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The Community of Madrid launches aid of up to €10,000 to revive the Sierra Oeste
The Community of Madrid has launched a new aid package to support the economic recovery of the Sierra Oeste after last July's major forest fire. Companies, self-employed people and small businesses in the 17 affected municipalities will be able to access direct grants of up to €10,000, as well as a special guarantee line to facilitate access to financing and resume their activity as soon as possible.
The plan allocates 15 million euros to these direct grants, aimed at compensating part of the losses suffered by shops, industries, agricultural and livestock farms, or self-employed professionals. The goal is for businesses to be able to cover their most urgent expenses and return to normal after the damage caused by the fire.
Alongside these grants, Avalmadrid will offer companies and self-employed workers a special line of cost-free guarantees to make it easier to obtain loans. Beneficiaries will only need to pay a 1% fee for the assessment of the application and will have up to four years to repay the financing obtained.
These measures are part of the recovery plan promoted by the regional government for Sierra Oeste, which also includes infrastructure reconstruction, support for municipalities, environmental restoration, social aid, and specific programmes for particularly affected sectors such as agriculture, livestock, or local commerce.
The fire caused significant damage to homes, farms, and businesses in the area, and disrupted the economic activity of numerous municipalities for weeks. With these grants, the Community aims to speed up the return to normality and prevent many small businesses from struggling to maintain jobs or reopen their premises.
The recovery of Sierra Oeste now enters a new phase, focused not only on repairing material damage but also on reactivating the local economy. For many self-employed workers and small businesses, these grants could become a decisive support to resume activity and keep the business fabric alive in one of the areas most affected by this summer’s fires.