Map of fires in Spain today, August 20: Las Hurdes maintains the main emergency while Salamanca contains the advance of the fire

The declaration of a "zone severely affected by a civil protection emergency" (formerly catastrophic zone) is made by the Government of Spain, but the Junta de Extremadura must initiate and justify the request. After a forest fire, its key task is to demonstrate the extent of the damage, coordinate the affected municipalities, and formally articulate the request to the State. From there, the central Government evaluates the file and, if appropriate, approves the declaration by agreement of the Council of Ministers.

1. General legal basis

The figure of "zone severely affected by a civil protection emergency" is framed within the state civil protection regulations. This regulation:

• Allows the Government of Spain to declare the affected area when a catastrophe (such as a large forest fire) clearly exceeds the ordinary response capacity of the Autonomous Community and municipalities.
• Facilitates the implementation of exceptional aid and measures for individuals, companies, public administrations, and affected economic sectors.

2. Steps corresponding to the Junta de Extremadura

a) Activation and management of the emergency

• Activate the regional civil protection plan against forest fires when the magnitude requires it (for example, moving to emergency phases above the ordinary operational level).
• Coordinate the resources of its own (INFOEX or other regional devices), municipal, and state (UME, State resources) if requested.
• Collect data on damages and actions from the beginning, as they will later form part of the file.

b) Information gathering and damage assessment

Once the fire is stabilized or extinguished, the Junta must structure the information:

• Civil protection and environmental technical reports, describing:
  • Burned area and type of forest mass.
  • Residual risks (erosion, flood risk, impact on fauna, etc.).
  • Actions taken during the emergency and resources mobilized.
• Municipal reports from the affected municipalities:
  • Damage to homes, municipal infrastructure, livestock or agricultural operations, local businesses.
  • Social impact (evacuations, water use restrictions, loss of supplies, etc.).
• Aggregate economic assessment:
  • Estimation of public material damages (roads, water intakes, facilities, public forests).
  • Estimation of private damages (homes, companies, agricultural and forestry operations).
  • Calculation of intervention and initial recovery costs.

c) Formal initiation of the file in the Junta

• Normally, the initiative corresponds to the department responsible for civil protection or environment, which prepares a justificatory report.
• This report is submitted to the Government Council of the Junta de Extremadura, which adopts a formal agreement to request the declaration from the Government of Spain.
• The Government Council agreement must:
  • Define the affected geographic area (municipal terms, regions, or specific zones).
  • Include or annex the technical and economic reports and assessments.
  • Justify that the magnitude of the damage exceeds the ordinary autonomous and local response capacity.

d) Submission of the request to the State

• The Junta sends the agreement and the complete file to the competent state ministry (usually the one responsible for civil protection or interior, depending on the current organization).
• It may also maintain political and technical contacts with that ministry to complete data and align specific measures (aid to the agricultural sector, hydrological-forestry restoration, etc.).

3. Steps corresponding to the State

• The receiving ministry analyzes the documentation, may request clarifications or extensions, and coordinates with other affected ministries (Finance, Agriculture, Transport, etc.).
• If it considers the severity and general interest proven, it submits a proposal for agreement to the Council of Ministers declaring the severely affected zone.
• The Council of Ministers, if applicable, adopts the agreement, which is published in the Official State Gazette and specifies:
  • Territorial scope of the declaration.
  • Types of aid and applicable measures.

4. Legal effects of the declaration

Once the zone is declared severely affected:

• Lines of aid and subsidies are opened for:
  • Individuals (main residence, belongings, personal damages).
  • Local corporations (repair of infrastructure and public services).
  • Companies and affected agricultural or forestry operations.
• Tax and labor benefits may be approved (deferrals, partial exemptions, measures on social contributions).
• Extraordinary environmental restoration and infrastructure actions are foreseen, financed or co-financed by the General State Administration.
• The Junta and municipalities take on managing and channeling aid requests according to the bases established by the State.

