Sánchez proposes to the European Commission to create the fire-fighting 'hub' in Mallorca

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, proposed this Wednesday to the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, that Mallorca be the place to host the creation of a 'hub' for fighting fires in the Mediterranean, suggesting that it would be located at the Son Sant Joan air base. This proposal comes despite the fact that the European Commission has already chosen Cyprus as the reference center for this.

Before officially submitting the request, the president assured that he had already conveyed it to King Felipe VI during the meeting they held at the Palacio de la Almudaina in Palma, where the central topic was fires. He also communicated this request to the president of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, also in the meeting they held previously.

The president made this announcement in the appearance after the meeting he held with both. The proposal arises at a time of climate crisis marked by the large fires that have been registered this summer in Spain and other southern European countries.

During his appearance, Sánchez also referred to the controversy that arose from events that occurred in last Sunday's demonstration against tourist overcrowding, in which images show charges by some police officers against the demonstrators, which the president described as "deplorable." Likewise, he backed the Government delegate in the Balearic Islands, Alfonso Rodríguez, after this situation.

In addition, Sánchez has acknowledged the migratory pressure suffered by the Balearic Islands as a consequence of the increase in the arrival of boats with migrant people. The leader of the Executive has assured that he has already conveyed to Prohens his intention to coordinate to address the phenomenon and seek joint solutions.

Forest fires, the central theme

After the devastating damage caused by the fires in the provinces of Ávila and Madrid, which have left more than 86,000 people evacuated or confined, the situation "continues to be favorable." This was expressed by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, on Wednesday morning, from the advanced command post in Navalcarnero, accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the operational commander of the UME, General Francisco Javier Marcos. There, the leader of the Executive made it clear that the priority is "to save lives" and protect all people in the affected areas.

Sánchez has celebrated that the situation is stabilizing and has assured that work continues on fire containment and cooling of areas to prevent outbreaks in the stabilized foci. However, he has emphasized the need to extreme precautions so that the situation does not worsen. "We are already in a new heat wave, that means there will be high temperatures, less humidity and we will see what the evolution of wind gusts is," he declared.

The president has confirmed that there are currently 10 active fires in the country and, given the seriousness of this situation, has once again insisted on a state pact, stating that "he will not tire of reiterating it" despite its rejection by the opposition. Likewise, Sánchez has described the management and collaboration between the Government and the administrations as "positive," to whom he has thanked for their "team spirit." "Our only enemy is fire and our main priority is to save lives and population centers," he stressed.