Council of Ministers

Government sets up special committee to oversee Ebola situation

2014.10.10

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Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Council of Ministers analysed a detailed report on the actions that have been taken and those that will be adopted to combat the Ebola virus both in Spain and at an international level, as a result of the contacts and recommendations of the European healthcare authorities and corresponding international bodies.

The Vice-President of the Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, reported on the creation of a special committee to dealing with the disease caused by the Ebola virus in Spain. She will head up this committee herself, and it will be made up of the Minister for Health, Social Services and Equality, Ana Mato, representatives of various ministerial departments, of the Regional Government of Madrid, of the Scientific Committee on the disease, of the Carlos III Hospital and the La Paz University Hospital. Public and private experts on the matter may also be called on to participate, should this be considered opportune.

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría explained that this committee will meet at least once a day and some of its members will be exclusively engaged in this issue. It will provide continuity to the work of the Coordination Committee set up between the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health of the Regional Government of Madrid. "The task set is to coordinate available means and resources, promote inter-institutional and international cooperation, establish protocols on reporting policy to give maximum transparency to Spanish society and to media professionals, and to analyse both the existing planning and all European and international actions in relation to controlling the disease", she specified.

The Vice-President of the Government announced that the government also decided to appoint a scientific committee to advise the special committee. "Spain is a country that is well prepared, with leading healthcare professionals, and we know that we can deal with this situation. On behalf of the government, it is our responsibility to provide them with the maximum support and backing, and resolve any situations and cover any needs as may be necessary in order to carry out their work under the best possible conditions", she underlined.

In the same way as the President of the Government during his visit to Carlos III Hospital, the Vice-President of the Government highlighted that the government's main concern is to see an improvement in the health of the nursing assistant Teresa Romero and monitor the state of the people who have been in contact with her. Similarly, she recalled that, when facing a problem that generates uncertainty in society, "it is everyone's responsibility, particularly the government's, to work with rigour and transparency".

More information to the public

Pool MoncloaIn response to questions from journalists, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation to determine the cause of the spread of the disease to the nursing assistant and when the details are conclusive, this will be conveyed to the public. "This is not an area for speculation, suspicions or unconfirmed rumours":

She also pointed out that the government, supported by the Regional Health Councillors, will provide further information to their citizens on the disease. "I believe that it is important that information is organised in this way, because a great deal of information comes out, and not all of it is verified. This can generate anxiety amongst our citizens and we want the committee to also back up, through the presence of its members, the veracity of the information and the verification of the information provided".

The Vice-President of the Government also announced that the Ministry of the Treasury "will set up a specific line of credit in order for as many measures as are necessary to be adopted to support other public authorities".

The Vice-President of the Government pointed out that Father Pajares, Doctor García Viejo and Teresa Romero all contracted the disease through caring for others and in her opinion this issue should be approached with this in mind.

As regards the decision to repatriate the two priests, she said that the government took great account of the fact that they were Spanish citizens that wished to return to their country and that "Spain has an obligation to its nationals". Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría added that other countries have also repatriated their nationals and that this has been done in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Participation in the coalition against the Islamic State

Pool MoncloaThe government has agreed to request authorisation from the Lower House of Parliament for Spanish military units to take part in the coalition to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Its contribution within this framework would be in a specific field in which Spain has the greatest experience and capacity, which is the training of Iraqi military personnel.

The Minister for Defence, Pedro Morenés, specified that the authorisation would be for some 300 personnel, which would include officers to form part of the general staff of the coalition, training units for a brigade of Iraqi armed forces, and support and protection units for the military force. Deployment would be set for an initial term of six months, which could be extended. Furthermore, the capabilities of the Spanish air bases will be extended in order to respond to any needs that the United States central command may have.

Pedro Morenés recalled that Spain has taken a hand in this central command for the last month and a half, designing the operation in Iraq together with other countries -work that is being well recognised. This recognition of Spain's efforts, according to the minister, not only lies in Spain taking command of operations in Mali in November, but also in the express request that it takes part in the coalition.

"The efforts are closely related to the approach to the operation in Iraq because it is not only a question of containing the advances being made by the Jihadism of the Islamic State, but also of establishing sufficiently sound State structures in Iraq to help maintain the unity of the Iraqi nation and thus guarantee its security and the prosperity and future of its citizens", he argued.
The minister stressed that Spain is excluded from direct combat as an operating element because "that is not our purpose there".

Basic organisation of the armed forces

Pool MoncloaThe Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree establishing the basic organisation of the armed forces, as a result of the National Defence Directive, issued by the President of the Government in July 2012, and of the Defence Policy Directive of the same year.

The Minister for Defence asserted that the aim of the new legislation is to take steps to modernise the armed forces, ensure their efficiency and ensure that this is a unified service.

Pedro Morenés highlighted that one of the main new aspects is that the figure of the Chief of Defence Staff (Spanish acronym: JEMAD) is given greater powers to become the sole operational commander of the Spanish Armed Forces. Any references to specific permanent missions in peace-time to army forces are removed, since these missions are to be taken on by two permanent operational organisations: the Maritime Surveillance and Security Command, and the Air Defence and Operations Command, both of which fall under the command of JEMAD. Another new feature is that the Emergency Military Unit (Spanish acronym: UME), falls under the responsibility of JEMAD, since it is an operational unit.

The minister pointed out that this will simplify the structure of the armed forces, thus optimising the resources, while two key new spaces emerge for defence matters: cyber-space and outer space.

"I believe that by taking this step, the Spanish Armed Forces adapt to an environment of not only joint action but of combined action with other armed forces around the world, which are making this effort to integrate the capabilities in one single direction", he concluded.

Other agreements

Pool MoncloaThe government approved the General Regulation of the Coastal Act which, according to the Vice-President of the Government, tackles three major objectives: protecting the coastal environment, the legal certainty of the holders of rights along the coast, and the development of economic activities along the coast under sustainable conditions.

In drawing up this regulation, the government has received participation from citizens, NGOs, companies, regional governments and local councils in order to guarantee full respect for regional powers and for the recommendations from the various public authorities.

The Council of Ministers has also agreed to ask the Council of State, on an urgent basis, for its opinion on the queries raised by the Regional Government of the Canary Islands in relation to oil exploration.