The Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Water and President of the Biodiversity Foundation, a public foundation of the Government of Spain under the Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, Josep Puxeu, has signed today in Barcelona three collaboration agreements with the Forest Technology Centre of Catalonia, the Regional Council of La Selva and the Healthy Life Association for an amount of 1.3 million euros.

This investment will be used to develop projects that promote employment and good environmental practices in Catalonia.

The agreements were signed by Eduard Pallejá, president of the Forest Technology Centre of Catalonia; Robert Fauria, president of the Regional Council of La Selva, and by the president of the Healthy Life Association, Ángeles Parra. The event was also attended by the director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Ana Leiva.

The Biodiversity Foundation, as the managing body of the European Social Fund (ESF), allocates 14,870,837.51 euros this year to finance 32 projects aimed at improving employment and the environment, through the Empleaverde Programme. Three of these initiatives will be developed in Catalonia with a total amount of 1,334,393.66 euros.

Within the framework of this programme, the Foundation manages the funds allocated to it by the Operational Programme for Adaptability and Employment of the European Social Fund (ESF) for the period 2007-2013.

The empleaverde programme has set goals for the period 2007-2013 to support more than 50,000 people and promote the creation of 1,000 companies in the environmental sector. To this end, it has a total allocation during the years 2007-2013 of 44.1 million euros, of which the European Social Fund co-finances between 50% and 80% of the projects, depending on the regions in which they are developed.

Sustainable economic activities

These three initiatives aim to promote sustainable economic activities linked, among others, to the agricultural and renewable energy sectors, mainly in rural areas of Catalonia.

The aim of the project proposed by the Forest Technology Centre of Catalonia is to increase the skills and qualifications of workers who carry out their activity preferably in rural areas, as well as to promote the adaptability of economic activities in this territory to environmental requirements. In addition, the project includes environmental advisory actions for the promotion of companies and activities related to the production of aromatic and medicinal plants, truffle production and the use of biomass for energy purposes.

The initiative proposed by the Regional Council of La Selva aims to promote a strategy for the development of renewable energies in the region of La Selva, as a vector of development that respects resources and environmental values. Through this project, studies will be developed that allow us to know the sectors linked to biomass or the potentialities of the implementation of renewable energies and energy saving in industrial estates of the region.

The Healthy Life Association project is aimed at supporting organic agriculture in all its areas, promoting the increase of the area dedicated to agricultural and livestock production, encouraging companies to transform organic products and improving their distribution and sale.

In addition, this initiative seeks to advise and provide support to agroecological farms, establishments selling organic products, as well as those who want to start food craft companies. Within this framework, two days will be held in the next editions in Madrid and Barcelona of the Bioculture Fair on organic food quality and management of establishments selling these products.