The central government yesterday changed its plans and summoned today the regional councilors with powers in matters of energy, tourism and trade, and the representatives of the local world, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), to analyze the measures contained in the royal decree law that contains the energy saving plan.
The Vice President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, will chair the meeting together with the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, and the Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen.
The objective of the meeting, explained from the ministry that Ribera commands, "is to align the energy saving and efficiency policies of all administrations" and "thus reaffirm in solidarity" the commitment to save 7% of energy consumption acquired by Spain to the European Union to deal with the socio-economic consequences of the invasion of Ukraine and the famine.
"There are no excuses of misunderstanding, non-compliance or lack of knowledge," Ribera said yesterday in statements sent to the press, in which he detailed that they have called the meeting "to resolve doubts about how to apply it."
"The institutions and their managers are the ones who are called upon to set an example for the public and lead the vocation for solidarity in Spanish society," said the third vice-president.
The meeting was scheduled for tomorrow, since the plan that follows the EU recommendations comes into force on Wednesday, and representatives with the rank of director general were to attend, so the third vice president of the central executive, Ribera, was not going to attend , but the general director of the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE), Joan Groizard.
On behalf of the Catalan Government, the Secretary General of Business and Competitiveness, Albert Castellanos, and the Director General of Energy, assigned to Climate Action, Assumpta Farran, will participate in the meeting, which will take place this morning via telematic media, in place of the counselors
Minister Maroto, for her part, yesterday accused the PP of being "generating noise, tension and distrust" about the decree, and assured that precisely because of this "confusion" generated by the popular they have had to change their plans and summon the communities and the FEMP.
In turn, the president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, spoke yesterday about this matter and requested, from the Albariño festival in the Galician town of Cambados, the convening of a conference of presidents this week, so that the autonomous communities, that they are the ones that have to apply the energy saving plan, have a “voice and vote in the set of decisions”.
Feijóo, once the call for Ribera and Maroto had been made public, demanded that improvisation be left aside, since, as he said, it is about “something that is not minor”. In addition, he accused the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, of "flying over the problems of the majority of Spaniards" with the adoption of unilateral measures "without talking about them with anyone." "The president, between helicopter and plane, plane and helicopter, does not realize that the logical thing would have been already in the spring to convene the regional presidents in a sectoral conference to talk, specify, reflect and ponder," said the popular leader.
On Saturday, before the leader of the PP spoke, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, had criticized the "improvisation" in this matter and demanded that the central Executive that the meeting scheduled for Tuesday be with the councilors autonomous and, therefore, of higher rank.
On behalf of the PSOE, the general secretary of the formation in Madrid, Juan Lobato, demanded that Feijóo "minimally exercise the leadership of his party so that institutional loyalty to Spain and Europe is fulfilled" in Madrid and in the rest of the autonomies in those who govern the popular. “Spain and the EU are acting and taking measures. The situation is what it is and all administrations need to share that institutional loyalty” to comply with the energy saving plan, stressed the socialist leader from Madrid.
