artica+i collaborates with its clients in the presentation of Manifestations of Interest (MOI) for the identification of strategic projects for the Spanish agri-food industry
The Covid-19 health crisis has had a particularly strong economic and social impact in Spain, in line with the rest of Europe. The governmental measures in Spain, initial Shock Plan and subsequent Reactivation Plan, have been reinforced by the joint action of the EU, based on the short-term financial support provided by the European Central Bank, which is key to guaranteeing financial stability in this period of great uncertainty and which, for now, has prevented the health and economic crisis from deepening into a serious financial crisis. For its part, the EU has offered in solidarity a common response in the form of an ambitious Recovery Fund, called Next Generation EU, endowed with €750 billion financed by EU debt issuance, which together with the €1.074 trillion of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027, opens a real opportunity for an unprecedented volume of investments in the coming years with more than €1.8 trillion mobilised by the EU for that period.
Within this framework for action, Spain could receive funding from this fund for up to €140 billion, in direct transfers (€72 billion) and loans over the next six years, through two instruments: The Recovery and Resilience Mechanism with more than €59 billion between 2021-2023 and the REACT-EU, which will allow us to obtain funding for an amount of around €12 billion, in collaboration with and through the Autonomous Regions. To this €72 billion must be added the more than €79 billion provided for by the Structural Funds and the CAP for 2021-2027. All of this should also serve to achieve a high degree of private leverage of 1:4 (€4 private invested for each public euro) so that more than €500 billion can be mobilised from the private sector.
In view of this situation, the different national ministries intend to collaborate in the design of the National Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan that the Spanish government will present in Brussels between January and April 2021 for its approval and subsequent funding. In this regard, these bodies are launching consultations to ascertain the expressions of interest (MOIs) of the different social and economic agents, with a view to providing content for this National Plan. Of particular interest to the Food and Beverage Industry is the public consultation launched by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MINCOTUR) with the aim of identifying strategic driving force projects to boost the competitiveness of Spanish industry, which will remain open until 20 January 2021. For its part, the consultation launched by the MITECO also closed on 23 December, and new ministerial consultations are expected to be generated in the coming weeks.
The objective is to define, based on the proposals received, the map of large cooperative and strategic projects, called PERTE (Proyectos Estratégicos para la Recuperación y Transformación Económica) that will facilitate the modernisation of Spanish industry during the period 2021-2023 and that will be financed with European funds within the framework of the aforementioned Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
The initiatives submitted must be cooperative projects, with long-term effects, implemented in more than one Autonomous Community, with the participation of at least 6 entities, 40% of which will be SMEs, and involving, as far as possible, the entire industrial value chain. They also require the participation of knowledge-generating entities, an aspect that demonstrates the innovative nature of this type of driving force projects with a clear commitment to R&D&I and public-private collaboration. Furthermore, they must be strategic projects (with budgets of over €40M) that seek sectoral competitiveness and are aligned with the dual green and digital transition established by the European Union.
Through the areas of Investment and Innovation and National Projects, artica+i has activated its resources to know, identify, assess and apply these funds in due course in specific proposals led by its clients, preparing the aforementioned MDI and submitting them in the mailboxes created for this purpose in the different Ministries. Through these functional areas, you can obtain further information about the requirements that the initiatives to be presented must meet, as well as related regulatory aspects and learn about the characteristics of our support for your application.
RECOVERY, TRANSFORMATION AND RESILIENCE PLAN
The National Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan outlines the roadmap for the modernisation of the Spanish economy, the recovery of economic growth and job creation, for sound economic reconstruction in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis. It is expected to be approved by the EU, following its submission with a deadline of April 2021, in May and June this year and to start being implemented with specific funds in the second half of 2021.
This Plan will mobilise nearly €72 billion between 2021 and 2023 to address four key pillars of current economic policy: ecological transition, digital transformation, gender equality and social and territorial cohesion. This Plan is structured around ten driving policies that will have a direct impact on those productive sectors with the greatest capacity to transform our economic and social fabric.
