Authorities to spend €30 million on ports

The authorities will invest 30.9 million euros in the next four years into Catalonia’s ports. According to territory minister Damià Calvet yesterday, that rises to 107 million euros if private investment is included. “We are very proud of the effort and the capacity for investment to cover the needs of the ports,” said the head of the public company that manages 26 of the country’s ports, Ports de la Generalitat. The investment plan will be funded by the port authority’s own resources and will not come out of the government budget. Ports de la Generalitat has annual revenue of 15 million euros.

Calvet took advantage to call on the Spanish development ministry to transfer the rest of the ports in Catalonia to the control of its ports authority. The minister also made it clear that the authorities would not give up Palamós port’s status as an entry point in the Schengen area, despite opposition from the Spanish authorities. Palamós port receives some 51,000 cruise passengers, a number that continues to go up. Ports de la Generalitat intends to spend 245,000 euros to equip Schengen entry point offices for cruise and goods vessels.

Calvet also pointed out that his department is working on legislation for the ports, which was about to pass in the last political term, but was interrupted when direct rule was imposed on Catalonia.