The Department of Employment, Enterprise and Self-Employment has approved to date grants worth 36.4 million euros aimed at self-employed workers and small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the storms that hit Andalusia last winter. These subsidies are part of the call designed to support economic activity and employment in the areas most affected by heavy rains and flooding.
As the head of the Department of Employment, Enterprise and Self-Employment, Rocío Blanco, has detailed during her appearance at the session for government control of the Andalusian Government in the regional chamber, where she reported that, as of 10 November, 11,910 files have been resolved favorably, with a granted amount of 36.4 million euros that reaches 330 Andalusian municipalities.
This amount represents 72.8% of the budget committed under this line of aid, the final phase of which closed on 5 October for the submission of applications, as the head of Employment has recalled.
As Blanco has detailed, these grants are part of the Plan Andalucía Actúa, presented on 17 February last, with a forecast to mobilize more than 1,780 million euros to deal with the recovery after the storms.
Within this plan, the Department of Employment activated a call endowed with 50 million euros, fully financed with the Junta’s own resources, with the objective of supporting the continuity of businesses and preserving jobs in the affected areas.
Three lines of support for businesses and agricultural holdings
The call is structured in three lines of action. The first, with an allocation of 38 million, is aimed at self-employed workers and SMEs from municipalities especially affected with up to 15,000 inhabitants, in addition to Ubrique and certain population centers in municipalities with higher populations. The second line has ten million and is aimed at the agricultural sector, in municipalities with agricultural holdings located wholly or partially in areas seriously affected.
Lastly, the third line, with two million, expands coverage to self-employed workers and SMEs whose business address is located outside the areas included in the first line, provided that they have been beneficiaries of the state aid provided for in Article 21.1.c) of Royal Decree-Law 5/2026.
Administrative simplification and support for recovery
During her appearance, Rocío Blanco has explained that the management of these grants is based on administrative simplification and the automation of checks, so that the Administration consults available data ex officio, reducing the documentation that self-employed workers and companies must provide, without renouncing the verifications required for their granting.
The minister has stressed that the storms caused an interruption or reduction in the activity of numerous businesses that, despite the difficulties, had to continue meeting their expenses and obligations. To the direct damage caused by the rains and flooding were added difficulties in communications and the loss of visitors in municipalities especially linked to tourism.
Blanco has highlighted that these grants were designed to support the recovery of the productive fabric during the months following the storms, with special attention to the continuity of activity and the maintenance of employment, and has indicated that the Ministry continues working to complete the processing and payment of the grants.