FMRM informs local councils about subsidies for low-carbon economy projects
The Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia organized a workshop to advise and inform politicians and municipal technicians from town halls with fewer than 20.000 inhabitants about the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) grant program for urban projects that promote a low-carbon economy. The meeting, where representatives from the Sustainable Development Foundation, Emilio Ballester and Natividad Higueras , explained the specifics of these grants, was attended by more than 20 people from 13 municipalities in the Region.
Thus, through this proposal, the FMRM encourages municipalities to participate in and implement sustainable local development projects that achieve a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions . This can be accomplished through energy efficiency in buildings and public infrastructure and services; sustainable urban mobility, through clean urban transport, public transport, urban-rural connections, improvements to the road network, cycling infrastructure, and the development of clean energy supply systems; and increased use of renewable energy for electricity production and heating in buildings and public infrastructure.
The budget for the first call for applications in this line of aid amounts to 336.053.612 euros, which represents 70% of the total of these funds, and the allocation of subsidies provided for in Royal Decree 616/217 will be carried out in order of priority according to the date of submission of the application, until the budget is exhausted or until the validity of the program expires (December 31, 2018).
The subsidies may be requested once a calendar month has passed, from the day following the publication in the BOE, which was June 17, 2017, and the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving will be the body responsible for selecting the projects to be co-financed, determining the eligible expenditure of the same, which must be made by the beneficiary from its own budgets.
It should be noted that this line of financing is open exclusively to Local Entities with a population of less than 20.000 inhabitants and that in Murcia it represents 80% of the value of the project.
