Government of Spain improves working conditions for forest firefighters and environmental agents

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Council of Ministers has approved the referral to parliament of two draft laws aimed at establishing the basic legal framework for forest firefighters and environmental agents. Both groups are currently governed by the regulations of the autonomous communities, which leads to inequalities among workers.

The Third Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, has stated that the objective is to offer them the same and better basic conditions throughout the territory.

In the case of forest firefighters, Ribera explained that there is express and individualised legal recognition of their professional status at national level. Their functions, a framework for the prevention of occupational risks and their legal defence will be defined, irrespective of whether they are civil servants, employees or contracted by public or private companies.

With regard to forestry and environmental agents, the third vice-president explained that they belong to different bodies, pay scales, specialities and groupings with different functional and organisational models, which is why they are being provided with a basic framework and common criteria for action. Furthermore, the new regulation reinforces, for legal purposes, their status as agents of the authority, as special administrative police and judicial police, without prejudice to the work they carry out together with the rest of the state law enforcement forces and agencies.

In this regard, Teresa Ribera recalled that this group carries out custody, surveillance and support tasks for managing the environment, assisting and collaborating in emergencies and providing civil protection in the natural environment, and therefore requires specific conditions that are recognised throughout the territory. One such example is having priority vehicles and the necessary and compatible means to carry out their tasks.

According to Ribera, the decisions taken today mean "the express regulation of more than 20,000 people who perform basic and fundamental functions for our well-being and security".

Maritime Spatial Plans

The Third Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

The Council of Ministers has approved the Maritime Spatial Plans (POEM) relating to the five maritime districts: the North Atlantic, the South Atlantic, the Strait of Gibraltar and Alboran, and the Levantine-Balearic and Canary Islands.

These plans aim at a sustainable development and exploitation of sea uses, together with the coexistence of activities in all areas. They also aim to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of aquaculture, minimise the impact of human activities on fishing grounds and safeguard the needs of ports.

Teresa Ribera has advanced that the decision incorporates a planning of areas that are considered to be of priority use and high potential zones. Limitations are put in place in areas of priority interest that are reserved for some kind of special use, and have environmental protection, easement or obligation linked to national defence or maritime transport safety.

Regarding the high potential areas, the third vice-president pointed out that areas are identified where aggregate extraction practices could be carried out that may be used for coastal protection.

Ribera stressed that there are overlapping uses in the five demarcations, so that activities linked to national defence, aquaculture, the protection of marine ecosystems, fishing or, where appropriate, the deployment of offshore wind energy could be made compatible.

National River Restoration Strategy

The third vice-president also reported on the review and updating of the National Strategy for River Restoration, following approval of the hydrological plans, the flood risk management plans, and the plans for river connectivity, riverbank protection and rehabilitation of degraded areas.

The commitment, he underlined, is that at least 3,000 additional kilometres of river will undergo this ecosystem restoration, reducing the risk of flooding and improving the state of river ecosystems.

He added that there are currently 85 projects under way and the government's intention is to have a hundred more in place by 2030.

Fight against all forms of violence against women

The Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

The government has authorised the distribution of €177 million to the autonomous communities and cities to combat all forms of violence against women.. The territorial distribution will be submitted to the Sectoral Conference on Equality for final approval.

The Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, has highlighted that the government has been steadily increasing the budget allocated to tackling this type of violence every year, reaching a historic maximum in 2023.

The distribution of these funds is complemented by other agreements that the government and the autonomous regions are reaching to implement a catalogue of basic services throughout the territory to provide women with comprehensive care and protection. Among these benefits, the minister mentioned specialised psychologists, legal advisors and social workers, as well as the creation of safe spaces and accommodation for women.

Montero has provided a breakdown of where the €177 million will be spent, of which €140 million correspond to the State Pact against Gender Violence; €19.8 million to the Government Delegation against Gender Violence; and €17 million to European funds.

Th allocation will be committed to victims of violence perpetrated by a partner, all types of sexual violence, including trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, and personalised plans for each victim. It will also be used for programmes to support and prevent the sexual abuse of minors under guardianship.

