Toni Pérez participates in the first Technical Committee of the Spanish Network of Smart Cities

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, participated this morning in the first Technical Committee of the Spanish Network of Smart Cities which for two days concentrates on Logroño the delegations and representations of the RECI member cities.

Pérez, I have highlighted the management of infrastructures in Benidorm since the governance of the first certified DTI that is Benidorm. At the mayors' table, he has shared his experiences with the mayors of Logroño, Rota, and Rivas Vaciamadrid.

For the mayor of Benidorm and under the fundamental axes of sustainability, attention to the Environment, and mitigation of the incidence of climate change, the key issue is that, he highlighted, "to have adequate infrastructures and services"; because "we will only be the best tourist destination to come if we are the best city to live in" working in alliance with the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, improving the 5 DTI axes: sustainability, innovation, universal accessibility, technology, and governance.

Pérez has defended that "the city is the sum of infrastructures" and pointed out that "infrastructures, in reality, are public services: from supply networks (water, sanitation, electricity...) and both communication (roads, urban fabric, lighting... ) as the provision of services (collection of MSW, etc.) and equipment”.

The efficiency in the management of the Integral Water Cycle, the 17 actions programmed in the Destination Tourism Sustainability Plans and the Next Generation funds, the comprehensive effect on the city of EDUSI Benidorm, the Rooting Plan, the actions of Vision 360 , sustainable mobility contemplated in the Plan Benidorm Ciudad Amable 10-20-30 and the Global Energy Plan have constituted the argumentative basis of the questions formulated in the moderator of the debate of the table of mayors. "We are facing the green revolution of cities, providing them with associated infrastructures and adequate planning", summarized Toni Pérez.

Faced with the issue of the greatest challenge faced by cities, and in the case of Benidorm, Toni Pérez has insisted on the financing deficit, "especially in the case of Tourist Municipalities" pointing out as a solution "the punctual reversal of the VAT generated on the spot”, recalling that “Benidorm receives €18 million from the State; 15% of its budget”, which means “30 million euros less than what would correspond to it”.

Questioned by the main projects, Pérez pointed out that “undoubtedly, by volume and concept, the set of DTI actions; including those related to the Destination Tourism Sustainability Plans", pointing out as of interest "the green belt that the Séquia Mare, Foietes and El Moralet parks represent" because "the green areas within the city are, in addition, an important element of social cohesion and the perfect place to relax, practice sports and, in many cases, house facilities of great historical and cultural value such as those that we will soon materialize in Benidorm”.

Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza, mayor of Logroño and president of RECI, acts as the host of this first RECI Technical Committee, which was inaugurated at 9:30 a.m. and was attended by the President of the Government of La Rioja, Concha Andreu, and the Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, Carmen Artigas

José de la Uz, mayor of Las Rozas will give a keynote address this afternoon, which will be followed by work meetings, exhibitions, and presentations of examples of good practices and transversal projects.