CEDMA's opinion: «Support, consolidate, invest»
From the Cercle Empresarial de la Marina Alta we understand that there is no instruction manual for pandemics, but political leaders must also understand that it is pernicious to pass regulations that are not realistic and that all they achieve is to demonize and sink sectors that are safe .
Letting yourself be carried away exclusively by fear or social pressure leads to making decisions that unfortunately seem more based on public image, on wanting to give the impression of “doing something”, than on rationality.
In the case of Hospitality in particular, if the figures -which are objective- mark it as a safe activity, with contagion rates far below any other activity, why do they insist on leading to the ruin of a sector that employs thousands of people in the Marina Alta? There are thousands of families who are running out of resources and the future, because unfortunately there will be bars and restaurants that stay by the wayside and cannot reopen. Never.
By affecting this sector, in addition, many others in our region are seriously harmed. Agriculture, fishing and agri-food activities, such as viticulture; distribution, commerce, services…. Whether or not they are directly related to the hospitality industry, since those who live from it no longer have the purchasing power to support them.
For this reason, from CEDMA, we support and participate in the peaceful protest carried out by the professionals of the Hospitality Industry organized by AEHTMA, ARX and AHTM, last Thursday, January 28, and we adhere to all the claims that have been made from the sector. Nor can we say that the 15-day extension of the forced closure decreed caught us by surprise. We suspect, however, that the administration was already considering closing a month or even more from the beginning, so we demand that they be clearer in this regard, especially after the statements made by President Ximo Puig this week.
On the other hand, the aid that is being offered, and it is not the first that we say, do not meet the needs of the self-employed and companies. Most of them are financing or subsidies, when what is needed are direct aid and flexibility of the administrative procedures to achieve them.
For example, in December, the Dénia City Council granted 106.017,14 euros in aid to a total of 97 freelancers and SMEs. 41,2% of applicants were excluded from this aid and 44,5% of the total budgeted, which amounted to 191.250 euros, remained unallocated. Perhaps only 97 freelancers and SMEs were "touched" enough to access aid? No. It was the administrative obstacles that prevented many more from accessing them, so given that society is asked to make more and more efforts, the administrations should also make a serious and realistic effort to face the current situation. .
It is not acceptable that this or that decree-law is used to hide behind it. In 2020, thousands of decrees, orders and amendments were published that limited the constitutional rights of all citizens. Likewise, decrees and laws can be published and modified to reduce bureaucratic obstacles. Or follow the example of the recent Decree 17/2021, in which article 3 exempts the beneficiaries (of the aid) from the obligation to be up to date with their tax obligations and with Social Security.
It is a question of will and budget. Because the aid that has arrived has also been very scarce. Drops of water in the middle of a desert.
At the beginning of the pandemic, many chose to take advantage of an ICO or IVF credit with confidence in what the authorities said. Those credits, now that the activity is not allowed, weigh like slabs. In many cases, there is no longer what to pay them with because they add to the expenses borne by the self-employed and companies that are still registered.
It is time to bet big on our tomorrow. And in the short term, it must be done on three fronts:
- Health: greater efforts are needed to expedite the vaccination of the whole of society or of at least a high enough percentage to lower the pressure on our hospitals.
- Research: a larger budget is needed for the development of drugs to tackle the disease - not just vaccines - and therefore allow a return to normality as soon as possible.
- Business: more real, direct and agile aid is needed, aimed especially at the sectors that are being most affected by this crisis, such as the Hotel and Catering Industry, without neglecting others that are also suffering, such as retail.
In the medium and long term, we will also have to bet on sectors that allow economic stability, such as the industrial sector. It is true that efforts are being made by the administration to digitize our economic fabric, but if all efforts are focused exclusively on this, we could find very high unemployment figures with no solution other than subsidized courses of little scope. This we have already experienced.