European funds are a financial instrument provided by the European Union to support various projects and programmes aimed at promoting economic and social cohesion, as well as green and smart development. For the most part, they are managed and implemented jointly by the European Commission and the Member States. In managing these funds, the EU applies strict rules and exercises rigorous control over their use in order to ensure the efficient financial management of these resources.
Some of these funds, such as the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund), have a long history. The ERDF is one of the key instruments of the Union’s cohesion policy. Cohesion policy is the Union’s main investment framework, as it provides funding from the EU budget to reduce economic, social and territorial disparities between and within the Union’s regions. It is therefore one of the most valuable tools at EU level for supporting regional development in areas such as infrastructure, digitalisation, research and innovation, and renewable energy, amongst others.
Other funds, such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), have been established more recently. The RRM was established in 2020 as part of the NEXT GENERATION EU programme, with the aim of alleviating the economic and social crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; ensuring that Member States are more resilient, more sustainable and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions; achieving the EU’s climate neutrality target by 2050; setting Europe on the path to digital transformation; and creating jobs while stimulating growth.
ANTI-FRAUD INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT
Vilagarcía Port Authority, as an Organization which benefits from European funds and in accordance with legal obligations related to the management of the aforementioned funds, makes public its Institutional Anti-Fraud Declaration, approved by its Board of Directors
Anti-fraud institutional statement
ANTI-FRAUD PLAN
Vilagarcía Port Authority, as Organization which benefits from European funds and in accordance with legal obligations related to the management of the aforementioned funds, approved on December 28, 2022 its Anti-Fraud Plan.
Anti-fraud plan
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the main financial instruments of European cohesion policy. Its aim is to help reduce disparities in the levels of development between European regions and to improve the standard of living in the least-favoured regions.
The Vilagarcía de Arousa Port Authority, as a Port of General Interest within the organisation Puertos del Estado, is a beneficiary of funding under this programme.
The priority for the actions to be carried out lies in the need to promote renewable energy in accordance with EU Directive 2018/2001. The total planned investment amounts to nearly 2.3 million euros.
Building a greener, more digital, and more resilient Europe is the goal of the NextGenerationEU program—an exceptional, temporary recovery instrument agreed upon by the European Council in 2020 to coordinate a response, together with EU member states, to the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is the centerpiece of this program. Through the implementation of this mechanism, the European Union aims to restore the growth potential of EU economies, foster job creation in the wake of the crisis, and promote sustainable growth.
The Recover and Resilience Facility (RRF) is endowed with 723,800 million euros that will be used for loans (385,800 million euros) and transfers (338,000 million euros). Its purpose is to support investment and reforms in Member States in order to achieve a sustainable and resilient recovery, while promoting the EU's green and digital priorities.
At the national level, the Plan for the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience of the Spanish economy foresees, until 2026, the mobilization of up to 140,000 million euros of public investment. The transversal axes around which the policies of the plan are structured are:
- Ecological transition
- Digital transformation
- Social and territorial cohesion
- Gender equality
In line with the objectives of the MRR, the Port Authority of Vilagarcía has undertaken the work “Railway to Ferrazo, phase 3”, which is financed through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, linking to the Resilient Infrastructure and Ecosystems lever policy, and within this to the Safe, Sustainable and Connected Mobility component.
The Improvement of the Sálvora Lighthouse, and the Rehabilitation of the maritime station at the Passenger Pier, are also financed from these funds.
Below you can find more detailed information on all these initiatives. Furthermore, additional information on these initiatives is available in the Works and Projects section of this website and in the ‘Economic, Financial and Statistical Information’ section, under the ‘Agreements, Grants and Subsidies’ subsection, of our Transparency Portal (available in Spanish and Galician).
DESCRIPTION: Drafting of Ferrazo Railway project phase III.
OBJECTIVE: Sustainability actions
TENDER: 14,900.00 €
AWARD: 14,000.00 €
AWARD DATE: 05/20/2021
CONTRACTOR COMPANY: Ingeniería del Noroeste, S.L.
ELIGIBLE VALUE: 100%
DESCRIPTION: Risk and operability assessment service for the Ferrazo Railway project phase 3 (ASBO NOBO).
OBJECTIVE: Sustainability actions
TENDER: 14,000.00 €
AWARD: 7,850.00 €
AWARD DATE: 03/30/2022
CONTRACTOR COMPANY: Ricardo Certifiicación Iberia, S.L.
ELIGIBLE VALUE: 100%
DESCRIPTION: Implementation of Railway to Ferrazo Wharf, phase 3 public works
OBJECTIVE: Sustainability actions
TENDER: 1,359,977.03 €
AWARD: 1,346,375.00 €
AWARD DATE: 27/02/2025
CONTRACTOR COMPANY: Vilor Infraestructuras, S.L..
ELIGIBLE VALUE: 100%
In November 2023, the Board of Directors of the Vilagarcía Port Authority gave its approval to the signing of a collaboration agreement between this organization and the Galician Tourism Agency for the improvement of the Sálvora lighthouse.
Under the agreement, the Galician Tourism Agency assumes the drafting of the project, as well as the bidding, management and reception of the works. The execution budget is 1,514,454.86 euros, VAT included.
The project is financed by the European Union-NextGenerationEU, and is linked to the Plan for the Modernization and Competitiveness of the tourism sector, which is one of the components included in the lever policy called Modernization and digitalization of the industrial fabric and SMEs, recovery of tourism and promotion of an entrepreneurial nation Spain.
The action includes the environmental regeneration and enhancement of the surroundings of the Sálvora Island Lighthouse, the installation of energy efficiency systems, the creation of interactive experiences for visitors and the design and restoration of an establishment for scientific tourism and a Startlight destination.
In June 2024, the Board of Directors of the Vilagarcía Port Authority gave its approval to the signing of a collaboration agreement between this organization and the Galician Tourism Agency for the comprehensive rehabilitation of the maritime station at the Pasaxeiros dock.
Under the agreement, the Galician Tourism Agency assumes the drafting of the project, as well as the bidding, management and reception of the works. The execution budget is 791,161.16 euros, VAT included.
The project is financed by the European Union-NextGenerationEU, and is linked to the Modernization and Competitiveness Plan of the tourism sector, which is one of the components included in the lever policy called Modernization and digitalization of the industrial fabric and SMEs, recovery of tourism and promotion of an entrepreneurial nation Spain.
The action involves not only the comprehensive rehabilitation of the property that will serve as a reception center for pilgrims and nautical tourists, but also the demolition of buildings attached to it (warehouse and office area), as well as the existing buildings on the left side of the Pasaxeiros dock - facing the sea - that had not been used for years; In addition, the entire space will be redeveloped.