Government promotes roll out of high-speed electronic communications

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree with the aim of reducing the cost of the roll out of high-speed electronic communications.

The acting Vice-President of the Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, specified that this regulation will enable telecommunications operators to install their new ultra high-speed networks using pre-existing infrastructures and civil works, for example, gas, electricity and sanitation pipelines, pylons, conduits on highways, railway lines, towers and any other structure capable of hosting the new networks.

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría also pointed out that measures have been established to coordinate new civil works such that when new works are to be carried out, the opportunity is taken to install fibre-optic networks at the same time and thus avoid having to dig up roads and pavements again. She stated that this "will significantly help in reducing the cost of installing new networks and, more importantly, the upheaval to our citizens by cutting down the number of works in progress".

The Vice-President of the Government asserted that "this new regulation is a further step in the raft of reforms undertaken in the telecommunications sector, the fundamental cornerstone of which was the new General Telecommunications Act approved in May 2014, which was backed by a broad Parliamentary consensus".

The main aim of this raft of measures "has been to create a regulatory framework that fosters investment and facilitates the swift roll out of the new fibre-optic networks and the coverage of fourth generation mobile telephone networks such that individuals and companies can enjoy the best high-speed Internet access services" , explained the Vice-President of the Government.

Thanks to all these reforms, the government has created a regulatory framework that enables Spain "to have the most extensive household fibre-optic network in the whole European Union" with 22.5 million installed accesses, compared with a little more than 1 million back in 2012, recalled Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría.

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría also highlighted that "more than two-thirds of Spanish homes now have the chance to use a 100 Mbps fibre-optic connection", and that the "progress made has been tremendous" on mobile telephone broadband". "There was no 4G in 2012, while coverage of these networks now reaches 90% of the population", she remarked.

Highway conservation

Pool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoThe government authorised five service contracts for the execution of various conservation and maintenance operations on State highways for a total sum of 110.78 million euros.

The Vice-President of the Government specified that the contracts affect the provinces of Albacete, Ávila, Guadalajara, La Rioja and Teruel and allow works to be carried out that maintain highways in service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

These contracts cover communication and surveillance services, accident response actions, maintenance of elements of the highway, electrical installations and lighting, both in tunnels and in the open. Also included are the tasks related to winter roadworthiness, the clearing away of vegetation that grows on the edge of highways and the repair and replacement of deteriorated surfaces.

Subsidies for the marine environment

The government approved an exception to the order that regulates a halt on the budget performance published on 16 July by authorising two subsidy programmes related to the marine environment.

The first of these programmes contains subsidies aimed at entities associated with the fisheries sector. These entities are in on-going dialogue with the General Secretariat of Fisheries to configure fishing policy and the planning of this economic activity. Moreover, they actively participate on existing collegiate bodies and provide support and assistance in the design of policies before the European Union in this area.

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría highlighted that "without the authorisation of this subsidy, serious economic hardship would be suffered, particularly affecting the National Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which encompasses 197 fishermen's associations".

The second programme of subsidies includes aid for national fish farming plans as provided for in the Strategic Aquaculture Plan 2012-2020. These R&D+i projects that date back to 1988 are developed jointly between the productive and research sectors, and have led to the implementation of 110 plans to date.

The Government Spokesperson specified that "this funding is necessary in order not to lose the research fabric which is so important in a country such as ours where there is great capacity for growth in this area".

Improvements in healthcare

Pool Moncloa/J. M. CuadradoThe Council of Ministers approved the distribution of loans to the autonomous regions to develop healthcare IT systems and to finance strategies to tackle rare diseases.

The Vice-President of the Government specified that a total sum of 3,025,020 euros will be distributed and charged to the budget of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality for 2016 pursuant to the population criteria agreed at the Plenary Session of the Inter-territorial Council of the National Health System. The amount of the funding is the same as in 2015 and 60% higher than in 2013 and 2014.

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría underlined that 2 million euros will be allocated "to actions to improve knowledge on morbidity which is essential for care and pathologies and to calculate indicators for the design of healthcare strategies". The remaining 1 million euros will be allocated to improving information on rare diseases.

Current affairs

Pool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoAt the start of the press briefing following the Council of Ministers, the Vice-President of the Government expressed the government's condolences, solidarity and support to the family of Private Aarón Vidal López, killed on Thursday in an accident in Iraq, and "to everyone in the armed forces who are overseas at this time defending our democratic values".

The Vice-President of the Government also mentioned the derailing of a train in Porriño (Pontevedra) on the line between Vigo-Oporto, which is known as the Celta Train.

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría specified that this international service is jointly provided by Renfe and the Portuguese railway operator Comboios de Portugal. As a result of the accident, railway traffic was halted between Orense and Redondela in both directions and both Renfe and the Ministry of Public Works have activated the victim assistance plan for railway accidents.

The Government Spokesperson confirmed that there were victims, although she did not specify the number of dead or injured, and reported that the Minister for Justice and head of the ordinary duties and affairs of the Ministry of Public Works, Rafael Catalá, is now in the area, together with the State Secretary for Infrastructures, Julio Gómez Pomar.

In response to questions from journalists on the appearance by the Minister for Economic Affairs and Competition, Luis de Guindos, before the Plenary Session of the Lower House of Parliament to offer explanations on the initial appointment of the former minister, José Manuel Soria, to hold a senior position at the World Bank, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría stated that Luis de Guindos will appear, at his own request, before the Economic Affairs Committee to report on the budget plan and the documentation to be presented to the European Union by 15 October, and pointed out that he may refer to the case of former minister Soria at the same time.

At any event, pointed out the Vice-President of the Government, we should "appreciate the difference between information and control": information may be offered to the committee but an extraordinary control plenary session cannot be ordered, as claimed by some Parliamentary forces because, according to the government, a caretaker government, since it has not obtained the confidence of Parliament, cannot be subject to its control.

This controversy between the executive and legislative powers has been brought before the Constitutional Court and its decision is awaited. On another note, the Government Spokesperson recalled that the appearance of ministers before a plenary session, even with a fully operational government, is exceptional.