Government of Spain pardons the nine people convicted in the 'juicio del procés'

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Council of Ministers has approved the pardons of the nine people sentenced to prison sentences in the 'juicio del procés'.

The Minister for Finance and Government Spokesperson, María Jesús Montero, explained that pardons are a grace measure permitted in the constitution that faithfully and scrupulously respects the separation of powers and that the government has applied them because it considers them to be in the public interest to promote dialogue, coexistence and reunion in Catalonia and between Catalonia and the rest of Spain: "We will not give up - as a government - doing what we think is best for our country, its coexistence, stability and progress".

Montero stated that the measure does not validate, question or dispute the court rulings: "Justice has finished its work and now it's time for politics".

The Catalan conflict, Montero said, needs "words, dialogue, coexistence and the capacity for reunion to take on a leading role that should never have been lost" and, as the president did in an institutional declaration this morning after the Council of Ministers, he appealed to the spirit of harmony that guided the transition in order to move forwards along this path.

The spokesperson acknowledged that "fixing the wounds and recovering lost confidence" will take time, but expressed her confidence that this step "will be the first of a new stage for everyone - with a clear vision, in the constitutional spirit".

Montero pointed out that the government is well aware that pardons can cause misunderstanding or rejection by part of the population and has shown its respect for these positions, since "discrepancy, as long as it is within the constitutional legal framework, is legitimate". However, she has asked for their trust: "Words are the only way for advanced, democratic societies to be able to continue walking towards a common destiny.

IMSERSO trips in October

The Council of Ministers has authorised the Institute for the Elderly and Social Services (IMSERSO) to contract services for the organisation, management and execution of the Social Tourism programme for the elderly during the 2021/2022 season, as well as its possible extensions.

IMSERSO will relaunch the programme in October and will include measures and protocols to prevent the virus and avoid COVID-19 infection.

The spokesperson of the Executive is confident that the reactivation of travel is great news for the elderly, who have suffered the most from fear and uncertainty during this pandemic, and a step towards normality for this group.

María Jesús Montero specified that the economic volume of the campaign will be around 280 million euros and that, initially, 816,000 places will be available, which will mean more than six million visits.

More doses of Pfizer-BioNTech

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la BellacasaThe Government has authorised a new procurement agreement for Pfizer/BioNTech doses against COVID-19 through which Spain will receive more than two million more than the amount agreed by the Council of Ministers on 25 May, from 94 to 96 million doses between 2021 and 2023. Specifically, it will receive 6.4 million doses in 2021; 41.6 million in 2022 and 48 million in 2023.

Hungary has renounced its third purchase agreement with the company, the spokeswoman said, allowing for a wider distribution among all EU member states.

Montero said that the measure consolidates the supply of the vaccine for the entire population and guarantees sufficient doses should they be needed in the future. Furthermore, she recalled that although the regional governments are responsible for the supply, the contracting carried out by the government has meant savings of more than 4.4 billion euros for the public purses of the regional governments.

Investment in high-tech equipment for the National Health System

The Executive has approved an investment of nearly 400 million euros as part of the investment plan for high-tech equipment in the National Health System, within the framework of the Transformation, Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The spokesperson stated that this allocation will modernise the health system and implement innovative practices and policies that will allow the latest medical treatments to be applied in public hospitals, as well as reducing the obsolescence of the system's technology. "We want to renew 845 high-tech devices that will be incorporated into the public system," he said.

Commitment to LGBTI rights

The Council of Ministers has approved the institutional declaration due to National LGBTI Pride Day, which is held on 28 June.

María Jesús Montero stressed that the declaration places a special emphasis on the difficulty that the COVID-19 pandemic has meant for society as a whole and for the LGBTI community, emphasising the idea that the Executive does not want to leave anyone behind and will continue to make progress with the civil rights of this community, without sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or sexual characteristics being detrimental to what is set out in the constitution.

In the text, the government reaffirms "the right of all citizens to live a full life without encountering any kind of discrimination, any obstacle to equal treatment and opportunities or any impediment to personal self-determination".

The spokesperson added that in this document, the executive expresses its firm commitment to the development of legislation that protects the rights of LGBTI people and to placing itself, as always, at the European and international forefront, aligning the Spanish legal system with the European Union's equality strategy and offering a position of categorical condemnation of LGBTIphobia.

More resources for crisis management

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la BellacasaThe Executive has submitted the amendment of the National Security Law to Parliament in order to strengthen the mechanisms available to the state to access resources during crisis management. This issue had already been addressed by the First Vice-President of the Government and Minister for the Presidency, Parliamentary Relations and Democratic Memory, Carmen Calvo, at the last National Security Affairs Sectoral Conference, held on 19 May with the regional governments.

The National Security Law of 2015 mandates the drafting of a regulation on the contribution of resources in this area. The text adopted today fulfils this requirement at a time when the experience of the health crisis caused by COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of complying with the legal regime.

María Jesús Montero specified that, among other issues, the reform addresses the regulation of Spain's industrial production according to the needs of the crisis situation, as well as the role of the Strategic Reserve to combat dependence on foreign supplies.

In addition, the regulation assigns new powers to the National Security Council; after detecting a scenario that could lead to a declaration of a national security situation of interest, this body will be able to take the necessary measures to ensure that preparedness plans and resources can be implemented as quickly as possible.

Access to financial information in criminal investigations

The Council of Ministers has validated the draft organic law regulating access by the competent authorities to financial information in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of serious crimes. The aim of the text is to transpose the European directive on this matter into Spanish law.

The draft regulates access to data from centralised bank and payment account registers and to financial information and analyses by Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) for the purpose of the criminal investigation of serious crimes.

Recognition of the Educational Community

On the last day of the school year, María Jesús Montero reiterated the message of congratulations that the president of the government sent to the entire educational community last Saturday for their outstanding management of the pandemic: "Our congratulations to teachers, families, and especially our youngest".

Spain was one of the few countries that kept schools open throughout the school year, which Montero considered a good example of the strength of our welfare state.

Non official translation