Almeida responds to Ribera that "there will be Christmas lights" and is open to agreeing on efficiency measures with sectors

MADRID, 6 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, responded this Tuesday to the Minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, that "Christmas lights" will be in the capital, but that they will be turned on "with efficiency and energy efficiency", in addition to committing to adopt measures agreed with the sectors involved.

This is how the capital's councilor responded after Ribera has asked for "creative solutions" for Christmas lighting and has refused to impose regulations for all municipalities. "It does not make much sense that there is someone who has to say what has to be done because, in addition to being a very unpleasant role, it is about questioning everyone's willingness to contribute", explained the minister.

From the CEIP Marcelo Usera, Almeida has asserted that "municipalities are tremendously responsible in Christmas lighting" as well as that "for many years now, lighting has been exclusively with Led bulbs and therefore with minimal energy consumption." "We are aware of the energy situation in which we live," he added.

Although, he then pointed out that "what cannot be done is to make them (the lights) disappear due to the situation that is being experienced, because it is a tourist, commercial and economic attraction for the city of Madrid as a whole".

At this point he has indicated that "if Ribera has any questions about how the Christmas lights should work, ask his party colleague, the mayor of Vigo (Abel Caballero) and president of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP). ), who made it very clear from the start that there would be Christmas lights in Vigo, spoke of minimum energy consumption".

Required by the possibility of adopting additional measures to save energy consumption, the first mayor has indicated that "if additional measures must be adopted, they will be adopted to rationalize the use of energy at Christmas", but that there will be Christmas lighting in the capital.

"We are all aware that the Christmas campaign, or rather, that from the November weekend where there is 'Black Friday' until the January sales, is where merchants, and fundamentally stores, really do balance of the year", he explained to journalists.

Thus, the Madrid City Council is willing to "study any measure, but any measure will always be in accordance with those for whom the Christmas campaign is essential so that they can survive the rest of the year." "What we are not going to do is adopt measures unilaterally and without talking to the affected sectors. Therefore, we are willing to study all the measures, but any measure that we will adopt will always be in common agreement with the economic sectors," he concluded.