Council of Ministers

Government reaffirms commitment to Paris Agreement on climate change

2017.6.2

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Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Council of Ministers reviewed a report on the announcement by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to pull his country out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environmental Affairs, Isabel García Tejerina, stated that Spain reaffirms its commitment to the fight against climate change. "We confirm our commitment to the benefit of the planet, to future generations, as well as to the present generation. The European Union will continue to head up the fight against climate change and Spain will play its part in this leadership together with our European partners".

Isabel García Tejerina specified that this leading role covers our commitment to reducing greenhouse gases, and financial and technical aid to developing countries so that they can implement measures, as well as our alliances with our EU partners, companies and society as a whole.

The minister underlined that the Paris Agreement is in force and is an "unprecedented success for the international community" because it gathers together 196 countries in a common cause. "This is an agreement to protect the environment, but it is also an agreement to establish and boost economic development in a sustainable manner for everyone".

Isabel García Tejerina added that this is "an agreement that cannot be undone" or re-negotiated, but rather we must reaffirm its goals - for the temperature of the planet not to rise by two degree centigrade and, if possible, not by one and a half - and to meet its financing commitments.

Spain, explained the minister, complied with the Kyoto 1 Protocol, which spanned the period 2008-2012, and "will comply with the second commitment period, known as Kyoto 2, which spans the period from 2013 to 2020". Furthermore, "it is already working to comply with the Paris Agreement, which will come into force in the year 2021, whereby its first commitment milestone must be met by 2030".

In this regard, Isabel García Tejerina highlighted the "personal involvement" of the President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, who was in Paris and attended the latest climate summits, and who, just last week inaugurated a workshop entitled 'United for Climate' in Spain.

Position of United States

Isabel García TejerinaPool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoAccording to the minister, "it is bad news that the United States has decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement" because this country is responsible for between 14% and 17% of all greenhouse gas emissions, which are those that cause global warming, thus making it the second-ranked country by volume of emissions.

Isabel García Tejerina recalled that given the statements that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, made at the G-7 Summit, the Member States of the European Union present there (Germany, Italy and France) drew up a statement to reaffirm their commitment to the agreement, which subsequently Spain signed up to.

The Minister for Agriculture explained that this agreement to combat climate change is binding and provides for a revision every five years on the degree of compliance with the commitments adopted. These revisions evaluate the impact on climate of the global reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases. If the global reduction is insufficient, new contributions from the signatory countries must be agreed upon.

Academic qualifications

The government regulated the conditions to obtain a formal qualification in Required Secondary Education and Further Secondary Education.

Íñigo Méndez de VigoPool Moncloa/J. M. CuadradoAccordingly, this meets the requirements established in the Royal Decree Law of 9 December 2016 whereby school exams will only be used as a sample and for diagnostic purposes, without any effect for obtaining these qualifications until the entry into force of the regulation resulting from the Social and Political State Pact for Education on which the Lower House of Parliament is currently working.

The Minister for Education, Culture and Sport and Government Spokesperson, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, declared that "all the regional governments have been aware of its content since December and exams are taking place with absolute normality throughout Spain", which the government welcomes.

Subsidies for public interest entities

The Council of Ministers regulated the granting of direct subsidies to entities to carry out public, social and humanitarian interest activities for a total sum of 2,534,100 euros.

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo specified that the beneficiary entities are the Spanish Red Cross, UNED [Open University], the Spanish Episcopal Conference and the Islamic Commission of Spain, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (Spanish acronym: FEMP) and Cáritas Española.

Temporary residency of Sahrawi minors

The government approved the procedure to authorise temporary residency for minors and monitors of Sahrawi origin, who will travel to Spain within the framework of the 'Holiday in Peace 2017' Programme.
The Government Spokesperson announced that 4,793 minors, accompanied by 394 monitors, are due to arrive in 2017, to be taken in for two months by our country.

Museum equipment

Isabel García Tejerina, Íñigo Méndez de VigoPool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoThe Council of Ministers authorised the National Heritage Council to contract the supply of museum equipment for the Museum of Royal Collections, for an estimated sum in excess of 25 million euros.
Íñigo Méndez de Vigo explained that this is "a great museum project" located between the Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace in Madrid and which dates back to the 1990s. The decision taken on Friday "helps push on in the creation of a great new museum in Madrid", he added.

Support for candidatures of Atlético de Madrid and Seville

The Council of Ministers agreed to back the applications made by the Spanish Royal Football Federation for the stadiums of Atlético de Madrid and Sevilla FC to host the finals of the Champions League and the Europa League respectively in 2019. Íñigo Méndez de Vigo declared that "the government has done what it needed to, which is to facilitate the holding of these two important sporting events in Spain".

