Pedro Sánchez has travelled to Ávila and announced that the next Council of Ministers will approve a royal decree to declare areas affected by wildfires as severely impacted by civil protection emergencies.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Friday that the Council of Ministers next Tuesday will approve a royal decree to classify areas affected by this summer's wildfires as severely impacted by civil protection emergencies.
Sánchez visited the Advanced Command Post located in Navaluenga (Ávila), where he attended the meeting of the State Coordination and Direction Committee of the State Emergency Plan (CECOD). There, he assessed the fire's evolution alongside the President of the Junta de Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco; the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; and the Government Delegate, Nicanor Sen.
In a statement to the media, the head of the Executive thanked the work of public services and highlighted "the institutional cooperation we have deployed with all the territories affected by these emergencies," which yesterday included Castilla-La Mancha due to the Toledo fire.
In the specific case of Ávila, Sánchez acknowledged the deployment of personnel from the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, Galicia, Asturias, and neighbouring Portugal.
The President insisted that the priority is "to save lives and protect populated areas" and warned that "complex hours remain ahead," although last night had been "very positive" regarding the fire's evolution. "We will see how today develops," he expressed, reiterating the call for caution to the public.
Reflecting on the situation of wildfires this summer, Sánchez noted that "we are above 150,000 hectares burned," as "in less than 24 hours, the figure rose from 130,000 to 150,000 hectares," with 32 major fires so far this year. This represents a sixfold increase in the number of affected hectares compared to last year.
Therefore, he once again urged all political, institutional, civil, and social actors to the demand "and the duty" to materialise a great state pact against the climate emergency.
The declaration of a severely affected area by civil protection emergency will allow for the mobilization of financial aid and resources for the reconstruction of infrastructure, housing, and agricultural and livestock operations. The affected autonomous communities and municipalities will be able to apply for grants and soft loans to mitigate the damage.
For individuals and businesses affected, this declaration means the possibility of accessing compensation for personal and material damages, as well as tax benefits and moratoriums on tax and social security contributions.
The royal decree will be approved at the Council of Ministers on Tuesday and will come into effect the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette. From then on, those affected will be able to begin processing aid through the channels established by the Government.
You may also like
