Ribera will not change the energy saving decree, despite five communities requesting its withdrawal

MADRID, 8 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Third Vice President of the Government and Minister of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, has ruled out this Monday that the entry into force of the energy saving decree will be modified or postponed, whose first measures come into force this Wednesday, despite of the request for its withdrawal by Andalusia, Castilla y León, the Community of Madrid, Galicia and Murcia.

Despite these requests, the vice president stressed that the meeting of the Energy Sector Conference had a "cordial" tone and that the communities have shown their willingness to collaborate on energy saving and when presenting specific proposals on new measures .

In this regard, Ribera has been "happy" and has assured that the Government will receive proposals until August 31 in order to present the final savings plan in Brussels in September.

Likewise, he has assured that the Government will not accept proposals that include the return to the use of coal to generate energy or the extension of the life of nuclear power plants and that the postponement "is not viable" because it would mean approving a new decree.

SECTORAL MEETINGS

The Vice President of the Executive has added that the Executive has selected to apply the saving measures in fields in which there may be benefits from energy saving. Likewise, she has highlighted that sectoral meetings will be held, as some communities have requested, to evaluate the ways of applying the measures so that they are tailored to the needs of each of the sectors.

Likewise, it has also remarked that some councilors have proposed circumscribing the plan solely to the Public Administration, another measure with which the Government does not agree.

THE VOCATION IS NOT TO SANCTION

Ribera has also assured that the vocation of the decree is not to sanction and has criticized on several occasions the speeches against the decree by different positions of the Popular Party and, specifically, by the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, before that the content of the royal decree was known.

"Whoever speaks improvises before knowing the decree law," assured Ribera, who highlighted the work of preparing measures at a European level and the meetings held with different sectors of the economy.

"I have heard some high-sounding expression that is out of place," added the vice president on several occasions, who has affected the evolution of the PP's criticisms and claims of the decree and has ironically assured that she is glad that the autonomous presidents of the PP consider energy efficiency is so important as to make it the center of a Conference of Presidents.

PUTIN'S BLACKMAIL

During his speech, Ribera also insisted on the importance of complying with the 7% voluntary savings quota to which the Government has committed to with the European Commission as the "best way" to deal with "Putin's blackmail".

The vice president has framed the energy saving plan in a common effort of the countries of the European Union to reduce their energy dependence on Russia and help the Ukrainians to resist the invasion of the country governed by Vladimir Putin.

The meeting took place in an environment marked by criticism from some communities for the lack of dialogue prior to the approval of the royal decree, as well as questioning whether the approved temperature thresholds (27 degrees in summer and 19 degrees in winter ) were adapted to establishments such as restaurants.

From the Government it has been defended that the legislative text has sufficient flexibility mechanisms to adapt to different types of premises and already before the meeting it was anticipated that the decree would not be modified.

The decree will enter into force next Wednesday and will have to face its next political 'test' with its validation in the Congress of Deputies, which is expected by the end of August.