The Minister for Equality also highlighted that Spain is a pioneering country in Europe in earmarking different items of the recovery, transformation and resilience funds to tackling violence against women. In this respect, she advanced that with the €17 million coming from European funds, a 24-hour crisis centre will be opened in each province before the end of the year to assist victims of sexual violence. Safe, emergency, long-stay and child victims' shelters will also be opened.

"We need to reinforce sex education and the training of all professionals who have direct or indirect contact with victims so that they are increasingly capable of detecting situations of violence at an early stage and to reach out to these women, from the institutions, so that they can receive comprehensive care and repair the damage already caused".

Channels of care for women

Irene Montero recalled that women victims of any type of violence can call 016, available 24 hours a day, where they will be attended to anonymously, confidentially and free of charge in 53 languages. If you prefer, you can send a WhatsApp to 600 000 016.

The minister insisted that women are not alone and that both channels "are outstretched hands and safe doors for their rights to be guaranteed by the state and for the comprehensive care they need".

Financial resources to alleviate natural disasters

The Government Spokesperson and Minister for Territorial Policy, Isabel Rodríguez, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

The Council of Ministers has earmarked some €98 million from the Contingency Fund to mitigate the damage caused by the Filomena storm, the volcanic eruption on La Palma, the drought and other natural disasters.

The Minister for Territorial Policy and Government Spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, has detailed that €23 million have been earmarked to mitigate the damage caused by Filomena in 13 autonomous communities.

This item will be used for advances on grants already awarded for works projects which could not be released in 2022, as well as for new payments for projects that end this year. A total of €142 million in aid has been granted to municipalities throughout Spain to deal with the disaster.

Isabel Rodríguez stressed that disaster management is being given top priority. "It takes less than nine months between declaring the emergency in the affected area and the release of the financial aid to the municipalities," he said.

The government has also earmarked €46 million to deal with the damage caused by the eruption of the volcano on the island of La Palma, another €13.6 million to alleviate the effects of the drought, and €8.6 million for other disasters. It has further authorised the Autonomous Community of Extremadura to provide guarantees amounting to €7 million to cover bank loans for those affected by the recent floods caused by the storm Efrain.

"The management of emergencies and disasters has been at the forefront of this legislature, and I believe that we can proudly say that the government has risen to the task, not only by granting aid, but also by speeding up the various procedures", concluded the spokesperson.

Boosting the Royal Theatre

The executive has agreed on the draft bill for the Royal Theatre, a law that will put it on a par with other major Spanish cultural institutions, such as the Museo Nacional El Prado, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and the National Library.

Isabel Rodríguez explained that the Royal Theatre will optimally develop the objectives for which it was created: the promotion, encouragement and dissemination of the lyrical, musical and choreographic arts. Its management will also be modernised and will respond to the demands of contemporary performing arts worldwide.

The future law, the spokesperson underlined, will facilitate employment contracts, adapting them to the needs and circumstances of artistic production, guaranteeing job stability.

Employment in the audiovisual sector

In the area of culture, the government has also authorised a call for applications for selective aid for the production of feature-length films worth €36 million, the largest financial endowment in history.

The spokeswoman stressed that the aid "is aimed at guaranteeing cultural supply, quality and diversity and promoting enrichment and job creation in the audiovisual sector".

It is aimed at projects with a special cultural or social cinematographic interest or value, of a documentary or experimental nature, and which include new filmmakers, with a special emphasis on the incorporation of innovative techniques and technologies.

"One of the objectives of the call is to reduce the gender gap, promoting the incorporation of women in management, technical and creative fields", said Isabel Rodríguez.

To this end, a minimum of 40% will be earmarked for projects led by female directors; a minimum of 15% and a maximum of 25% to documentaries; a minimum of 10% for animation projects and a maximum of 10% for experimental projects; and a minimum of 5% is targeted at companies working on foreign co-productions.

Non official translation