22nd Conference of Regional Presidents

Pedro Sánchez urges regional governments to continue enhancing co-governance to tackle challenge of COVID-19

2020.9.4

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Moncloa Palace, Madrid

In his speech, the President of the Government reiterated the need to continue enhancing the co-governance strategy as the best guarantee to jointly tackle the challenges posed by the fight against the pandemic caused by COVID-19.

He also highlighted the climate of consensus achieved at the Multisector Conference held on 27 August - which focused on the start of a safe school year with all due guarantees for the whole education community - and reiterated his interest in continuing to convene this forum - the top cooperation body between Central Government and the regional governments, at least on a monthly basis while the current situation lasts.

At a press briefing at the end of the Conference, the Ministers for Health, Salvador Illa, and for Territorial Policy and Public Function, Carolina Darias, highlighted the climate of understanding and dialogue in which the meeting was held and declared the government's will to continue tackling the health, economic and social challenges involved in this scenario through maximum unity between all tiers of government - Central, regional and local.

Minister Darias announced the upcoming meeting of the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council, which will be held in the month of September. Furthermore, she stated the government's intention to hold a specific sector conference to address questions relating to the governance of the European Union Recovery Fund and the intention of the President of the Government to initiate a round of bilateral meetings with all the regional presidents on this matter.

She also reported that the first contact between the Government of Spain and the European Union will take place on 15 October to discuss managing the European funds.

For his part, the Minister for Health, Salvador Illa, reported on the aspects related to the vaccination plans within the framework of the necessary coordination with the regional authorities on this matter and on others, such as carrying out community screening in areas of high COVID prevalence. He also conveyed the government's decision to begin a third wave of the seroprevalence study in the month of October, which will provide continuity to those already carried out since the start of the pandemic.

Minister Illa stressed the importance of monitoring and tracing cases, highlighting the support expressed by the regional governments for the proposal to step up surveillance and tracing by Army personnel in the autonomous regions. The first contingent is already operational in the Autonomous City of Melilla and as from 7 September the Epidemiological Support Units of the Ministry of Defence will begin to operate in Madrid, the Region of Valencia and Murcia. In the same vein, the Minister for Health again appealed for a civic conscience in the widespread downloading of the RadarCovid application.

Lastly, the Minister for Health reported on the framework agreement for the strategic reserve of the joint procurement of health material for the sum of 3.6 billion euros, involving the participation of 16 regional governments, on which the ministerial department has been working to select the successful bidders.

Non official translation