Briefing
The Socialist Party (Partido Socialista) group on the Zaragoza City Council on 25 September 2026 called for answers about substantial additional costs for the Huerva River restoration project, as well as the inclusion of certain staff costs in claims against European Union funds. Huerva The group’s leader, Lola Ranera and councillor Marta Aparicio accused the city government, led by mayor Natalia Chueca of a lack of transparency and poor planning.
According to the Socialists, the project was originally budgeted at 24 million euros ; the total requirement is now said to exceed 34 million euros, an increase of around 40 per cent. The latest supplementary allocation of 2.2 million euros concerns the second construction phase. The Socialist Party called for a complete, transparent breakdown of the additional spending by construction phase, as well as the publication of the contracts and technical reports on which the administration bases its justification.
Questions have also been raised over whether salary costs for people close to the mayor’s office or other staffing costs were wrongly charged to European Union funding. The Socialist Party is seeking a list of the positions concerned, the legal basis for their eligibility for funding and the relevant supporting documents. It said it would involve the budget and finance committee and the audit committee and, if necessary, request external audits.
The city administration is defending the project: it says the cost increases are documented in technical files and are due to an expansion and qualitative improvement of the work along the Huerva, as well as adjustments required by administrative conditions. It also points to deadlines that have largely been met and co-funding from other public bodies.
Questions still unresolved include the formal correctness of individual funding claims, the specific impact of the additional costs on the municipal budget for 2026/2027, and the precise timetable for submitting the requested documents. The matter is significant for Aragón, as the project is being carried out within the city limits of Zaragoza and involves funding commitments from both the municipality and the region.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).