The Government of Spain establishes a model of solidarity, objectivity and flexibility for the reception of unaccompanied migrant children

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, the Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports, and the Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, answer questions from the press (Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez)

The Council of Ministers has approved a Royal Decree-Law on urgent measures to guarantee the best interests of children and adolescentsin view of the situations in which thousands of unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents are living in certain places.

The Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, described the agreement as a "milestone in the defence of human rights" and stressed that it responds to a historic demand from the border territories where minors arrive in small boats and cayucos. The minister also highlighted the endorsement of the State Attorney's Office regarding the urgency and necessity of the law, as well as the negotiations carried out in recent months to guarantee sufficient support for the Lower House of Parliament to ratify the text.

"This is the first time that a central government, faced with a clearly autonomous competence, because this has been made clear by the Constitutional Court and other relevant bodies, has put a fair and balanced response to the migration phenomenon on the table," he said.

Equitable solidarity in defence of the interests of the child

Ángel Víctor Torres argued that the only definitive and structural solution for the reception of unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents is to amend the Law on the Rights and Freedoms of Foreigners in Spain and their Social Integration. A reform that is accompanied, he pointed out, by the financial appropriation it needs.

The Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, during his speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

Specifically, the text adopted today amends Article 35 of that law by adding four points. Article 35a establishes that the Sectoral Conference on Childhood and Adolescence, where the Autonomous Communities are represented, maintains its full autonomy and can adopt its own decisions on the aspects included in this article by unanimous agreement. This point also indicates that any community where the number of unaccompanied foreign minors is triple its ordinary capacity will be in a situation of migratory contingency, which it will pass on to the government so the relocation mechanisms can be activated.

Criteria for the distribution of minors

Article 35b establishes a series of criteria - which can also be amended unanimously by the Sectorial Conference - for the distribution of minors, such as population, per capita income, unemployment rate, previous efforts, the structural dimensioning of the place system or whether a territory is a border town or island. These criteria are based primarily on the sectoral conferences of 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The legislative amendment regulates, in Article 35c, how the registration of unaccompanied minors, whose rights must always be preserved, should be carried out. The Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory explained that when a minor arrives in a community and this community is in a situation of extraordinary migratory contingency, the transfer to the destination community must take place within 15 days of the minor's registration being completed.

Economic sufficiency and determining reception capacity

Ángel Víctor Torres also highlighted two aspects included in the additional provisions of the text approved by the Executive.

On the one hand, a fund of 100 million euros will be established to finance relocations.

On the other hand, it establishes the criteria for determining the ordinary capacity of reception systems, which is the parameter on the basis of which overcrowding is calculated. The minister stressed that the ordinary capacity of each territory is determined using transparent and clear criteria, based on the number of unaccompanied foreign minors attended to in the country as a whole. "All communities have equality with respect to ordinary capacity because it is based on the totally objective criterion of population," said Ángel Víctor Torres. In 2025, communities will have until 31 March to certify how many unaccompanied foreign minors they are attending to; from next year, the date will be brought forward to 15 January.

The minister recalled that, in some juvenile centres, there are 300 people in spaces equipped to hold 20, and that these are children or young people who cannot even be educated in decent conditions. "In this country we were able to take in tens of thousands of minors after the invasion of Ukraine and a war. These are the same children, they are the same age, the only difference is the colour of their skin," he said. Ángel Víctor Torres called on the political parties to show a sense of State and defend "human rights, dignity and equality" in the ratification of the law.

Carbon footprint register

The Council of Ministers has approved the Royal Decree creating the register of carbon footprint, compensation and carbon dioxide capture projects and establishing the obligation to calculate the carbon footprint and to draw up and publish plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Third Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, stressed that with this measure the government is taking "a step forward in the fight against climate change, supporting sustainability and the protection of our society and ecosystems".

According to Aagesen, the regulation requires an annual calculation of the carbon footprint and the establishment of an emissions reduction plan aimed at two groups: companies and the administration. Specifically, companies that prepare consolidated accounts and companies with an average of over 500 employees during the financial year and which are either public interest entities or qualify as large companies. These companies can register their footprint in the register of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge on a voluntary basis and are obliged to publicise this information and their emission reduction plan.

