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Spain declares emergency in Murcia, Valencia, Andalucía and more, but what does that really mean?
The ‘emergency of national interest’ designation means that extra funding and help can be accessed for affected areas without going through the usual lengthy legal channels
Spain’s Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has declared an emergency of national interest in the territory of the autonomous communities of Andalucía, Murcia, the Valencian Community, Extremadura, La Rioja, Madrid, Galicia and Castilla-La Mancha as a result of the electricity blackout that occurred this Monday April 28 across the entire Iberian Peninsula.
The declaration of emergency of national interest has been made at the request of these eight communities, in accordance with the provisions of Law 17/2015, of July 9, on the National Civil Protection System. It is up to the Minister of the Interior to order and coordinate the necessary actions to mitigate the effects of the blackout, as well as the management of all state, regional and local resources to be used in these communities, as reported by the government department in a statement.
The declaration of emergency of national interest implies that the government formally recognises that a problem, situation, coordination or reconstruction is a priority for the country or that the communities requesting it assume that they are overwhelmed by the situation and need external or urgent help.
It is not yet known how long this emergency of national interest status will be active for. This declaration does not suspend constitutional rights and can be implemented by regions or communities, but it does empower the central government to take over some powers, including:
- Allocating public funds more quickly: Budgets can be moved or released without going through lengthy processes or the usual approval channels.
- Simplifying administrative procedures: Procurement, tenders or permits can be made more agile or even direct, skipping ordinary procedures and competitions.
- Mobilisation of state resources: Different public entities can be ordered to cooperate with each other or with the private sector immediately.
- Providing a legal framework for new measures: Specific programmes, policies or actions can be created to address the emergency with the appropriate legal backing.
- Accessing international support: Facilitates the request for external assistance (donations, technical assistance or loans), if needed.
It should be noted that the declaration of an emergency of national interest does not suspend constitutional rights (as in the State of Emergency, State of Siege or Martial Law), so there is no curfew, no detentions outside the normal channels, no limitations to mobility or private property.
Declarations such as the national interest emergency we are talking about, as well as a Sanitary Emergency, Environmental Emergency or Economic Emergency, do not suspend fundamental rights, but only allow for faster action within the normal margins of the law.
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Image: CARM
