Andalucía to take between 600 and 800 of the young unaccompanied migrants who have arrived in Spain
On a visit to Malaga province, the head of the Junta argued that the Basque Country and Catalonia have taken very few, while he also called for harsher sentences for arsonists and greater transparency on the future of the border with Gibraltar
One of the key messages to come out of the visit of the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, to the town of Archidona in Malaga province on Tuesday 26 August was his comments on the distribution of unaccompanied migrant minors that the central government is preparing among the regions.
On this issue, the head of the Junta called for an "equal" distribution and denounced the fact that Andalucía will have to take in between 600 and 800 young people under the new system. In his opinion, this is a disproportionate figure compared with other regions. "We are Europe's southern border and we are not recognised as such. Andalucía cannot shoulder this responsibility alone," he argued.
Moreno criticised the fact that other regions take very few minors and highlighted Catalonia and the Basque Country, which he said will receive hardly any minors in this process. "It makes no sense that we, who are a stone's throw from Africa and receive the boats on our beaches, have to take in hundreds of minors while other regions barely participate," he said.
He went on to call out the double standards that exist when it comes to recognising border status: while the Basque Country is granted this status, Andalucía, which is under direct migratory pressure from north Africa, is not. "I ask for a great deal of respect for Andalucía and for the equality of all people in Spain," he demanded.
"It makes no sense that we, who are a stone's throw from Africa, have to take in hundreds of minors while other regions barely participate", explains the president of the Junta de Andalucía.
The Junta de Andalucía has also reproached the central government for the lack of transparency in the management of this process. Although an approximate figure is being considered, the Andalusian president pointed out that the definitive number of minors that each region will receive and the resources that will accompany the measure have not yet been specified. He recalled that "we are talking about people" and also about the means necessary to attend to them with dignity and that in both cases there is no clarity. For this reason, he insisted that Andalucía, which is already under heavy migratory pressure, cannot once again be the most affected.
Register of arsonists
Moreno's speech also addressed the situation of forest fires, which have hit the country particularly hard this summer. Moreno defended the measures proposed by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, national leader of the Partido Popular (PP), with the creation of a register of arsonists and the use of electronic tags for repeat offenders, with the aim of guaranteeing effective control over those who have caused fires in the past. "Arsonists are often repeat offenders. It is very important that we have them on file and under control," he said.
The head of the regional government also considered that penalties should be much harsher for arsonists. "It is not easy to catch arsonists, and when they are arrested they cannot be given light sentences that allow them to reoffend. We have to send a clear message that arson has serious consequences," he said. He also stressed that technology must be put at the service of environmental protection and the safety of the public.
Moreno said that every year Andalucía makes a major effort in terms of prevention and extinction with the Infoca Plan, which has a budget of 270 million euros and 4,700 troops, the largest in Spain. This deployment makes it possible to put out between 15 and 20 fires a day in the first few hours, which prevents them from becoming major blazes. However, he warned that greater state coordination is needed to deal with catastrophes that go beyond the borders of the regions. "When a fire passes from one region to another, the state has to act with all its resources from minute one," he stressed.
"When a fire passes from one region to another, the state has to act with all its means from the first minute," stressed Juanma Moreno
The Gibraltar border
The future of Gibraltar was also at the centre of his speech and his position on the plans to demolish the fence. Moreno defended the need for an agreement between the European authorities, the Spanish Government and the United Kingdom that would give stability to the Campo de Gibraltar. He recalled that Andalucía will never give up sovereignty over the Rock, but stressed that more than 10,000 workers cross the border every day, which makes it essential to move towards real cooperation. "I always welcome agreements, because I believe that agreements are better than a bad fight. We need understanding between the Spanish and British authorities, and also between the Campo de Gibraltar and the colony," he said.
Juanma Moreno on plans to demolish the Gibraltar fence: "I always welcome agreements, because I believe that agreements are better than a bad fight"
The regional leader was in favour of the removal of the physical border, convinced that this would favour shared economic development. However, he warned that there is a lack of clear information on the negotiation steps and, in particular, on the tax treatment on both sides of the border. "There cannot be special taxation in Gibraltar and different taxation in Campo de Gibraltar, because that is detrimental to the citizens of the region. We want equal opportunities, equal investment and shared development", he concluded, echoing the demands of the mayors of La Línea and Algeciras for more transparency from the central government.