In summary, the Junta de Extremadura must: manage the emergency, thoroughly document and assess the damages, approve a formal request agreement in its Government Council, and submit a solid file to the competent ministry. From there, the decision and activation of the special aid regime depend on the Government of Spain.

The president of the Junta de Castilla y León is not the "operational chief" of forest fires, but he is the highest political and government authority in the Community and, therefore, the apex of the regional civil protection system when a fire becomes a major emergency. His powers are understood based on the Statute of Autonomy, the regional citizen protection law, and the state Law 17/2015 of the National Civil Protection System.

1. General framework: Statute of Autonomy

Organic Law 14/2007, reforming the Statute of Autonomy of Castilla y León, defines the president as:

• Supreme representative of the Community and ordinary representative of the State within it.
• President of the Junta, who directs and coordinates the action of the regional Government and sets the agenda and deliberations of the Government Council.
• Holder of the power to sign the decrees and agreements of the Junta and order their publication in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León.

This means that, although the technical management of fires is assigned to ministries and specialized services, the president:

• Sets the general political line in civil protection and emergencies.
• Coordinates the involved ministers (environment, interior, agriculture, etc.) in crisis situations.
• Endorses and signs the agreements and regulatory provisions that shape the forest fire fighting system.

2. Civil protection and forest fire plans

The Law 4/2007, on Citizen Protection of Castilla y León, configures the regional citizen protection system and assigns the Community Administration the responsibility for civil protection services within its scope. Although the consulted excerpts do not detail article by article the president's role, it is clear that:

• The Junta de Castilla y León is responsible for planning and executing policies of prevention, risk control, and emergency response.
• The emergency response plans (including the Civil Protection Plan for Emergencies due to Forest Fires in Castilla y León – INFOCAL, approved by Decree 274/1999 and cited in Decree-law 2/2023) are integrated into this system.

At the state level, the Law 17/2015, of July 9, on the National Civil Protection System establishes that:

• Forest fires are addressed through special civil protection plans (regional and, if applicable, state) specific to this risk.
• The regional and special territorial plans are approved by the competent Administration of the Autonomous Community.
• The emergency coordination bodies of the Autonomous Communities are essential parts of the system and can act as operational coordination centers.

3. Specific powers of the president in forest fires

Based on these laws, the powers of the president of the Junta de Castilla y León in managing emergencies caused by forest fires can be summarized as follows:

• Political direction of the emergency: sets the general orientation of the response, decides the prioritization of resources at a high level, and politically coordinates all involved ministries through the Government Council.
• Approval and support of regulatory and planning instruments: as president of the Junta, he promotes, approves, and signs the decrees and agreements that:
  • Regulate the prevention and extinction operation of forest fires.
  • Modify the Forest Law of Castilla y León or develop INFOCAL (for example, Decree-law 2/2023, on urgent measures on prevention and extinction of forest fires, which adapts the regional system to state requirements).
• High-level inter-administrative coordination: as the ordinary representative of the State in the Community, the president is the main political interlocutor:
  • With the General State Administration (particularly the Ministry of the Interior and the Government Delegation) to request additional support from state resources, including the Military Emergency Unit.
  • With other neighboring autonomous communities when the fire has a supra-territorial dimension.
• Action in emergencies of national interest: if a fire is declared a national interest emergency, Law 17/2015 provides that direction passes to the Minister of the Interior. In this scenario:
  • The president maintains political direction over regional resources and their integration into the state device.
  • Acts as the main interlocutor and political responsible of the Community before the State and the citizens of Castilla y León.
• Promotion of post-fire recovery: although sectoral management falls to the competent ministries (environment, agriculture, housing, etc.), the president:
  • Coordinates and directs the overall package of environmental, economic, and social restoration measures.
  • Can promote government agreements and regional regulations to articulate aid and actions in affected areas.