In the case of the public sector, the ministerial departments of the Government of Spain, its autonomous bodies, the managing entities and common services of the Social Security and other entities must calculate the carbon footprint of their organisation on an annual basis and are obliged to record it in the register.

"Measuring the carbon footprint allows us to identify and reduce emissions, improve production processes, be more efficient, be more competitive, promote innovation and be less dependent on fossil fuels," the minister stressed.

The rule adopted today also encourages coordination between existing carbon footprint schemes and improves the traceability of absorption units.

European Green Pact

The Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

Sara Aagesen stressed that emission reduction plans have to be ambitious and realistic and aligned with climate neutrality and with the objectives defined in the European Green Pact: "As a minimum, they should include a quantified emission reduction target over a five-year period and concrete measures to achieve it. They must be compatible with a sustainable economy in line with the Paris agreement".

The measure is an asset on climate change because climate change, Aagesen stressed, is a scientific reality backed by the international community: "Ignoring climate change is irresponsible and reckless, it puts our future as a society and our present at risk".

The minister recalled that the Green Pact is committed to improving our resilience, the circular economy, a decarbonised industry and a healthier environment. It also advocates for climate equity, drives innovation and job creation and improves the quality of life of citizens.

"The Green Pact means more Europe, more security, a Europe that is stronger in the world, more secure and less dependent and more resilient to the effects of climate change," she stressed.

Subsidy for the promotion of sports federations

The Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, explained that the Council of Ministers has approved two subsidies to promote the activities and work of sports federations. Alegría announced that the first of these will allocate 60 million euros to the 66 sports federations, with the aim of optimising the preparation and performance of sportsmen and women, as well as supporting the participation of these federations in national and international events.

The Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

The second grant is worth 8,300,000 euros, including an allocation of 7,500,000 euros for the Women's Football League. On this point, the Minister for Sports highlighted the total contribution of 20 million euros made in the last three years by the Executive to promote the Women's Football League, "with national teams and clubs achieving notable success".

Likewise, this second subsidy of 8,300,000 euros includes two items of 400,000 euros each, which will go towards the organisation of an international horse jumping competition in Barcelona and the 2025 World Trail-running Championship to be held in Canfranc, an event which, according to the minister, will bring together "thousands of mountain runners from all over the world" and "will help to boost the economic activity of this area of the Aragonese Pyrenees".

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Pilar Alegría also referred to the approval by the Council of Ministers of an institutional declaration on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is held every year on 21 March. The government spokesperson explained that, with this text, the government "reaffirms its commitment to the eradication of racism and the promotion of the values of equality, tolerance and coexistence".

The statement recalls the growing threat of hate speech and disinformation on digital platforms and places special emphasis on combating structural racism and racial or ethnic discrimination, addressing them from an intersectional perspective. The text also points out that 2025 marks the 600th anniversary of the arrival of the Roma people in Spain, which has led to its declaration as the Year of the Roma.

Current affairs: political agenda and growth forecasts

The Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, the Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, and the Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres | Pool Moncloa/José Manuel Álvarez

In her speech at the press conference following the Council of Ministers, the Government spokesperson reviewed the most important dates on the political agenda for the week, which will once again be marked by the international situation with the European Council taking place on Thursday and Friday, an event that will once again bring together the leaders of the EU to continue discussing security and defence, and which the President of the Government of Spain will also attend. Furthermore, Alegría recalled that Pedro Sánchez will appear in the Lower House of Parliament on 26 March to give an account of the issues dealt with in Brussels.

The minister said that competitiveness will be a central topic of debate at the European Council, "with a commitment to reducing barriers, improving transparency and maintaining the green agenda without backtracking". In this context, she stressed that Spain comes to the debate at an "excellent" time, referring to the latest growth forecasts of the OECD, which forecasts that Spain will grow the most in 2025 out of the developed countries and will grow at double the pace of the Eurozone in 2026.

"In fact, we will continue to grow more than the economies of the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan", continued Alegría, who described this forecast as "great news" which "confirms that, in a complex international context, Spain continues to make progress". And it does so, she concludes, "with a model that works because it combines growth with job creation, consolidating and extending rights".

Non official translation