The Plenary Session gave the green light on Tuesday 31st to the definitive bases of the ‘Cometha’ Plan, a package of aid for retail trade, tourism companies, hotels and self-employed workers worth 10.3 million euros that will reinforce the local economy and the activation of employment in the municipality following the first line of aid, the ‘OREA’ Plan, from which 3,528 family businesses and self-employed in Mijas benefited.

“Today we take another step to help the economic reactivation of our city and support the effort that our family and self-employed companies have been making in recent months and we do so in a particularly complex context in which this Local Council once again stands as a benchmark of management in the face of the economic, social and labor crisis of COVID-19”, stressed the mayor of Mijas, Josele González (PSOE).

“With this approval, we are now launching this ‘Cometha’ Plan that consolidates Mijas as the leading municipality in aid after the pandemic. On this occasion, in addition to the retail trade, we are going to give support to accommodation and golf courses to help the economic recovery of the tourism sector, so important for the generation of employment in the city”, said the councillor for Tourism, José Carlos Martín (Cs), who valued the ‘OREA’ Plan, to which 10 million euros were allocated.

Approval

The definitive bases of the ‘Cometha’ Plan came forward in the Plenary Session thanks to the votes in favour of PSOE and Cs and the abstention of the rest of the groups.

Among the main requirements included in these grants, which will be competitive in nature, is that the turnover of companies and freelancers corresponding to the first semester of 2021 has decreased by at least 30% compared to the first semester of 2019.

In total there have been eight allegations submitted to the provisional text by companies, freelancers and neighbours and only one has been rejected, according to municipal sources.

“We have taken into account and valued all the allegations received, being included in the definitive bases that excepted the requirement of registration and tax domicile for the taxi group on the ‘Cometha’ Employment line and also adding the specific heading of tourist housing for rural accommodation in the ‘Cometha’ Tourism line”, pointed out the councillor for Employment Promotion, Laura Moreno (PSOE).

In this regard, the non-attached councillor, Esperanza Jiménez, abstained on this item. “There is a group, that of the street vendors, who have lived here for many years, who pay all their taxes, but since they do not have a permission, they have to go to other municipalities to set up their stalls. We are here to request that they be included in the ‘Cometha’ Plan and give voice to their demands”.

To this Moreno responded: “The government team’s commitment to the OREA Plan was infinite, we covered all the self-employed, including external activity. But now with the ‘Cometha’ Plan we are in another context. I fully understand the circumstances of those street vendors, but the ‘Cometha’ is very different from the ‘Orea’ plan. The allegations have been rejected, due to that established in the bases and due to territorial jurisdiction”.

“Regardless of our opinions, the allegations have technical reports and we cannot disagree. In other words, there is a legal part that we cannot enter. Councillors cannot decide at our free will what is approved and what is not”, said Martín.

Information

From September 1st, all the information on these grants is available on the municipal website (www.mijas.es), the opening of the application period is subject to publication in the Official Gazette of the Province of Malaga (BOPMA).

Once opened, it will be announced to the public.

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