The Government earmarks nearly 1 billion euros for sustainable mobility and digital transport

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Council of Ministers has approved the transfer this year of 947.5 million euros from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan to the regional governments, Ceuta and Melilla to finance their direct investments in the digitalisation of regional transport, transformation of mobility, reduction of emissions and noise mitigation. The proposal for the territorial distribution of this aid will have to be ratified at the National Transport Conference.

The Minister for Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma), Raquel Sánchez, has stated that the objective is to "give an unprecedented boost to public transport and active mobility as an alternative to the use of private vehicles" and thus mitigate greenhouse gas emissions - 30% are produced as a result of mobility - and polluting gases derived from transport, which are especially concentrated in urban environments.

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la BellacasaOf the total amount approved, 900 million will go to projects that mitigate these emissions, improve air quality and reduce noise and accidents, especially in town with more than 50,000 inhabitants, although actions in neighbouring or nearby towns may also be eligible when at least one of them has a population of more than 20,000 inhabitants, and on islands with more than 20,000 inhabitants that have land transport services.

The minister gave as examples of eligible projects the improvement of accessibility, the construction of park-and-ride car parks, the digitalisation of bus stations or the development of pedestrian or cycle routes.

The remaining 47.5 million euros will be used for digitalisation actions in regional transport, such as on-demand transport management systems or integrated payment solutions for freight and passenger transport by road or rail under their jurisdiction. Sánchez said that this line will receive a further 60 million euros next year.

In total, the regional governments, Ceuta and Melilla will receive 6.42 billion euros in transfers from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, of which 1.52 billion will be allocated for sustainable mobility, 3.42 billion for residential rehabilitation, 1 billion for the construction of 20,000 affordable rental homes and another 480 million for the rehabilitation of public buildings.

Digital and universal public justice service

The Council of Ministers has presented the draft bill on the Digital Efficiency of the Public Justice Service. The regulation aims at the cross-cutting transformation of the Justice Administration, regardless of the territorial scope or the jurisdictional order in which it operates, through the use of information technologies and with full legal guarantees.

The Minister for Justice, Pilar Llop, explained that the future law, together with the Law on Procedural Efficiency and the Law on Organisational Efficiency, is part of the Justice 2030 Plan, which aims to "achieve a more efficient, sustainable and accessible justice system". She also announced that her department will transfer 410 million euros from the European Union's NextGenerationEU Fund to the regional governments to promote the project.

Llop maintained that the future Digital Efficiency Law establishes the legal framework that facilitates and promotes digitalisation in the field of Justice Administration so that this public service is universal. To this end, the regulation envisages structural reforms, such as the consolidation of online hearings and appearances, a procedure initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this regard, the minister indicated that since the pandemic was declared, more than 590,000 online trials have been held, which have resulted in savings of more than 12 million euros in travel, and have avoided the emission of more than 5,800 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. In addition, Llop affirmed that in this period territorial gaps have been closed, given the accessibility of the service from any part of the territory, and gender gaps, because the victims have had access in conditions of greater protection.

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la BellacasaPilar Llop detailed that the regulation envisages the deployment of a network of municipal justice offices, where the Justice of the Peace Courts are currently located, which will allow any citizen to access the courts in a simple way and with all the necessary digital means to carry out their procedures.

The future law establishes the obligation for all competent administrations in matters of justice to "guarantee the provision of this public service with criteria of quality and accessibility to all citizens throughout the State", the minister remarked. It also aims to place the Spanish Justice Administration at the forefront of the use of information technologies in the European Union.

In the opinion of the Minister for Justice, "with this regulation we are making progress in social cohesion and territorial cohesion, through digital cohesion".

The minister announced that the Electronic Digital File will be implemented in all Spanish courts and tribunals; judicial intermediation will be possible via videoconference and the provision of notary and registry services will be facilitated without the need for a physical presence. The rule will also strengthen the interoperability of existing systems through the exchange of electronic files and documents between judicial or prosecuting bodies.

Inclusion of unaccompanied minors and young people in detention

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la BellacasaThe Government has reformed the Foreigners Regulation to favour the integration of unaccompanied minors and young people in detention and to prevent them from remaining in an irregular situation when they reach the age of majority.

Currently, adolescents face a series of formalities that, in practice, make it difficult for them to work and gain economic independence, which is key to their social inclusion after their stay in shelters.

The Minister for Territorial Policy and Government Spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, explained that the modification of the Regulation had been highly demanded by the regional governments, which are responsible for the guardianship, inclusion and training of these minors.

This reform will benefit 8,000 unaccompanied minors and, retroactively, 7,000 young people now aged between 18 and 23. The main changes are the easing of administrative procedures and the creation of a separate legal regime for young people in foster care with the incorporation of the Minimum Basic Income as a reference index for accrediting their own means.

Modernisation of the agri-food sector

The Executive has authorised the territorial distribution to the regional governments of the first 115.3 million euros of aid for environmental and digital transformation projects in the agri-food and fisheries sector within the scope of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. The distribution will be finalised at a forthcoming Sectoral Conference on Agriculture and Rural Development.

Isabel Rodríguez underlined the importance of agriculture for Spain's economic development and the improvement that these funds will bring to the sector in terms of investment. The largest item, amounting to 102.7 million euros, is intended to support precision farming, energy efficiency and the circular economy in the agricultural and livestock sector. The remaining 12.6 million is to finance biosecurity projects in the field of animal and plant health.

Pau Gasol, Gran Cruz del Mérito Deportivo (Grand Cross of Sporting Merit)

The Council of Ministers has awarded the former basketball player Pau Gasol membership of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit, with the category of Grand Cross.

The Government spokesperson praised his extraordinary professional career, his collaboration in promoting sport and physical education, his social involvement and his contribution to the prestige of Spain.

Non official translation