The President of the Principality, Adrián Barbón, said he was “very happy” with the announcement that, “after more than a year of tough government negotiations with Brussels”, aid to Arcelor is authorized, which “guarantees the future of our industry and employment”. Along the same lines, an official statement from the Asturian Executive expressed its “enormous satisfaction” for what happened.
The president of the central government, Pedro Sánchez, described the definitive permit granted by Brussels as “great news for Asturias”, “which will allow the modernization and decarbonisation of its industrial plants and the maintenance of employment”.
In similar terms, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, highlighted the “excellent news.”
Sources from the company itself, ArcelorMittal, welcomed the approval: “It is a positive fact that allows us to advance in our decarbonization plans.”
The Minister of Industry of the Principality, Enrique Fernández, stressed that the green light activated by the EU “is a milestone that from now on allows us to have a clearer horizon so that Asturias can begin to produce clean steel and so that Arcelor develop its activity for many more years in Asturias”.
The Federation of Industry of CC OO of Asturias considered “important” the PERTE presented yesterday, although, as its general secretary, Damián Manzano, highlighted, “it is important that the use of these funds be the maximum possible and with coordination between the Principality , companies and social agents”.
The general coordinator of the PP of Asturias, José Agustín Cuervas-Mons, described as “inconceivable” that the minister “comes to Asturias ignoring that the European Commission has approved aid to Arcelor” and that, “together with Barbón, she allows herself to insult and discredit Diego Canga”. “They have shown that they are undocumented,” he accused. “Although perhaps what they wanted was to deceive the Asturians again, as with the Feve trains, and announce the aid when they were interested,” he reproached.