Vicente Arques on l'Alfàs del Pi's Exclusion from Edil Funds: 'We Are Confident We Will Succeed in Future Calls'

The distribution of European funds allocated to the Local Integral Development Strategy (Edil) plans, successors of the already executed Edusi, has sparked a series of political reactions in the province of Alicante. This follows announcements from several municipalities, including the capital, Elche, and La Vila Joiosa, that they will appeal the allocation after being excluded from it.

In a similar situation is l'Alfàs del Pi, a town governed by a socialist administration with an absolute majority. Perhaps due to this, the reaction of its mayor, Vicente Arques, has been much less vehement than those of his 'popular' counterparts. In response to questions from TodoAlicante, he reaffirmed his confidence that the project submitted by the alfasino council will eventually receive these funds in future calls.

In fact, Vicente Arques acknowledged on Tuesday morning that 'it was very difficult to secure the Edil in the first call' and reminded that 'we achieved the Edusi funds in the third call', noting the curious circumstance that 'we even scored more points in the second than in the third'.

'The first call is always very complicated,' insisted the alfasino mayor. Arques cited the examples of 'Alicante and Elche'. However, he admitted that 'it worries me a lot because it means they will also fight hard to obtain them' in future calls with projects that 'have a large economic volume'.

Nonetheless, Arques emphasizes that after seeing their proposal rejected in the first attempt, 'the only positive feeling is that the Edil authorized now have minimized the amounts. We came out with an Edil of fifteen million euros, and there are municipalities that requested ten million and were given four'.

Regarding the roadmap to be followed from now on, Arques explained to TodoAlicante that 'we have 40 days ahead: ten to appeal and 30 to adjust. The first thing we will do is study the score, because it is not the same to have missed the cut by two points as by 22', an analysis that, he stated, they will tackle 'from today'.

Taking all this into account, Vicente Arques asserts that 'we are calm. We will secure the Edil, and I already agree to obtain them in the third call' as in the case of the Edusi, although, he concedes, 'if it is in the second, even better'.

Looking towards the immediate future, the mayor of l'Alfàs del Pi anticipates that 'possibly in six or eight months we will be considering the possibility that this Edil, in the second call, will be awarded to l'Alfàs del Pi. We have worked well, the project is very well articulated, and evidently, those who have achieved it are deserving of it; but now we will see in what space we move by adjusting the projects that may have received lower scores'.