Municipalities in the Coimbra region consider stopping paying waste to ERSUC

The municipalities in the Coimbra region are considering stopping paying waste to ERSUC – Solid Waste of the Center, after the majority shareholder, owned by a large national group, approved a distribution of two million euros in dividends in a “heavily indebted” company.

The municipalities of the Intermunicipal Community of the Coimbra Region admitted, in a press release sent to the Lusa agency, that they stopped paying for services to ERSUC, in protest against the decisions of the company’s majority shareholder, which provides services in the area of ​​solid waste in the Central Coast of the country, in several municipalities in the districts of Coimbra, Leiria and Aveiro.

According to the document sent, at issue is ERSUC’s decision to approve a proposal for the distribution of around two million euros to its shareholders, a decision that was voted against by “all the municipalities present”, but which were approved by the shareholders. majority, Empresa Geral de Fomento (51%) and SUMA (almost 6%), both from the same group.

“As the company is heavily indebted and is facing very high financial costs, in the order of 2.5 million euros in 2023, this decision to distribute dividends to shareholders is irrational and contrary to the interests of ERSUC, the municipalities and the population”, he highlighted the CIM of the Coimbra Region, also highlighting that this distribution of money to shareholders comes after tariff increases were recorded.

The municipalities in the Coimbra Region that make up ERSUC met on Friday and considered the decision taken at the company’s general meeting “unjustified and irrational” and that it will “cause a significant negative impact on the municipalities and citizens of the region, reflected, in the short term, in the tariff”.

In the press release, CIM also refers to “the apparent tranquility” of the Water and Waste Services Regulatory Authority (ERSAR), accusing it of resorting to “a deafening silence” when it comes to ERSUC. “In fact, although this entity assumed, a year ago, that it would carry out audits and inspections of ERSUC, the truth is that, after all this time, the CIM continues to wait for the respective results and conclusions and the requested responses”, highlights the document sent to the Lusa agency.

Questioned by the Lusa agency, the president of the CIM of the Coimbra Region, Emílio Torrão, highlighted that there will be a meeting in April with the legal department to “take a serious decision” on the deliberation of the ERSUC general assembly. “We want to take a drastic position, which could lead to non-payment of invoices”, he said, stressing that the current structure “does not serve the municipalities”. The mayor emphasizes that citizens are “angry” with the prices and service provided by ERSUC, but local authorities do not, at the moment, have any decision-making capacity on the matter.