Concern is on the rise in the Catalan business sector as a result of the drought. The Minister of Climate Action, David Mascortmet this Friday behind closed doors with the employers Promotion of Treball and Pimec and the unions CCOO and UGT to analyze the situation that has caused the lack of rain. Also present at this meeting were the General Director of Industry, Oriol Alcobaand the Secretary of Treball, Enric Vinaixasince the response sought by the Catalan Executive will be cross-cutting.
Social agents are upset by the lack of information they say they have received to date from the Generalitat about the potential new measures it is studying to combat the prospect of not having enough rain in the coming months. The Republicans seek the complicity of social agents since they assume that “it will be time to tighten the belt” with regard to water, according to a source familiar with the ins and outs of the meeting.
Business representatives have demanded that no new restrictions be imposed on water use for now, as this “could paralyze“some productions. They have also demanded greater agreement with the town councils so that they do not block works in progress due to the fear that, given the water consumption associated with them, the Generalitat will penalize them. The meeting coincides with the hypothesis that the Executive is considering Catalan government to prohibit the opening or expansion of economic activities that consume a significant amount of water when the drought emergency is declared, the worst phase of the drought plan.
The pre-emergency, a kind of transition period that will involve measures yet to be specified, is expected to be announced next week. But if the water crisis worsens, an emergency will end up being declared and that could lead to a moratorium that would prevent the opening or expansion of hotel rooms, farms, data centers or chemical plants.
In principle, according to sources consulted, it is only a hypothesis that is on the table that would only be applied in the worst possible drought scenario. Furthermore, the measure would affect projects that have not yet reached the Administration. In fact, it is not expected to affect any that are authorized or in process. “That would be an attack on legal security,” say the sources consulted.
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The Generalitat and the social agents are looking for a date for a new meeting in which to further detail the measures to be adopted. The prospect that there are companies that will have to apply temporary employment regulation files (ERTE) in the face of potential new water restrictions, the negotiations fly over and for this public aid will be needed, which, in turn, depends on coordination with the State.
The Government has not yet established the level of water consumption that could cause a new project to be affected by this hypothetical moratorium. Examples of this possible decree would affect new hotel beds, or the expansion of paper, metallurgical or data center industries, as well as the growth of farms or the authorization of new livestock cabins.