Teruel Existe has warned that the Teruel Investment Fund (FITE) is progressively losing its function as a driver of change in the province and has urged the Government of Aragón to recover its original role, redirecting it again to initiatives capable of generating economic activity, employment, and new opportunities in the Teruel territory.
The spokesperson for Teruel Existe in the Cortes of Aragón, Tomás Guitarte, has indicated that the execution figures reflect a particularly marked shift in 2024. As he detailed, the ordinary expenditure increased from 23.35 million euros in 2023, 38.9 percent of the fund, to 34.71 million in 2024, 57.85 percent of the total, which represents an increase of 11.36 million, 48.6 percent.
In parallel, the flagship projects have seen their weight within the FITE reduced by almost half, going from 24.35 million in 2023, 40.58 percent, to 12.125 million in 2024, 20.21 percent.
Guitarte has recalled that this instrument was born as an extraordinary territorial compensation fund to address the structural imbalances of Teruel and has questioned whether it is now being used to cover actions that, in his opinion, should be funded with ordinary financing.
Infrastructure and loss of flagship projects
Among the examples that the formation has put on the table are the 4.8 million directed to health infrastructure, the 3 million for the sports pavilion of Alcañiz, the 2.7 million allocated to the Luis Buñuel residence, and the 2.6 million for the covered pool of Teruel.
"No one disputes that these actions may be necessary. What we question is that they are financed with the extraordinary instrument that was supposed to boost the economic development of the province," Guitarte has pointed out.
The spokesperson has also emphasized that the Government of Aragón has not promoted flagship projects funded by the FITE in seven of the ten Teruel counties: Cuencas Mineras, Andorra-Sierra de Arcos, Jiloca, Bajo Martín, Matarraña, Maestrazgo, and Sierra de Albarracín.
In his view, the fund should serve to open opportunities throughout the provincial territory and not concentrate on infrastructures located in the two main municipalities. As an alternative, he has suggested betting on strategic initiatives, including the enhancement of the industrial heritage of the Cuencas Mineras.
Teruel Existe has registered in the Cortes de Aragón a proposal in which it demands that the FITE prioritize strategic and transformative projects again, limit its use to cover ordinary expenses, reinforce transparency about the destination of resources and their results, and ensure a distribution that reaches the entire province.
Criticism of the deadlines for municipalities
On the other hand, the spokesperson for Teruel Existe and mayor of Utrillas, Joaquín Moreno, has denounced the obstacles that small municipalities face to access the aid intended for municipal infrastructures.
Moreno has criticized that the call published in the Boletín Oficial de Aragón on August 24 set a deadline of just ten business days to submit all the required documentation. He also emphasized that this period coincides with the month of August, the holidays of municipal staff, and the celebration of many patron festivals.
"We are talking about small municipalities, with limited human resources. Preparing an application requires assessed reports, technical projects, reports, and administrative documentation that cannot be improvised in a matter of days," he pointed out.
The mayor has called for better planning and a stable calendar that allows municipalities to know the calls in advance and prepare their proposals.
In his opinion, these tight deadlines create inequalities between municipalities, as those with more technical resources react more easily. For this reason, he has argued that smaller councils should be given a sufficient margin to present themselves "on equal terms" to the calls linked to the FITE funds.