The Ministry of Economy and Finance has submitted to the Ministry of Finance memory for the application for assistance from the Solidarity Fund of the European Union for the damage caused by earthquakes that struck the town of Lorca on 11 May.
This document has been prepared with the contribution of all bodies of the Autonomous Region and the Municipality of Lorca, and in coordination with the Ministry and the EU itself, which has received several earlier drafts advising on the content of memory states that the economic impact of the damage quantified so far, so, preliminary estimate is 841 million euros.
Director of Budget and European Funds, Esther Ortiz, said that "memory that we have developed gives an overview of the natural disaster suffered Lorca and his social and economic impact not only directly in the City of the Sun, but also their impact in the regional economy. The damage estimate is preliminary and estimated justified and so I have indicated to the European Union and the Ministry. In any case, the estimate would be higher and may exceed one billion euros. "
Originally aid of the Fund are intended to disasters affecting the whole nation, but are also open to exceptional cases such as Lorca.
The amount of them can reach up to 2.5 percent of economic damages and justified.
Since the earthquakes of Lorca, the Autonomous Region is working on various measures for the normalization of economic and social situation of the municipality, in a coordinated effort with various government and led by regional president, Ramón Luis Valcárcel.
One such initiative is the funding request Solidarity Fund "has been prepared in a timely manner and forwarded to the Ministry, as are the EU Member States who must apply".
Since last May 11 the chief executive has had several meetings Murcia, such as meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, in order to achieve EU funds.
Also, on June 30 the Minister of Economy and Finance, Salvador Marin, along with members of his team, held a workshop on the development of memory with the head of Spain Unit of the Directorate General for Regional Policy European Commission Mairate Andrea, who also went to Lorca to see the damage in situ.
Source: CARM