A delegation consisting of representatives from the European Commission, the Spanish Government, and the Government of Catalonia visited three Catalan projects that receive funding from the ERDF Operational Programme for Catalonia 2014-2020. The delegation was able to see first hand the Alba Synchrotron facility, the Cràter d’Olot space, and Pla del Puig school in Sant Fruitós del Bages.

During the visit, the Director General for European Funds and State Aid, Aleix Cubells, emphasised the “multilevel institutional support” that the three projects have received and expressed gratitude for the contributions from city councils, the Government of Catalonia and the European Commission, which “have joined efforts to make them a reality”.

Cubells underlined the importance of the Alba Synchrotron, “the most important third-generation scientific infrastructure in the Mediterranean area”, which now “will have more tools for research into advanced materials thanks to the new BL20-LOREA light beamline”, co-financed by the European Union’s ERDF funds.

In Olot, he highlighted the “ability of the Cràter space to bring together knowledge, culture, nature and tourism”, as a tool for disseminating knowledge of volcanism, as well as the heritage of the Garrotxa volcanic zone and its biodiversity. A project that also serves to unify territories “in which citizens of different nationalities make this place a multicultural environment for learning and mutual respect”, he added.

Regarding the new Sant Fruitós school, the Director General for European Funds remarked that “thanks to the REACT-EU funds, since the 2022/23 academic year, two hundred and twenty children can enjoy new, comfortable, more sustainable, and economically efficient facilities that are also environmentally friendly”.