The relaunch of investment in public works will be relegated to cover the payment of the debt first, according to the vice president of the Generalitat.
The Board of Directors of Ciment Català held a meeting with the Vice-President of the Generalitat and Minister of Economy and Finance, Oriol Junqueras, in which the different aspects of the current situation related to the cement industry were discussed, with special mention to the perspectives for relaunching public works investment by the Catalan government.
The representatives of Ciment Català have reiterated to Junqueras the need to recover investments in infrastructures as the formula, both for the improvement of the country’s competitiveness and for the relaunch of economic activity.
It should be remembered that, in the last decade, public works bids by the Generalitat have been reduced by 90%.
Junqueras said that the relaunch of economic activity and the consequent increase in investments in Catalonia will be determined by the ability to reduce both the unfinanced government deficit and the weight of public debt over GDP.
Junqueras considers this as a priority measure, given the expected increase in interest rates, which would make the cost of public debt more expensive. Although he did not commit any figures, the vice president said that in 2017 “the budget availability of the Department of Territory and Sustainability will be the highest of the last 6 years.”
He also explained that the Executive is working on several fronts to increase investment capacity, such as reducing the deficit, reducing payment deadlines, reducing public debt and combating tax avoidance, but the criteria for action are the responsibility in the use of public resources and not to generate expectations that can not be fulfilled.