The Government of Castilla-La Mancha will take part next week in Brussels in a high-level meeting focused on the Future of the CAP. This is what the second vice president of the regional Executive, José Manuel Caballero, has announced during his address at the forum “Agriculture, economy and culture to transform the territory”, organized by El Español at the “Virgen de las Viñas” cooperative, before representatives of the Castilian-Manchego agri-food sector.
Accompanied by the minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Julián Martínez Lizán, and by the director general of European Affairs, Nazareth Rodrigo, Caballero reiterated the position of the regional Government in favor of ensuring adequate funding for the Common Agricultural Policy, as the regional Government has reported in a press release.
Caballero also emphasized the relevance of the partial agreement reached at the end of October by the ministers of Agriculture of the European Union, considering it a step forward in shaping the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2028-2034.
“As the minister of Agriculture has already said, from the Government of Castilla-La Mancha we value the agreement reached by the 27 member States of the European Union, highlighting the unanimity of the pact, but defending a strong CAP with financial and regulatory autonomy against possible cuts or its dilution into single funds,” the second vice president has said, adding that, “in this regard, the high-level forum in which I will participate next week in Brussels will serve to put again on the table our demands as an agri-food region.”
Regarding water planning, the second vice president has indicated that the Government of Castilla-La Mancha considers positively the extension of the PEAG, which will make it possible to ensure the supply of water until 2030 while progress is made toward a new agreement. He has stressed that the regional Government has been the only administration that has worked actively and has submitted allegations to the basin water-management plans.
Measures for those affected by High Speed
In another matter, Caballero indicated that last Friday the Government of Castilla-La Mancha sent a letter to the Ministry of Labour to demand that the labor protection of the workers affected by the temporary suspension of High Speed service be guaranteed.
"The objective is to request that he study the application of similar exceptional labor measures to those that were put in place on the occasion of the DANA of Valencia," he has stated.
"We have raised that the possibility of facilitating teleworking be considered, when the characteristics of the job allow it, and that the recognition of this right be studied for workers affected by the railway disruption," José Manuel Caballero explained. He also reminded that this was already regulated at that time through a Royal Decree, as an extraordinary measure, by which work became a priority and, in certain circumstances, a right that could be demanded by the worker.
Likewise, the second vice president has requested that the implementation of paid leave be studied for those people whose work requires their physical presence at the workplace and who are having difficulties commuting to it.
He recalled that, also during the DANA of Valencia, the Government of Spain approved through a Royal Decree some extraordinary paid leave for those who could not go to their job, so that they could be absent without salary reduction and without having to later make up the hours not worked.
As for mobility, Caballero explained that the regional Executive has sent to the management of Renfe a proposal to set in motion, in an exceptional and temporary manner, a bus service from Puertollano and Ciudad Real to the Toledo station. From there, users could continue their journey to Madrid by Avant train, which would allow an estimated saving of about 30 minutes on the outward trip and another 30 minutes on the return trip.
Lastly, the second vice president reiterated that the Government of Castilla-La Mancha has demanded that alternative mobility be guaranteed under the best possible conditions within the current situation.
In addition, he indicated that the regional Executive has knowledge that "as soon as it is possible, the necessary actions will be carried out to resume the High Speed service, but while alternative solutions and protection for those affected have to be provided, especially for workers".