Eastern Costa del Sol town to pay back nearly a million euros of EU funds for missing deadlines

Vélez-Málaga, on the eastern stretch of Malaga province, has undergone a major transformation in recent years, with more than 10 pedestrianisation and semi-pedestrianisation projects in streets and squares of the town centre, with the aim of turning the area into a tourist destination as well as improving the town for residents.

After completing work this Christmas on the Canalejas pedestrian area, Plaza de Las Carmelitas and Camino de Málaga, with an investment of around three million euros, other upcoming projects include the redevelopment of Plaza de la Constitución and Plaza San Juan de Dios and the La Fortaleza viewpoint.

However, these projects will not be finished by Sunday 31 December, which is when the deadline for their completion set by the EU Edusi funding programme expires.

As such the town hall will be forced to return three grants amounting to around one million euros, as estimated by the councillor for infrastructure, Jesús María Claros.

The councillor pointed out that they are working to find municipal funding to cover the full cost of the three projects, 80 per cent of which had been intended to come from EU funds.

New sources of funding

“It has been impossible to execute them on schedule, so we will have to bear the full amount,” said Claros in statements to Cadena Ser radio in the Axarquía. He acknowledged that when they were awarded the 633,906 euros funding for the Plaza de la Constitución project in July they were aware that it would be very difficult to meet the deadline. The work is progressing, but there are still several weeks to go before it is completed.

In the case of Plaza San Juan de Dios, work began last October, with a 377,355-euro budget and a six-month completion period. At La Fortaleza work also began in October, with a 171,600-euro budget, 80 per cent of which is co-financed with European funds, and with a four-month completion period.

Claros explained that the final amount to be returned from these European funds has not been finalised, as there are still a few days to go before the end of the month. However, the councillor acknowledged that this situation means new sources of funding will have to be sought for other works that are also planned in the town centre, although in these cases they will be for “smaller amounts”.