The PSOE has demanded from the Executive of Jorge Azcón a forest management policy "in collaboration with professionals and with the territory" after a summer in which more than 35,000 hectares have been burned. Therefore, the party will request "improvements" in a fire-fighting device that they consider lacking in personnel, marked by labor conflicts and protests in numerous municipalities affected by the fire.
The deputy in the Cortes of Aragón and socialist spokesperson in the Environment Commission, Carlos Ros, has emphasized that they already warned in that commission, before the fire campaign began, that the operatives were "very tight" and were conditioned by retirements, transfer competitions, and the imminent call for oppositions.
Ros will convey these criticisms and his doubts about the planning of the anti-fire campaign to the general director of Forest Management, Ana Oliván, in the appearance requested by the Socialist Parliamentary Group for this Monday. "We know that several calls have been made to cover the positions of APN during the campaign but it makes no sense: untrained people, inexperienced people, people who do not know the terrain," he pointed out, emphasizing that, in terms of personnel management, "the foresight has been null."
The socialist parliamentarian has added to this scenario the open labor conflicts in different categories of the operative, accusing the Ministry of Environment of "undervaluing them" in the negotiations "in an absurd and ridiculous way" and demanding a greater commitment to demands that he considers "fair."
Regarding those conversations, Ros has wondered why the Vox Minister of Environment, Luis Biendicho, does not participate in them, leaving – he said – all the negotiating weight on the general director and the provincial directors of the PP. "Take them into account, take them seriously," he has shot back.
On the development of the campaign, which concludes with a devastated area 15 times larger than last year, he has demanded "responsibility and rigorous analysis." "We need to find out what has been done wrong," he stated, recalling that hundreds of neighbors had to leave their homes and saw their towns, farms, and way of life threatened.
In future planning, the deputy has insisted, it is key to "reinforce and adequately value" the work of the staff that combats the flames. "It is urgent to improve the working conditions of forest firefighters, with more training, and a sufficiently sized operation to work year-round in prevention and forest management," he has assured.
From the Livestock Fair of Cantavieja, Ros has also wanted to emphasize the role of extensive livestock farming, as well as that of ranchers and farmers, in the prevention of fires and in the maintenance and management of the mountains. "Another issue that Vox and PP have not given too much importance to," he pointed out, recalling that Jorge Azcón has been governing since 2023 and that "his inaction in public land in Aragón is overwhelming."
Listening to the territory and facing climate change
For the PSOE, Carlos Ros explained, forest management must be not only "permanent," but also rely on "the active listening of the territory" and on the analysis of the causes of the current sixth-generation fires, largely linked to a climate change "that Vox refuses to acknowledge."
"A Vox that leads the Department of Environment in Aragón and that, curiously, has been hidden all summer on this issue, used as they are to a great verbal loquacity, especially to criticize the government of Pedro Sánchez," Ros has highlighted.
With this willingness to listen to the territory and gather the opinions of the citizens, the deputy has recalled that the PSOE is developing the 2027 Plan, "listening and taking notes of the contributions of all those who want to join in creating a complete document made by everyone."