14ymedio, Madrid, 26 December 2022 — All beneficiaries of direct aid for Castilians and Leonese abroad who are in conditions of special need live in Cuba.
The regional government published in the Autonomous Official Bulletin last Wednesday, the 21st, the list of beneficiaries of this aid, aimed at “covering the basic needs” of those who “are in a situation of extreme need or precariousness.” It shows the 344 applicants who will receive 349.25 euros, but just this Monday, in a press release from the Junta de Castilla y León, was it revealed that all the beneficiaries reside on the Island.
“This aid consists of a direct economic benefit, of non-periodic receipt, individual and of a social and welfare nature, aimed at Castilians and Leonese abroad who are in a situation of need because they lack income or don’t have the income necessary to cover their basic subsistence needs, in accordance with the socioeconomic reality of the country of residence,” said the Spanish counselor of the Presidency, Jesús Julio Carnero.
The aid is part of an autonomous plan – and, in principle, not incompatible with state aid for Spaniards abroad – that has been underway for several years and is aimed at financially supporting Spaniards who reside outside the country and who have established a municipality of Castilla and León as a reference for their registration in the Register of Spaniards Living Abroad (PERE). The Board has 120,000 euros for this aid and received 476 applications, without specifying which countries they come from, but the 344 who obtained it currently live in Cuba.
Of these, 119 set the reference town in León, 111 in Zamora, 33 in Burgos, 32 in Salamanca, 16 in Valladolid, 13 in Palencia, 8 in Ávila, 7 in Soria and 5 in Segovia. At the beginning of this year, there were 183,676 Castilians and Leonese registered in the PERE, of which 114,556 are in American countries and 9,712 in Cuba.
To receive one of these grants, relating to the year 2021, the registration period for which was between July 7 and August 31, it was necessary that the income of that year for any concept of the family unit be not higher than the minimum level of subsistence established in the rule. In the case of Cuba this level was 3,492 euros per year or the equivalent, established at 106,254 pesos.
In addition, neither the applicant nor any member of the family unit can have patrimonial assets with values higher than those established, with the exception of habitually used housing.
Meanwhile, it was also a criterion of exclusion to have received the same aid last year, while for beneficiaries between 2015 and 2019, it could be accessed if there was money left over after the grant to new applicants, which has not happened.
On the other hand, the Board also announced the concession of 15,000 euros in favor of the Association of Castilian and Leonese Societies in Cuba, whose purpose is to “finance the expenses derived from the acquisition and distribution of food and other basic necessities, as well as inputs for protection and hygiene, which allow alleviating the situation of special need and lack of resources for Castilians and Leonese residents in Cuba, derived from the degradation of socio-economic and health conditions,” which the Autonomous Government attributes to the pandemic.
The Association of Castilian and Leonese Societies in Cuba is the only federation of Castilian and Leonese residents that exists on the Island, says the press release, which adds that “it has the necessary experience and has demonstrated its competence to channel and carry out the actions of support and attention to the Castilians and Leonese living in Cuba.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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