A total of 3,389 companies and self-employed workers have received direct aid from the three calls for applications for the business fabric of Palma. The aid is the result of the agreement between the Government, the Cort and the Consell de Mallorca to alleviate the consequences of COVID-19 and promote employment. They are managed by the Consell through the Mallorca Tourism Foundation. In total, 7.2 million euros have already been paid out between the three calls for applications.

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The mayor of Palma, Jose Hila, the president of the Consell de Mallorca, Catalina Cladera, and the councillor of the Presidency, Public Function and Equality, Mercedes Garrido, have taken stock of the call for aid for the commercial fabric of Palma. Also in attendance were the councillor for the City Model, Decent Housing and Sustainability, Neus Truyol, and the councillor for Economic Promotion and Employment, Rodrigo A. Romero.

The councillor stressed that “the aid has reached the commercial fabric of Palma directly, quickly, efficiently and in record time”, a milestone that has been possible “thanks to the collaboration between institutions in the face of a crisis that for the first time is being managed from a different point of view and with the aim of leaving no one behind”.

“This time, between the different calls, Palma has granted 38.7 million that, I am convinced, will have helped in the recovery of Palma,” said the mayor. For Hila, “This shows that public investment policies, aid to maintain economic activity and the social protection network work”.

“The institutions have approached this socio-economic crisis in a very different way to the previous one, mobilising resources like never before, deploying a social shield and in a coordinated manner,” said President Cladera, who stressed that “we have set up a flexible, effective and simple system so that the aid arrives as quickly as possible, which is what the citizens want”.

Calls for applications

The Government, the Town Council and the Consell de Mallorca signed a collaboration agreement to grant 11.5 million euros in direct economic aid to the economic sectors of the municipality to help alleviate the consequences of the restrictions caused by the pandemic. Each institution contributes 3,834,548.82 euros.

On 16 June, the first call for applications was opened for specific sectors, which was endowed with 7,670,000 euros. 7,670,000 was earmarked for trade, food, accommodation, travel agencies, education and research; laundries, dry cleaners, hairdressers and beauty salons; recreational parks, fairs and the organisation of congresses and fairgrounds. A month later, a new call for applications was published, open to all sectors. In total, these two calls for applications resulted in 3,193 grants of 6,538,000 euros. The last call for applications was also open to all sectors in November for an amount of one million euros, of which 670,000 euros 196 grants have been paid out.

Grants

The direct aid could be requested by individuals and legal entities that carry out their economic activity in the municipality of Palma with less than 20 workers on average per year, taking into account the different workplaces and with a turnover in 2019 of less than one million euros, provided that this turnover has decreased during 2020 by more than 20%. In the case of hotels, motels, hostels, guesthouses, guest houses and hotel apartments, they could apply for aid with a maximum of 50 employees.

The aid was 2,000 euros per workplace or establishment, with a maximum of two establishments per beneficiary (maximum: 4,000 euros). This aid was compatible with the receipt of any other subsidy from any public or private sector entity.