The Los Gallardos fire in Almería has not only forced the mobilization of the largest firefighting device in recent years in Andalusia, but it has also caused the first political friction between the partners of the new Andalusian Government. Just a few hours after Juanma Moreno appeared alongside Pedro Sánchez in Turre to warn that forest fires are “increasingly dramatic” in a context marked by climate change, Vox publicly corrected that narrative. “Climate change cannot be an excuse to shirk responsibilities,” said the party’s spokesperson in Congress, Pepa Millán, on Tuesday.
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The message was not only directed at the Prime Minister. It also questioned the diagnosis expressed by Moreno just a few days after being sworn in as president of the Junta with the support of Vox. The tragedy in the Levante region of Almería, which has left thirteen dead and more than 7,000 hectares burned, has thus become the first issue to publicly confront the partners since they sealed their government agreement.
Let us remember that during the negotiations, Vox made the review of environmental policies one of its main demands to close the agreement with the PP. The document commits the Junta to reviewing measures linked to the Green Deal and the 2030 Agenda, easing regulatory pressure on the countryside, adapting environmental regulations, and redirecting environmental policies towards criteria that both parties consider “realistic.”
In that same chapter, the review of forest regulations is also included to facilitate the cleaning of forests, clearing, and grazing as tools for fire prevention, in addition to strengthening investment in water management and prevention.
But one thing was the agreement on paper and quite another to face the first major environmental tragedy of the legislature.
Vox defends an improvement in forest management and recovering traditional activities that have been “criminalized” by “green climate fanaticism”
Moreno took advantage of his visit to the Advanced Command Post in Turre to insist that Andalusia is facing new generation fires, “increasingly dramatic and complex to control,” favored by climatic conditions that require strengthening prevention and better preparing the population for future emergencies. The president even proposed incorporating specific training on civil protection into the education system, a proposal he shared with Pedro Sánchez during the joint appearance.
Vox responded just a day later. Millán rejected that climate change could be used to explain a tragedy like Los Gallardos and called for focusing the debate on forest management, cleaning of forests, and maintenance of the rural environment. The leader also defended recovering traditional activities that, in her party’s view, have been “criminalized” by “green climate fanaticism.”
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This exchange of statements highlights one of the fundamental differences with which the PP and Vox come to the Andalusian Government. Moreno has incorporated climate change into his discourse on drought and forest fires in recent years. Vox, on the other hand, places the origin of the problem in environmental policies that, according to them, have made forest and rural management more difficult.
The left calls for Moreno’s appearance in Parliament
The Andalusian opposition has not delayed in taking advantage of this disagreement. Por Andalucía registered on Tuesday the request for Juanma Moreno to appear to explain in Parliament the management of the Los Gallardos fire and detail the chronology of decisions made during the emergency. Its coordinator, Antonio Maíllo, also linked that debate to the agreement signed between PP and Vox and questioned that the new Executive faces environmental policy from a pact that reviews the climate policies promoted in recent years.
The debate also coincides with Vox’s reorganization after entering the Government. Javier Cortés will assume the spokesperson role of the parliamentary group replacing Manuel Gavira, now vice president of the Junta. It will be in the Andalusian Chamber where the party will have to defend a position that has already distanced itself from that expressed by the president of the Executive himself.
The agreement was sealed weeks ago, but the government test has just begun. And Los Gallardos has left the first public disagreement between two partners who will also have to learn to coexist when current events force them to speak with one voice.
The Junta focuses its efforts on the reconstruction of Los Gallardos while maintaining surveillance over the fire
With the fire now controlled, the Infoca Plan operation has entered a new phase. Around fifty personnel and three fire trucks remain deployed on the ground to monitor the perimeter and prevent possible reactivations of the fire, which has devastated more than 7,000 hectares and caused thirteen deaths. The weather conditions in recent hours have allowed consolidating the stabilization of the fire and focusing work on cooling the most sensitive areas.
At an event held this Tuesday in Málaga, Juanma Moreno assured that the priority of the Andalusian Government is now the reconstruction of the affected areas. The president described the work carried out by Infoca personnel, the UME, and other emergency services as “titanic” and recalled the “deep mark” left by the fire, both because of the thirteen people who died and the damage to the territory. Moreno explained that the Junta is already working on damage assessment, service restoration, and planning aid for those affected, while maintaining surveillance to prevent any flare-ups.
The evolution of the fire will also reach the Andalusian Parliament. The first vice president and Minister of the Presidency, Antonio Sanz, has announced that he will appear to report on the Junta’s actions during the emergency, while the opposition maintains the request for Moreno himself to give explanations at the next Plenary session.
