The Government has made public this Wednesday the reasons why it left out the other seven cities that were competing to host the headquarters of the State Agency for Public Health, a process in which Zaragoza ended up being the chosen one by achieving the highest score according to the criteria of transparency, objectivity, and suitability to the needs of the organization.
The resolution, published in the Official State Bulletin (BOE) and consulted by Europa Press, includes an individual analysis of the eight proposals and lists the main weaknesses detected in each one. Among them are connectivity problems, lack of information or specific commitments, lack of immediate availability of the offered properties, long timelines for their implementation, and deficiencies in the technical documentation submitted.
In the case of Granada, the Executive places it as the second option with the best score, "with a noticeable difference" compared to the rest of the candidacies.
The report emphasizes the social impact that the installation of the agency would have in a province with unemployment rates above the Spanish average, but warns that the dependence on Málaga airport for international flights requires a prior road trip of about 130 kilometers.
Barcelona: more than four years of waiting for the headquarters
Regarding Barcelona, the document acknowledges the solidity of its scientific ecosystem, although it considers that its status as a large metropolitan area reduces its contribution to the goal of territorial deconcentration. Furthermore, it indicates that it was the candidacy with the longest timeline to have the definitive headquarters, exceeding four and a half years.
As for Toledo, the Government reproaches that it was the only city that did not send the additional information required during the data expansion phase.
It also argues that the proposal did not include "quantified measures and formalized commitments." In addition, the building offered as headquarters was an unfinished construction with still preliminary documentation.
León received a good rating in territorial cohesion as it is a province affected by industrial decline and population loss. However, the report detects "uncertainty" about the real availability of the proposed property, as it is privately owned.
Lugo: serious deficiencies in transport and access
Regarding Lugo, the text points out that the absence of its own airport and the limitations of the railway network to connect with high speed hindered its proposal.
In Oviedo, the Executive positively values the university and business environment, but considers that the offered space needed a "comprehensive" reform and that the lack of a provisional headquarters prevented the immediate start of activity.
Finally, Murcia presented as its main asset a building already in operation to house the agency. However, the Government judges the information sent about sustainability as "insufficient" and concludes that the economic impact studies had a more limited scope and less rigor than those provided by other candidacies.
In contrast to these proposals, the agreement emphasizes that Zaragoza was the "best rated" thanks to its good railway connection, the support measures for staff, and for being the only city that provided a protocol with Renfe to ensure 20% discounts on AVE and Long Distance services for the workers of the future agency.