To address the socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Council approved the European Union's Recovery Instrument, known as "Next Generation EU," on July 21, 2020.
The core of this instrument is the Recovery and Resilience Facility (hereinafter, the Facility or, for short, the RRF), which is designed to mitigate the economic and social impact of the pandemic through a system of loans and grants to support reforms and investments undertaken by the Member States of the Union.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Regulation stipulates that, in order to receive European funds from the Mechanism, Member States must submit a recovery and resilience plan, subject to evaluation by the Commission and approval by the Council. This plan must include, among other elements, an explanation of the plans, systems, and specific measures to prevent, detect, and correct conflicts of interest, corruption, and fraud, as well as to avoid double funding from the Mechanism and other Union programs, as part of their internal control systems.
As a result, the Council of Ministers, at its meeting of April 27, 2021, approved the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (hereinafter, the RRF), which defines Spain's strategy for the period 2021-2023 to channel the funds allocated by the European Union to repair the damage caused by the COVID-19 crisis and, through reforms and investments, build a more sustainable future. The Spanish National Strategy for Territorial Renewal (PRTR) was approved by the European Council at its ECOFIN meeting on July 13, 2021. It constitutes a coherent agenda of structural reforms that respond to the diagnosis shared by European institutions, the Spanish Government, and key economic and social stakeholders in areas crucial for strengthening the country's economic and social structure.
The PRTR is a national instrument, promoted at the European Union level, aimed at mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and transforming society. Its objectives include modernizing the productive sector, promoting decarbonization and environmental protection, fostering digitalization, and improving the structures and resources allocated to research and training, ultimately leading to a greater capacity for society to overcome challenges such as the pandemic.
Therefore, the PRTR is considered to have four cross-cutting pillars: ecological transition, digital transformation, social and territorial cohesion, and gender equality. It is structured around ten key policies developed through 30 components.
The Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan approved by the European Union for the Kingdom of Spain, under component 6, Sustainable, Safe and Connected Mobility, includes various investment projects in the Port of Marín related to sustainability, which will be financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
The Port Authority of Marín and Pontevedra Estuary, as the implementing entity, has an anti-fraud plan, a code of ethics, and other organizational and control measures in place to ensure compliance with the objective of safeguarding the interests of the European Union.