On another note, the government accepted the resignation presented on 1 June by Manuel Moix Blázquez as the Chief Public Prosecutor to Combat Corruption and Organised Crime.

Weekly assessment

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo began his assessment of the week by expressing, on behalf of the government, "his strong condemnation of the new outbreaks of gender-based violence". The eradication of "this scourge", he added, is a priority for the government, as contained in the seven State Pacts that Mariano Rajoy proposed in his investiture speech and in the agreement reached at the latest Conference of Regional Presidents.

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, Isabel García TejerinaPool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoThe Government Spokesperson recalled that the Lower House approved an extension during the week, until 16 June, for the Sub-committee for the State Pact on gender-based violence to conclude its work.
He also highlighted that the commitment made by the government and all the political forces is reflected in the General State Budget for 2017, which allocates more than 266 million euros to the fight against gender-based violence, a rise of 25% on the previous year.

Approval of Budget

As regards the public accounts, passed on from the Lower House to the Upper House to continue with its passage through Parliament, he stated that in the event of proposed amendments from the Upper House, its final approval will take place in the last week of June.

According to the minister, the approval of the Budget by the Lower House constitutes a "significant political milestone", because it shows the possibility of reaching majorities to resolve the problems of the Spanish people, strengthens stability, consolidates "the perception of a long legislature", reasserts the institutional credit of Spain and confirms the government's ability to reach agreements".

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo underlined that this Budget extends the public employment offer, increasing financing for the regional governments by more than 5.4 billion euros - principally for healthcare and education - and also allocates more resources for the justice system, the fight against child poverty, long-term care, job creation, grants, pensions, R&D+i and the fight against fraud.

Job creation

The 2017 Budget, he added, will be "a very important instrument" for driving growth and job creation.
As regards the job market, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo expressed the government's satisfaction at the figures announced on Friday on recorded unemployment and National Insurance contributors. The Government Spokesperson highlighted that employment has been growing for 40 straight months and it is doing so in all sectors and all regions, and also among young people and women, and hence described economic growth as "strong, sustained and balanced".

International agenda

Isabel García Tejerina, Íñigo Méndez de VigoPool Moncloa/J.M.CuadradoAs regards the international agenda of the President of the Government, the Government Spokesperson pointed out that the 29th Portugal-Spain Summit, held on Monday and Tuesday, showed that two governments of different political colours are capable of talking and "finding solutions that improve the quality of life of their citizens".

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo also referred to the meeting on Wednesday at Moncloa Palace between Mariano Rajoy and Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, a country that offers Spain opportunities in many sectors, from tourism and renewable energies to water treatment and infrastructures.

Commitment to the Constitution

Lastly, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo reiterated the government's offer to the President of the Regional Government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, to talk about his proposals "at the location where national sovereignty resides - in the Lower House of Parliament".

In relation to the speech by Mariano Rajoy at the 33rd Meeting of the Economic Forum in Sitges last Saturday, the Government Spokesperson indicated that the government's commitment to the constitutional order responds to both a legal and a political argument; legal, he said, "because without the law you can have no democracy", and political, because this responds to the "commitment of democrats to the Magna Carta (Constitution), to the territorial unity of their country, with the concept of national sovereignty and the public and individual rights protected under the Constitution".

Current affairs

When asked about the government's opinion of the statements made by the President of the Regional Government of Catalonia on the use of force to prevent the pro-independence referendum being held, the Government Spokesperson stressed that the government trusts that "common sense will prevail" and that the force envisaged by the government "is the force of the rule of law, which is what unites us all and is the most important force".

As regards the motion of no confidence presented in the Lower House of Parliament by the parliamentary group of Unidos Podemos, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo said that "whilst respecting the legitimacy of those that present this, the government argues that there are no political grounds to present this", and, following the approval of the Budget in the Lower House, "even fewer grounds".

In relation to the crisis at Banco Popular, he stressed that the government is not concerned since, thanks to the reforms adopted, the Spanish financial system "is one of the soundest systems in Europe", and recalled that this is a private institution that passed the stress tests. "We are going to calmly wait for events to unfold", he remarked.

In response to questions from the press, who questioned the position of Minister Rafael Catalá as a member of the government, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo expressed the government's full backing for the Minister for Justice. "Rafael Catalá has always responded in the Lower House; he is carrying out his functions with the support of the President of the Government and the other ministers; this support is unanimous", he declared.