The Vice President and Head of Competition of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager , assures in writing in a letter dated this Wednesday that the Spanish Government has not yet contacted her to authorize specific aid plans for tourism and restoration. Without her authorization, it is not possible to implement these plans, but the Danish commissioner does not know if there are any, she says.

This is a response from Vestager to the former president of the Balearic Islands and current MEP for Citizens, José Ramón Bauzá , to which EL MUNDO has had access. In it, the vice president of the Commission thus heads the letter: " So far, the Spanish authorities have not contacted the Commission to notify it of any [aid] regime aimed primarily or exclusively at the tourism and tourism sectors. restoration, similar to the regime approved for Denmark (in case SA.56685) ". It is a grant of 12 million euros that was approved in March by the Danish government to help the sector in event cancellations.

His response comes two weeks after the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced a plan to support the tourism sector, which he valued at 4,262 million euros.

Bauzá has declared to this newspaper that the response it has received from Vestager "shows the null interest that the Spanish Government has in the tourism sector. It is outrageous . Denmark has moved much faster and that tourism is not so relevant for your economy".

Bauzá, who submitted his question to the European Commission last April, asked for explanations from the competent Minister of Industry, Reyes Maroto : "It is shown that what the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Alberto Garzón, declared that tourism is not important is a position of the entire government. "

In his reply, however , Vestager stipulates that he has authorized state aid schemes in Spain that apply to most sectors and, therefore, also tourism and catering. And it mentions the guarantee systems and the tax moratoriums. But Bauzá, like the tourist associations, demand specific public aid plans for tourism and restoration given their weight in the economy and employment.

The Vice President of the European Commission vehemently criticizes the lack of public aid so that travelers do not waste money on canceled trips. "With a view to limiting the negative impact on travelers of the possible insolvency of travel organizers and carriers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission issued a recommendation on May 13, 2020. The recommendation refers to bonds that travel organizers (... ) Encourages Member States to actively consider the creation of guarantee schemes in relation to these bonds in order to ensure that, in case of insolvency of the bond issuer, passengers or travelers have the right to refund".

In any case, the Danish commissioner assures that she will give priority to what the Spanish Government communicates to her if it is related to the coronavirus. "The Commission evaluates as a priority the aid measures of the member states related to the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak," he concludes.

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Know more

  • Reyes Maroto
  • Spain
  • Alberto Garzón
  • Denmark
  • European Comission
  • Citizens
  • Pedro Sánchez
  • Balearics

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