The Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Isabel García Tejerina, stressed today that “green jobs are among the fastest growing in the European economy” and are “an opportunity to improve Europe’s competitiveness in the world, guarantee the well-being of future generations and support sustainable and quality employment”.
 
This was pointed out during the presentation of the results of projects of the Empleaverde Programme, an initiative of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, co-financed by the European Social Fund, which has promoted the improvement of employment, companies and the environment, through sustainable businesses, which are “key to creating better jobs and more competitive companies”.
 
García Tejerina recalled that during this legislature the Program has been reinforced with new projects and new actions within the framework of the Red emprendeverde project. Thus, during these years, thanks to the Empleaverde Programme, 189 projects have been developed with which nearly 900,000 people have been reached, in addition to helping more than 1,800 companies to create and grow.
 
Likewise, the Programme has trained more than 42,000 people and has involved more than 350 entities, in addition to developing more than 2,800 actions such as training courses, conferences, advice or publications, among others. In addition, the projects of this green initiative have allowed the creation of more than 2,400 direct jobs.
 
After providing these figures, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Environment recalled that the Empleaverde Program “has worked to improve the employment and entrepreneurship situation in our country, with a line of support for entrepreneurs and a specific call aimed at people under 30 years of age”.
 
The empleaverde programme promotes green employment, increases environmental skills and encourages modernisation and eco-innovation. It also seeks to adapt economic activities to environmental regulations, promote their sustainability and promote the creation of green companies. In its beginnings, it set itself the goal of supporting more than 50,000 people and promoting the creation of some 1,000 companies in economic sectors linked to the environment and its objectives have been widely exceeded.
 
During the event, results were presented from some of the companies that are part of this Program: the Intermunicipal Association of Agroecological Reserve Territories – Red Terrae, the Spanish Fisheries Confederation (CEPESCA), the Fernando González Bernáldez Environmental Foundation, the Carsharing Company Bluemove, the National Association of Energy Service Companies and the National Consortium of Rubber Industries.