In short, the president of the Junta exercises a political and strategic leadership and coordination function of the response to forest fires as civil protection emergencies, while the technical and operational management is articulated through INFOCAL, specialized services, and the Community's emergency coordination bodies, integrated into the National Civil Protection System.

The management and prevention of forest fires in Spain is supported by a basic block of state regulations that set the "common ground" for the entire country and leave a wide margin for development to the autonomous communities, which are mainly responsible for the daily management of the forest and extinction devices.

Law 43/2003, on Forests, and its evolution

The central axis is Law 43/2003, of November 21, on Forests (text in the Official State Gazette), mainly amended by Law 10/2006 and Law 21/2015. It is basic state legislation on forests and environment, and regulates:

• Forest planning: Spanish Forest Strategy, Spanish Forest Plan, and forest resource management plans.
• Management and uses of forests, requiring management instruments.
• Forest fire prevention: preventive planning, infrastructures, use limitations, and obligations of owners and users.
• Sanctioning regime on matters covered by the law, including fire-related infractions.
• Participation and information: citizen access to forest information and awareness campaigns.

The law is basic: it sets principles, minimum obligations, and common criteria (e.g., planning, coordination, basis of the sanctioning regime), while the autonomous communities develop:

• Their own prevention and defense plans against forest fires.
• Detailed regulation of fire uses, agricultural burns, safety strips, etc.
• The specific organization of extinction services and classification of infractions and sanctions within the basic framework.

Royal Decree-law 15/2022, on urgent measures

Royal Decree-law 15/2022, of August 1, on urgent measures regarding forest fires (text in the Official State Gazette), strengthens this framework in a climate change context. It amends several articles of the Forest Law (e.g., arts. 9, 46, 48, and introduces arts. 48 bis and 50 bis) to:

• Harden and specify the preventive obligations of administrations and landowners.
• Reinforce inter-administrative coordination, including the action of the Forest Fire Fighting Committee (CLIF).
• Connect fire management with new national strategic guidelines agreed with the autonomous communities.

Here too, the State sets a minimum standard, leaving operational details to the communities (risk calendars, resource allocation, device organization, etc.).

Civil protection and emergency planning

Law 17/2015, on the National Civil Protection System

Law 17/2015, of July 9, on the National Civil Protection System (text in the Official State Gazette) sets the general civil protection framework, within which forest fire emergencies are framed. It regulates:

• The National Civil Protection System, its coordination bodies, and distribution of powers.
• Emergency planning (basic, special, and territorial plans, including forest fire risk).
• Mobilization of state resources (such as the UME) to support communities.
• A specific sanctioning regime in civil protection matters.

It is also a basic law: communities approve their territorial and special civil protection plans, framed within this framework and coordinated through state bodies.

Basic directive and State Plan for forest fires

Specific planning for fire risk is detailed in:

• Royal Decree 893/2013, of November 15, which approves the Basic Directive for Civil Protection Planning of Emergency due to Forest Fires (text in the Official State Gazette). Although this regulation has been partially repealed by Royal Decree 524/2023, its provision foresees that the Directive continues to apply until the new planning instrument is approved. It establishes minimum requirements for plans:
  • State, regional, and local plans against forest fires.
  • Foundations, structure, organization, and operational and response criteria.
  • Mechanisms of coordination between administrations and with other emergency services.
• The Resolution of October 31, 2014, which publishes the State Civil Protection Plan for Emergencies due to Forest Fires (text in the Official State Gazette), develops the Directive at the state level and:
  • Defines the organization and procedures of state resources.
  • Regulates how support is provided to regional plans when required or when there is national interest.

Other complementary regulations

There are also specific state regulations, such as Order PCM/641/2021, of June 21 (text in the Official State Gazette), which sets compensation for accidents of people collaborating in extinction work, or various orders and royal decrees on training and professional qualifications in emergencies and civil protection.

On this common basis, each autonomous community approves its own forest law, its prevention and extinction plans, and its specific sanctioning regulations, always respecting these state minimums in forests, environment, and civil protection.