Maroto confirms that the Stellantis project in Zaragoza linked to the Perte VEC will receive more funds

MADRID, 14 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, confirmed this Friday that the Stellantis project in Zaragoza linked to the Strategic Project for the Recovery and Economic Transformation of the Electric and Connected Vehicle (Perte VEC) will receive more funds than those allocated in the provisional resolution of the Perte, in which he obtained 42.47 million euros.

"It will effectively be more than 42 million. The provisional resolution was good from the point of view of what Stellantis expected for the Figueruelas (Zaragoza) plant, but with the allegations we will be able to increase that base that has already been assigned since August ", Maroto has stated in an interview on Aragón Radio and collected by Europa Press.

However, the head of the Industry portfolio has not revealed whether this increase will reach the 223 million euros initially raised by Stellantis in its proposal for the Figueruelas plant and linked to the Perte VEC.

Specifically, this project focuses on the transformation towards electromobility and industrial sustainability.

"The Stellantis project was very well valued and has already been assigned more than 42 million euros. We hope that with the allegations we can increase this budget and provide certainty so that the announcements that today, or in the coming weeks (the company makes) can be accompanied by this support from the Government", added Maroto.

The provisional resolution of the Perte VEC, endowed with 2,975 million euros, was published last August and in it 10 of the 13 applications received were approved and 23% of the total amount was allocated, that is, 702.7 million euros.

At this time, the Executive is analyzing the allegations presented by the three projects initially ruled out -- those led by Stellantis (for Madrid and Galicia), Rieju and Envision--.

The minister will visit this Friday morning, around 11:00 a.m., the Stellantis facilities in Figueruelas and, as she has acknowledged, there is a possibility that the manufacturer will announce the arrival of new electric models at the plant in Zaragoza.

Maroto also assessed the current situation in the Spanish automobile sector and highlighted that the chip and semiconductor crisis is "complicating" the timely delivery of vehicles, to which is added the rise in energy prices.

"I think that in this context we have to be optimistic. We are talking about a sector that has known how to adapt to many crises and that does so with strength because we are injecting many millions of euros with the Next Generation Funds", the minister stressed.