Royal Decree Law 5/2021 of March 12 on 11,000 million aid to companies and the self-employed affected by the restrictions of the pandemic, approved by the Council of Ministers, will allocate 7,000 million to direct aid to a total of 95 sectors. A group of beneficiaries where sectors such as hairdressers, workshops or carriers are not contemplated.
The government aid plan has three fundamental pillars: 3,000 million for the financial debt restructuring fund, 1,000 million for the fund to support the solvency of companies and 7,000 million for direct aid, which is divided into 5,000 million euros for all autonomous communities and cities and another 2,000 million for the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. Thus, the aid will be managed by the autonomous communities and the allocation of funds will be made following the same criteria as those used for the React-EU.
This aid package is intended for almost 100 subsectors within businesses especially affected by the pandemic, such as hotels, restaurants, wholesale and retail trade, and sectors related to culture. However, it does not include the road freight sector, which has suffered an average drop of 12%
Extraction of iron ores.
Elaboration of ice cream.
Preparation of coffee, tea and infusions.
Distillation, rectification and mixing of alcoholic beverages.
Preparation of cider and other fermented beverages from fruit.
Manufacture of other outer garments.
Manufacture of other clothing and accessories.
Manufacture of fur articles.
Manufacture of other knitted clothing.
Graphic arts and related services.
Other printing and graphic arts activities.
Pre-press services and support preparation.
Binding and related services.
Reproduction of recorded media.
Manufacture of explosives.
Production of precious metals.
Manufacture of optical instruments and photographic equipment.
Manufacture of fiber optic cables.
Manufacture of jewelry and similar articles.
Manufacture of jewelry and similar items.
Aeronautical and space repair and maintenance.
Supply of steam and air conditioning.
Intermediaries in the trade of textiles, clothing, fur, footwear and leather goods.
Intermediaries in the trade of food products, beverages and tobacco.
Wholesale trade of hides and skins.
Wholesale of beverages.
Wholesale trade of sugar, chocolate and confectionery.
Wholesale trade of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices.
Wholesale trade of fish and shellfish and other food products.
Non-specialized wholesale trade of food products, beverages and tobacco.
Wholesale of porcelain, glassware and cleaning supplies.
Wholesale of watches and jewelry.
Other retail trade in non-specialized stores.
Retail trade of bread and bakery, confectionery and pastry products in specialized establishments.
Retail trade of beverages in specialized establishments.
Retail trade of computers, peripheral equipment and software in specialized stores.
Retail trade of textiles in specialized stores.
Retail trade of newspapers and stationery in specialized stores.
Retail trade of clothing in specialized stores.
Retail trade of footwear and leather goods in specialized stores.
Retail trade of watches and jewelry in specialized stores.
Retail trade of textile products, clothing and footwear in stalls and markets.
Retail trade of other products in stalls and markets.
Other retail trade not carried out in establishments, stalls or markets.
Urban and suburban land transportation of passengers.
Transportation by taxi.
Types of passenger land transport n.c.o.p.
Maritime passenger transport.
Passenger transport by inland waterways.
Air passenger transportation.
Activities related to land transport.
Activities related to maritime transport and inland waterways.
Activities related to air transport.
Hotels and similar accommodation.
Tourist accommodation and other short-stay accommodation.
Campsites and caravan parks.
Other accommodations.
Restaurants and food stalls.
Provision of prepared meals for events.
Other catering services.
Beverage establishments.
Editing newspapers.
Cinema exhibition activities.
Photography activities.
Car and light motor vehicle rental.
Truck rental.
Leisure and sporting goods rental.
Rental of video tapes and records.
Rental of other personal effects and household items.
Rental of office machinery and equipment, including computers.
Navigation equipment rental.
Air transportation rental.
Rental of other machinery, equipment and tangible goods n.e.c.
Activities of travel agencies.
Activities of tour operators.
Other reservation services and related activities.
Photocopying, document preparation and other specialized office activities.
Organization of conventions and trade fairs.
Other business support activities.
Performing arts.
Activities auxiliary to the performing arts.
Management of performance halls.
Museum activities.
Management of historical sites and buildings.
Activities of botanical gardens, zoos and nature reserves.
Gambling and betting activities.
Management of sports facilities.
Gym activities.
Other sports activities.
Amusement park and theme park activities.
Other recreational and entertainment activities.
Repair of shoes and leather goods.
Watch and jewelry repair.
Washing and cleaning of textile and leather garments.
Physical maintenance activities.
Hairdressers, beauty salons, non-regulated training academies (music, dance...), driving schools, florists or grocery stores souvenirs are some of the sectors that have been left out. Neither are vehicle repair shops, car spare parts stores or the towing sector, activities that have not been restricted but have suffered a strong impact from the pandemic due to mobility restrictions.
Another sector that has been left out is freight transport and logistics, whose activity was considered essential during the lockdown. However, Astic points out that the transport of goods by road suffered a fall of 12% on average, which rose to 30% in some things. Thus, Lorenzo Amor, president of the Association of Self-Employed Workers, has expressed his intention to contact the Ministry of Economic Affairs so that the RDL allows any company or self-employed person from any sector to apply for aid if it demonstrates a deterioration in their activity of the 30 or 40% due to the pandemic.
"We will contact the Ministry of Economic Affairs to modify the list of activities. No self-employed person or company can be left behind. What is seen from the ministries is one thing and the real economy is another. We think that it has been an oversight as there are so many activities and that it will have to be solved quickly", explains Lorenzo Amor.