The Government will agree with the communities on measures to reduce energy costs and promote savings

The approach of the XXVI Conference of Presidents has changed radically after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The Russian invasion forced the Government to call it off when it was scheduled, on February 25, and move it to this Sunday, March 13, in the same scenario, the Canary Island of La Palma. The Executive is now seeking to strengthen the cooperation mechanisms with the communities in four areas: humanitarian aid, reception and protection of refugees, cybersecurity and security measures. socioeconomic impact, in addition to an explicit condemnation of Moscow’s aggression and unequivocal support for Kiev. Among the proposed measures, Pedro Sánchez’s Cabinet proposes the reduction of energy costs, the acceleration of the green transition and the awareness of energy saving, in line with what was proposed by the European Commission. But he also advocates the creation of a national reserve of strategic assets o a coordinated and quality response to the cyber attacks.

The Ministry of Territorial Policy, led by Isabel Rodríguez, has sent the communities a draft agreement that will be submitted for debate and approval on Sunday, a document of eight pages [aquí en PDF] that comes to shape the will of “Unit” reiterated by Sánchez in front of Vladimir Putin. The Government defends that the best mechanism to respond to a crisis of enormous magnitude is the “shared” action of all public administrations.co-governance and the willingness and joint work” that allowed “effectively managing the pandemic” and carrying out “a model vaccination campaign in the world” is, in the opinion of the Executive, the best formula also this time. In short, the need to “step up intergovernmental collaboration“for the benefit of citizens and victims of the armed conflict.” At the summit on Sunday all the autonomous leaders will finally attend, including the Catalan Pere Aragonès.

Sánchez has repeated, in all his last appearances, that the war in Eastern Europe will inevitably mean coststhat is why the document, to which this newspaper had access (and advanced by ‘El Mundo’), stresses that all administrations “will work to to protect citizens”, and especially the most vulnerable, from the economic damage that the conflict will inflict.

As for the measures, eraser it does not go as far as the specifics, but it does provide some key guidelines. Thus, it collects the will that employers and unions reach this income pact to avoid a “inflationary spiral“, and for this Sánchez already met last Monday with the social agents. But without a doubt what is cool right now is energy, due to the dependence on Russian gas and oil in a good part of Europe (although not in Spain). Executive, says the text, “will approve measures aimed at energy cost reduction“, with “special attention” to vulnerable groups and consumers “electro-intensive and industrial”. Communities and municipalities must also “ensure” the measures that mitigate the “impact of the increase in energy prices” on the most unprotected.

Online with Borrell

The Government supports the thesis held yesterday Wednesday by the high representative of the EU, Josep Borrell: that all citizens do their part and cut their consumption to reduce the bill for importing hydrocarbons to Russia and also face the climate crisis. The text puts it this way: all public administrations “commit to accelerate the energy transition of our country and to raise awareness among all citizens and the productive sectors about the importance of saving energy, through measures such as encouraging more rational of private vehicles or a moderation of the use of energy dedicated to air conditioning”. Also “plans and measures aimed at the rehabilitation and reduction of energy consumption in buildings and public infrastructures will be intensified”.

And if the government promises to “accelerate the deployment” of the renewable energythe set of administrations must streamline “the management of European funds” in regard to aid for self-consumption, energy rehabilitation and electric mobility.

The text refers specifically to companies that have been harmed by the sanctions on Russia: they will receive “information and advice” and, while waiting for the European Union to discuss “compensation measures” for them, the Government “will launch an aid plan in the arbitrations international” arising from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Sánchez announces that a plane will arrive from Ukraine with children with cancer on Friday https://t.co/qu7DECSwuc. pic.twitter.com/Xx0250T8Ml

– Europe Press TV (@europapress_tv) March 10, 2022

Investment in critical technologies

The eraser It also affects, as Sánchez already advanced in Congress, the reinforcement of the promotion of tourism in other issuing markets (to make up for the lack of Russian travelers). And it includes an issue that the president always emphasizes, inside and outside of Spain: the need to increase the strategic autonomy. How? On the one hand, investment in “critical technologies such as semiconductors, storage, essential minerals, batteries, 5G, Artificial Intelligence, data centers and active ingredients of essential medicines”.

And on the other, and in line with what is established in the National Security Strategy approved in December 2021“the creation of a reserve of goods considered strategic to preserve the rights and freedoms, the well-being of citizens, the supply of essential services and essential and strategic resources”. In the pandemic, the Executive also promoted a reserve of medical supplies, so that it would not be repeated the shortage that came with the first wave of the virus.

An issue that is quite worrying to the Government is the possibility of cyber attacks Russians. For this reason, it calls for reinforcing cooperation between all administrations to “improve the functioning of technological services and guarantee the response quality in the face of cyberattacks” that public bodies, companies and citizens could receive. To do this, there will be a “fluid and automatic” exchange of information between the central Executive and the communities that will allow “adjusting defensive measures.” The government and autonomies will also implement security measures “minimum” and “mandatory” cybersecurity and will establish a “cyber surveillance permanent”.

“Avoid duplication”

Regarding humanitarian cooperation, the eraser bet for a coordination of central Executive and Autonomous Communities to “alleviate the effects” of the war and for an increase of the contributions to the contingency fund. Thus, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the regional entities will share information and “collaborate reciprocally to avoid duplication” and “improve results“. The Government, communities and municipalities will also coordinate “how many actions have to be deployed to guarantee the reception, protection and well-being” of the refugees fleeing the conflict.

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Sánchez’s Cabinet cites the documentis already driving a reception and reception plan of displaced Ukrainians and “integrating all contributions” of communities and municipalities. The plan “will articulate and order” the efforts deployed by different entities and will include “the development of specific reception and reception centers.” They are already planned in Madrid, Catalonia and the Valencian Community and “could be extended” to other regions. In these facilities, the Ukrainians who have fled will be granted, “with a maximum concession period of 24 hours, residence permits and work in Spain for a renewable yearthey will be informed of the rights for those who need it and they will be referred to the reception network, which must have the necessary capacity to adapt to meet the required needs”. The agreement includes increase resources necessary to absorb the flow of displaced persons, for which no specific forecast figure is given.

In addition, a group of intergovernmental collaboration between the central government, the communities and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), promoted by the Ministry of Inclusion directed by José Luis Escrivá. This group “will be in charge of coordinating the implementation of the reception plan at the operational level, carrying out follow-up”, channeling the information flows and articulating the “care and response mechanisms”. On Sunday it will be seen if the Government-CCAA agreement is total and if the document undergoes modifications after the debate.