The clamor for Garrotxa to be recognized as a high mountain region
La Garrotxa, a Catalan region of great natural beauty, undertakes a determined fight to be incorporated into the new High Mountain Law prepared by the Generalitat of Catalonia. The Garrotxa Regional Council, representative of the will of the territory, raises its voice to demand the recognition that its region deserves.
A law that forgets Garrotxa
In the drafts of the new High Mountain Law, Garrotxa does not appear among the counties contemplated. This exclusion has outraged the County Council, which considers that the law ignores the geographical and cultural reality of the county.
The president of the Regional Council of la Garrotxa, Santi Reixach, states emphatically: “They can’t tell us that we don’t have mountains here. We will fight so that La Garrotxa is not left out. The law must go to Parliament to be approved and here we go to all the games together as a region”.
Strict geographical criteria that leave out Garrotxa
The Department of Land, promoter of the law, has established strict geographical criteria to determine which counties will be considered high mountain. These criteria include a surface percentage greater than 60% above 700 meters of altitude, an average slope greater than 30% and a percentage of population centers located above 750 meters and with less than 50 inhabitants.
La Garrotxa does not meet these strict criteria, which has led to its exclusion from the new law. However, the Regional Council argues that these criteria are too rigid and do not take into account the cultural and geographical reality of the region.
Mountain culture, an ignored factor
The mobility advisor of the Garrotxa Regional Council, Jordi Güell, criticizes that the law is based solely on geographical criteria, ignoring the mountain culture that characterizes the region.
Güell states: “I think that mountain regions not only have to respond to strictly geographical criteria, but that being a mountain region also responds to a culture, a way of living in the territory. I think that these criteria have been ignored in the law and should also be considered.
La Garrotxa, with its mountainous landscape, its traditions and its way of life linked to the mountains, claims its recognition as a high mountain region, beyond geographical criteria.
The economic impact of exclusion
The exclusion of Garrotxa from the new High Mountain Law would have serious economic consequences for the region. The current law has provided investments in transportation, digitalization and basic services to the most rural municipalities in the region.
Minister Güell warns: “If it had not been for this aid, probably today we would not have the transversal bus, the bus to the industrial estates or the markets. Many current services would not exist, such as the electrification of the Vall del Boc or other places. “.
La Garrotxa fears that its exclusion from the new law will make it difficult to access European aid for rural areas, which would further aggravate its economic situation.
La Garrotxa does not give up
The Consell Comarcal de la Garrotxa has held meetings with the Regional Minister, Ester Capella, to convey its request for inclusion in the new law. The territory does not resign itself to being excluded and will continue fighting for its rights.
The City Council of Olot, capital of the region, has also positioned itself in favor of the incorporation of Garrotxa in the new law. The municipal plenary session approved a motion presented by the PSC to support the claim of the Regional Council.
La Garrotxa trusts that the Department of Territory reconsiders its position and meets the just demands of the region. The territory is willing to dialogue and provide solutions so that the new High Mountain Law is truly inclusive and fair.
