The Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa presented the plan this Monday “Strengthening the Economy”, a tool through which it will articulate a whole set of programs, aid and measures with the aim of strengthening the territory’s economy and overcoming the crisis caused by covid-19. The initiative has an economic scope of 95 million euros.

“Ekonomia Indartuz” will feature a double conjunctural and structural aspect. On the one hand, it provides economic aid and fiscal measures to support the people and sectors most affected by the pandemic, with a focus on SMEs and the self-employed, activating 40.5 million euros, and, on the other hand, it will boost investment in infrastructures to boost economic activity, with an endowment of 25.5 million euros.

Regarding the structural aspect, the Provincial Council will maintain the provision of the bulk of the programs aimed at economic promotion and innovation worth 29 million euros, in order to reinforce the competitiveness of the productive fabric.

The general deputy Markel Olano and the deputy for Economic Promotion, Tourism and Rural Environment, Jabier Larrañaga have shelled in a press conference the content of this new plan.

Through Ekonomia Indartuz, the Provincial Council will allocate 12.5 million euros in help lines in order to provide “oxygen” to alleviate the impact of the crisis: 4 million euros that include the reinforcement of Elkar’s employability aid -EKIN, which reaches 3 million, and 1 million euros aimed at the requalification of professionals affected by ERTEs or unemployed; 1.6 million to the tourism sector; 1.9 million to local commerce; 1.9 million to the hospitality industry; 1 million to the most affected subsectors of the first sector; 2 million to the field of culture and sports; and 150,000 euros to handicrafts.

Regarding the sightseeing, direct aids will be articulated for travel agencies, agrotourism and rural houses, hotels, pensions, campsites, receptive, active tourism, tourist guides and services, and tourist apartments and housing management companies.

The aid to Commerce, for their part, will be structured into two main lines of work: competitive transformation and digital transformation. Regarding hospitality, the bulk of the aid will also be linked to digital transformation, while two other lines are also contemplated aimed at positioning the Gipuzkoa product and promoting the KM0 hospitality model by promoting the local product offer.

The Provincial Council is finalizing the details, requirements and scales of each of these lines, but the forecast is to make most of them effective “already in April.” Some of these grants will be granted “directly” and other grants will be managed through sectoral agents.

At fiscal area, the regional plan includes a battery of fiscal measures with an impact of 28 million euros, destined especially to aid to the groups most affected by the crisis, such as the self-employed, micro-enterprises and SMEs.