Pedro Sánchez reaffirms the joint commitment of all institutions to the recovery of the island of La Palma

La Palma (Canary Islands)

"We are working against the clock with all institutions so that the people of La Palma have the greatest certainty and security," Sánchez stressed after the meeting, which he attended together with the president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, the president of the City Hall of La Palma, Mariano Hernández, and the Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana.

The head of the Executive, who has completed his fourth visit to the island since the volcanic emergency was triggered on 19 September, underlined the unity of all public administrations through theJoint Committee for the reconstruction, recovery and support of La Palma, as well as the work of the PEVOLCA Steering Committee, which is key in the scientific-technical evaluation of the volcano's evolution.

"We are in daily contact, through the Joint Committee in which all institutions are present, in order to respond practically immediately to any eventuality that may occur," the president stressed.

Sánchez also pointed out that the interministerial committee, which coordinates the efforts and proposals of each ministry in relation to the eruption on La Palma, will begin work on the lines of aid that could come from the European Union, given the scale of the catastrophe on the island.

More than 220 million euros for the reconstruction of the island

The President of the Government of Spain has reviewed the measures approved to deal with the volcanic emergency on the island, as well as the aid aimed at recovery and support for the affected areas and people. In addition to the more than 10 million euros channelled through the Government of the Canary Islands for the recovery of belongings and material goods, there is also 214 million euros from the Special Plan for the Reconstruction of La Palma.

"We will definitely see how much we need to deploy for the complete reconstruction of the island," Sánchez pledged. In this regard, the president also highlighted the approval of specific ERTEs for the islands, with a special emphasis on La Palma, as well as an Employment Plan with more than 60 million euros available to guarantee opportunities, jobs, stability and certainty.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us. The volcano's activity has not ceased and it does not seem likely we will see a reduction in its activity in the next few days", the head of the Executive indicated to the media.

Recognition of the work of emergency teams

Sánchez took the opportunity to send a message of thanks to all of the security forces that form part of the emergency response system deployed on the island. "It is important to highlight the work of the Guardia Civil, the National Police, the Armed Forces, the UME, the Red Cross, etc. In short, of all the bodies that make up the National Civil Protection System, which is guaranteeing the safety of the people of Palma", he pointed out.

In turn, the president acknowledged the efforts of the scientific community to anticipate the volcanic emergency and underlined their fundamental work on "shedding light on this unprecedented situation that La Palma is experiencing".

"I am grateful for the unity of all institutions in the face of this catastrophe. The citizens want us to work with a long view, deploying a far-sighted policy and, above all, putting the citizens of the island at the centre of our priorities", concluded the President of the Government of Spain.

Non official translation