The coordination between the Government and the autonomous communities governed by the Popular Party has been good and smooth during this record wildfire campaign. This was expressed by both the regional ministers and the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, at the meeting of the Plenary of the National Civil Protection Council, which was held yesterday virtually, by video call.
But that does not mean that regional governments think there is no room for improvement. On the contrary: behind closed doors, according to EL MUNDO from sources present at the meeting, various ministers and general directors asked Marlaska for more support, more resources, and more centralization of civil protection. And even better coordination than they are currently having, which – it must be repeated – they consider good, but which cannot be entirely sufficient if the voracity of the fires is not tackled.
The first of the regional representatives to speak at the National Civil Protection Council was the Director General of Emergencies of the Xunta de Galicia, Santiago Villanueva, who, therefore, acted as the first spokesperson for the PP at the meeting. He asked the Ministry to review the application of emergency alerts Es-Alert in border areas, «because many times it does not reach those territories», and requested «to increase governmental aerial resources as much as possible» and «to extend the deployment to the maximum, to provide greater coverage to the autonomous communities».
The request for more planes stands out due to the lack of elite water bombers: as this newspaper exclusively revealed, only seven FOCA amphibious aircraft of the Ministry of Ecological Transition are operational, not the 10 promised. The fleet is aging, as acknowledged by the Directorate of Biodiversity, and Spain has had to request four aircraft of this type from the EU.
Antonio Sanz, vice president and minister of the sector of Andalusia, said he hopes «that the emergency level 3 situation helps to learn for the future» to have greater centralization of resources. Sanz, who is also the national head of Emergencies for the PP, requested a meeting with the heads of Civil Protection and forestry, «to fully understand the resources and means available» to the ministries. Marlaska replied that he «accepted the challenge» of that request. Sanz also asked for «specialized meteorology teams» to assist in fire extinguishing on the ground.
The minister of Asturias, from the PSOE, insisted – according to sources – that a «great agreement» is necessary. «We must not politicize emergency policies,» he said, at a time when it has become clear that Pedro Sánchez will not call Alberto Núñez Feijóo to reach a state pact against forest fires. The PSOE blames the PP and vice versa.
The minister of the Balearic Islands also asked «not to politicize emergency issues». «There are no colors in the fight against fire», she said. And reiterated the need «to have a specific fire meeting to address the problem and know in detail the resources and protocols». The minister of Madrid, Carlos Novillo, who connected from the advanced command post in Navalcarnero, like Marlaska, thanked «everyone» for the support and backing of recent days, in «an unprecedented deployment» like the one in Madrid where «four fires occurred at the same time, with potential impact on the population and with bad weather conditions».
The minister closed the meeting highlighting once again the «good harmony» and asking the autonomous communities to «strengthen anticipation actions, early adoption of preventive measures, awareness and information actions for inhabitants». The minister reported that since March 24, 170,000 hectares have burned (compared to 30,000 in 2025). Additionally, Es-Alert has been activated 160 times and there have been 211 civil protection interventions.
These days are, according to Marlaska, «an example of unity between the State and the autonomous communities in the face of an unprecedented crisis». The ministers think the same. Their national leaders do not.
Read more Guardiola and Vox approve the first budgets of the legislature and confirm their current harmony
