Valencians face a 2025 full of difficult challenges. It is the year marked in red for the recovery of the effects of the DANA of last October 29, which has fully affected the economy of the province of Valencia and has made the day-to-day life of million and a half citizens.
Businesses that will not reopen their doors and fear of future floods are issues that are experienced in the 78 municipalities affected. There is an exodus of population to other locations outside the map of flood zones and the institutions are risking whether citizens regain their trust in them or the distance that this catastrophe has marked between leaders and neighbors widens.
A titanic task
The Government of Spain, the Generalitat Valenciana, the Provincial Council and the City Councils face a titanic task of recovering the old normality in these populations without neglecting the rest of the citizens. Especially the Executive of Pedro Sánchez and the Consell of Carlos Mazón will have the magnifying glass of their effectiveness in meeting the needs of the victims.
It’s going to be the year to see how things evolve. lawsuits, complaints and complaints in the courts of justice and also to see if the Government commissioner, José María Ángel and the vice president of the Generalitat for Recovery, Francisco José Gan Pampols, live up to what is expected.
Beyond debates about who did it wrong and who did it worse, institutions are obliged to understand each other to advance quickly in the infrastructure that can avoid or drastically reduce the effects of floods, as the city of Valencia and the city of Alicante did in their day.
The Júcar Hydrographic Confederation has a lot to say about it and advance these works, as well as keeping the dams in good condition, as well as the river beds and ravines that have been relegated in investment priorities for years.
Provincial challenges
Pro-provinces, Castellón is going to lead a cluster of green hydrogen in Spain, while Alicante fights to be the head of the sector aerospace in our country, just like Valencia wants to lead the sector of semiconductors where it already brings together half of the workers in Spain.
These are three of the great provincial challenges that loom for this year where, once again, collaboration between Administrations seems essential to amplify the effects of these investments in employment and the regional and national economy.
Valencia, yes, has missed the DANA train America’s Cup of Vela, the Davis Cup and who knows if the 2030 World Cup (in this case due to the inaction of Peter Lim), but it has the opportunity to face works that modernize its environment and shield it from the evident advance of more extreme and recurring meteorological phenomena.
Political uncertainty
Politically, 2025 is a crucial year for the two major formations. The PP must face its regional congress, at most in July, and also the provincial ones. The leadership renewal It is vital for a political party and the popular ones seem like they could continue with Marta Barrachina, Vicente Mompó and Toni Pérez, at the helm in the provinces of Castellón, Valencia and Alicante.
The future of Carlos Mazón It is linked, as he himself said and Alberto Núñez Feijóo seconded, to the degree of recovery after DANA. It remains to be seen if Mazón will exhaust the legislature and whether or not he intends to repeat as a candidate. This situation will directly influence what happens in that congress, which could, however, be delayed due to the exceptional circumstances currently being experienced and without the pressure of a national congress that seems not to be held until 2026.
The Valencian PSOE also has its leadership renewal in the first semester. From January 31 to February 2 Diana Morant She will repeat as a candidate for the general secretary, without opposition, as happened in the extraordinary congress last March. In the provinces there will be a little more battle and the future of Carlos Fernández Bielsa (Valencia) or Alejandro Soler himself (Alicante) remains to be elucidated.
And in Valencia city everything indicates that the Government delegate, Pilar Bernabewill become the new leader of the PSPV and candidate for Mayor of the capital of Turia. That is unless Pedro Sánchez appoints her for some role in his own cabinet.
Compromís, meanwhile, has yet to determine what associative formula it adopts for its future and the judgment will also be registered Monica Oltra which may be key to knowing whether or not he wants (or if he can) return to the front line of politics.
The eternal underfinancing
The lack of regional financing indicates that it will not be resolved this year and in January the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council must explore whether part of the public debt Valencian, although without a temporary leveling fund or reform of the model. Valencians continue to face a gap with respect to the national average of State resources of 9%.
The possible non-renewal of the Autonomous Liquidity Fund (FLA) would add more tension to the treasury of the Generalitat, since 3 billion of euros are in contention and, if they do not arrive, the collapse of social services, education and health is guaranteed.
Los farmers and fishermen They also face a fight to survive. The first is due to unfair competition from third countries such as South Africa or Morocco, which the European Union does not put on an equal footing with the Spanish (in terms of quality requirements and phytosanitary treatments) when it comes to allowing their products to be marketed.
The latter because the reduction agreed by Brussels in the number of days to fish in their drag mode puts its viability at risk. The investments necessary to adjust to the European plan lead to the loss of 4,000 jobs in the Valencian Community.
The automotive sector
The same happens with the automobile sector, which is a good pinch of the regional GDP. The uncertainty about the expansion of electric vehicles It has left Ford in Almussafes in a productive hiatus that has serious effects on the auxiliary industry.
The launch of the Volkswagen gigafactory, scheduled for 2026, will see all the works on this enormous complex advance significantly this year. Just like the company Edwards Lifesciences, a world leader in heart valve manufacturingwhich will establish one of its factories in Moncada, which will involve an initial investment of 150 million and 1,200 direct jobs in the new facilities.
Tourism confidence
And the great unknown is knowing what will happen to the tourism sector, another of the engines of the regional economy, since the effects of DANA They have been devastating and are still noticeable in the dirt on the coast where the reeds and belongings on the beaches have not yet been completely removed.
Make the international perception of the Valencian Community is a reliable, safe and modern destination, it will be one of the most difficult and complicated challenges of 2025 and where the Fallas and Holy Week will be the two initial thermometers to check if the recovery is partial or total.
Source: www.vozpopuli.com
