the President of Cantabria, Miguel Ángel Revilla, in a meeting that has lasted more than an hour at the headquarters of the Government of Cantabria, in which the regional vice president, Pablo Zuloaga, the Minister of the Presidency, have also participated , Paula Fernández, and the Government delegate in the autonomous community, Ainoa Quiñones.
“When Pedro Sánchez promises something, he fulfills it,” said Bolaños, who has maintained that the central Executive “does not forget Cantabria.”
In his opinion, the “very clear” example is the payment of the debt for the works of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital.
And he considers that this commitment “translates into figures” because the Government “goes from words to deeds.”
In this sense, he has pointed out that the Government of Spain provides Cantabria with 32 percent more resources than the Executive of the popular Mariano Rajoy five years ago. Specifically, the General State Budget (PGE) this year includes 2,220 million euros in financing for the region, it has had an impact.
The train to Bilbao, “essential” for Bolaños
In addition, he pointed out, Cantabria is the autonomous community with the highest investment per inhabitant, 507 euros, compared to 284 for the national average, although he has recognized that due to the orography and geography of the region some services are more expensive. “Everyone”, Revilla pointed out.
Bolaños has explained that the Government of Spain continues to advance in the processing of “all sections” of the AVE between Santander and Madrid so that “it will be a reality very soon”, just as it has defended the commitment of the Government of Spain with the train between the Cantabrian capital and Bilbao, for which there is already an informative study.
“It is essential for Cantabria and I would say also for the Basque Country,” he stressed.
Revilla thanked the minister that the PGE are “probably the best that a Government of Spain has ever made” for Cantabria, since they include “historically promised” commitments such as the Valdecilla debt.
«All the presidents who came to Cantabria said that they would pay Valdecilla’s debt in full. Didn’t meet any. It has been the Government of Pedro Sánchez that has fully paid off the debt with 130 million euros that are already in the box of the Government of Cantabria », he stated.
Thus, he has highlighted that three sections of the AVE between Palencia and Alar del Rey have already been awarded, although there are two others, between Osorno and Alar, that he does not understand that they are not already awarded because they have been tendered for “months”.
It also hopes that the section between Alar and Reinosa, which already has the environmental report, can begin to be tendered at the end of the year.
Revilla sees the AVE to Madrid “a reality”
Beyond some “delays”, he stressed that “for the first time, the AVE to Madrid is a reality.”
And he has also made reference to the road between Aguilar de Campoo and Burgos, which, in his opinion, should “permanently claim Castilla y León.” “But I don’t know why the president (of Castilla y León) is not amused that works are being carried out in Castilla that benefit Cantabria and Castilla y León,” he added.
That road is “a nightmare”, Revilla has opined, adding that the works, which have been awarded again, represent an “important performance for Cantabria because it saves about fifteen minutes of travel and is the perfect straight line from Santander to Madrid”.
“This is also to be thankful for,” he added.
Lastly, it has assessed the budgetary commitments of the Executive of Spain with the logistics area of La Pasiega and the Museum of Prehistory and Archeology of Cantabria, in both cases with 11 million euros consigned in 2022 which, as they were not executed, were transferred to this year’s budgets, with another 11 for each, so they amount to 22 in both cases.
