The Government assumes that the CCAA will not apply sanctions for non-compliance with the energy saving decree

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The Government designed outside the autonomies the controversial energy saving decree that now the regional governments will have to "apply and monitor" with all its nuances.

It leaves the sanctions in their hands, while assuming that the measures do not have a "coercive" nature but rather pursue an "exemplary" effect.

At least that is the message extracted by the councilors of the communities who, even supporting the application of the energy saving plan, are not going to subject its compliance to special surveillance in the private sector.

They believe in the measures but are not going to invest in inspection and detect gaps that cause legal insecurity.

One of them is the Valencian Community.

Both President Ximo Puig and the Minister for the Economy and the Regional Secretary for Tourism, also present at the meeting, warned that the work will be to raise awareness through the example set by the Administration.

«It is not a coercive norm, that has been made clear, but flexible and raising awareness among citizens, exemplary.

We are not in favor of reactive policies, but we understand the situation and the context marked by

in this crisis", explained the head of Economy, Industry and Commerce,

(Compromís), a position that was also shared by the regional secretary of Tourism, the socialist

His main request, backed by other autonomies, is that the application of the Royal Decree be facilitated, which economic sectors such as commerce, tourism or cultural shows perceive with great concern.

In fact, in the Valencian Community a specific inspection plan will not be drawn up.

"That was made clear at the meeting.

From the municipalities, from the Local Police or from the inspections of any area, we will routinely do what is necessary to comply with this decree, like many others we have », he clarified.

The Valencian Executive prefers to opt for the path of dialogue and will call the employers and unions to a meeting to study how to apply the measures, which the Government itself will collect in a guide for the autonomies.

It is the only task left to the Government, which is not going backwards but is not advancing any further and clears up doubts among the regional executives.

“The Government is respectful of the Constitution and the autonomous State.

The Government has done what is in its power, which is to approve those measures that, within its basic regulatory competence, allow us to promote this guarantee of thermal comfort.

Then it is up to the autonomous communities to find out how it is applied and how it materializes, and how it is monitored or facilitated.

We cannot replace the competence of the autonomous community”, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, limited herself to clarifying.

This position caused Catalonia, another community that does not question saving, to criticize the usefulness of the Conference.

The Government considers that the control of energy expenditure is "essential", but does not see its doubts clarified and describes as hasty a regulation with which it believes the opposition's criticism is fed and for which it has requested a moratorium, "not so much for the substance but as for accompanying sectors that have not taken adequate measures, ”said Minister Ribera.

In addition, they detect "aspects of the text that generate legal uncertainty in many establishments."

"Its application is not clear in some aspects," added the Secretary for Business and Competitiveness,

in statements to Catalunya Ràdio.

"We share the spirit of the rule but we are not convinced by the way in which it has been approved," he confessed, given the Government's null intention of seeking "the maximum consensus" among all the administrations that have to ensure that the plan represents a 7% cut in energy consumption.

On this path of demanding more unity, the socialist Ximo Puig was found again.

The Valencian president, who defends "common sense" of the measures to protect "industry" in the face of a worsening of the crisis, appealed to "co-responsibility" to comply with them, but also to "co-governance" between administrations, a tested concept during the pandemic but parked.

That is why he launched a notice: "These are the first measures of a contingency plan that must be agreed upon, discussed, based on co-governance because the energy crisis can worsen," he warned.

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