Main opportunities and challenges
of the Decarbonisation PERTE

On 1 March we held an event in collaboration with GranThornton, an audit, consultancy and legal and financial advisory services firm, to analyse the most relevant aspects of the Decarbonisation PERTE.

The opening of the event and initial presentation was given by Mar García Ramos, Partner of the Industry, Automotive and Mobility Area of Grant Thornton, and Andreu Rodellas Clapes, Corporate General Manager of Euro-Funding. Both highlighted the importance of this new support instrument for the industrial sector and the need to support companies in the sector to boost their investments and competitiveness.

The event, aimed at companies and industry professionals, included speeches by Luis Ángel Colunga, Special Commissioner for the PERTE for Industrial Decarbonisation; and Alejandro Cros, Deputy Director General of Industrial Sector Policies. Both have tried to explain the key aspects of the PERTE, as well as the technical requirements and fundamental guidelines to access the funds.

Colunga began his speech with a brief explanation of the main objectives pursued with this PERTE. To begin with, he wanted to highlight that the government has developed the PERTE for Decarbonisation due to the importance of the manufacturing industry at an economic and social level in our country. “Broadly speaking, this PERTE aims to decarbonise and improve the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry. To this end, it aims to reduce emissions, consolidate employment and promote the creation of strategic alliances, and provide added value in the field of R&D&I”, said Colunga during his speech.

He went on to describe the four main lines in which the budget will be distributed and highlighted the importance of the creation of the PERTE Alliance with the participation of employers’ associations, trade unions and companies, with the aim of promoting synergies in order to achieve the objectives set out in the PERTE. In the same line, he wanted to point out the importance of this type of events to know first-hand the concerns of the main recipients of the funds, as well as the consultants, who work directly with both the private sector and the Administration.

For his part, Alejandro Cros went into more technical questions regarding the implementation of the aid. He stressed that they are taking into account the different problems of each of the sectors that make up the manufacturing industry. He also pointed out that, with this new aid programme, the aim has been to be more flexible with respect to other PERTEs, offering, for example, the possibility of presenting individual projects. On the other hand, he pointed out that they are in talks with the European Commission to extend the implementation deadlines. “It is essential for the viability of the PERTE that there is greater flexibility in terms of implementation deadlines,” said Cros.

Representatives of key sectors for industrial decarbonisation also had the opportunity to speak at the event. On the one hand, Andrés Barceló, general director of UNESID (association of steel companies and products and products of first transformation of steel in Spain), stressed that the main concerns of the sector are legal certainty and the current execution deadlines.

Aniceto Zaragoza, president of the Spanish Cement Manufacturers’ Association, highlighted the need for a national strategy parallel to PERTE that accelerates certain processes, such as, for example, the introduction of new products to the market. Finally, Emilio Oviedo, from the ASPAPEL team (Spanish Association of Pulp, Paper and Cardboard Manufacturers), commented that the paper sector is demanding that the distribution of funds be equitable for all sectors, taking into account the characteristics of each one of them.

After the round of speeches and the dialogue generated between associations and companies with the Public Administration, Maria Victoria Palau, Key Account Manager of Euro-Funding, and Alejandro Javier Tosina González, Senior Manager of Grant Thornton, closed the event, highlighting the ideas contributed by the participants to ensure that this new aid programme generates a positive impact on industrial companies, improving their environmental footprint and their competitiveness.

At Euro-Funding we are rigorous in project financing, tax reduction and cost savings through consultative selling. With offices in different cities in Spain and Europe, we have been forming a network of international collaborators for more than two decades, which allows us to have a philosophy based on the orientation of our clients’ needs and the development of their business.

Our commitment to collaboration extends to the widest range of projects that a company may have, from strategic projects that will mark the sustainability of the company in the coming years, to initiatives of lesser budgetary scope but equally necessary to remain competitive.