The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, has stated his wish to reach "in the coming months" an understanding with the Xunta to complete the transfer of the AP-9 and has expressed his confidence that the agreement will be closed "as long as I am still a minister." "Even if acting," he clarified.
These statements were made by him in an interview broadcast this Sunday on 'Cadena SER' and collected by Europa Press, in which, in addition to addressing this matter, he assessed the two new transfers of powers to Galicia approved in recent days and insisted that his department "did everything possible" in relation to the recent auction of assets from the Pazo de Meirás.
As for the AP-9, he detailed that the central Government maintains an open dialogue with the Galician Executive to specify the transfer, which has already been backed by Congress last July. However, the definitive text of the law, questioned by the PP, establishes that both administrations must reach a consensus on an agreement proposal that will subsequently be sent to the Joint Transfer Commission.
Torres emphasized that there is an "understanding" "at bottom" and that the pending loose ends are linked "to matters of an economic nature and of resources more than of another kind." "Let’s see if it’s possible that we can achieve, I think yes, to reach an agreement on this matter in the coming months and while I am still the Minister of Territorial Policy. Even if acting," he stressed.
New competencies transferred to Galicia
The head of Territorial Policy has said he is "delighted" to close the legislature with nearly 60 completed transfers. Among them, he highlighted the most recent in favor of Galicia: powers concerning initial work authorizations for foreign people and the management of airfields and helipads considered non-essential, formalized this very week.
This last competence includes around 40 infrastructures. As he indicated, taking on these functions does not imply "a high amount" from the budgetary standpoint, although "it is, yes, from the standpoint of management, of planning and of future projects." "It is the second community that has it transferred and I think it was a success to demand it," he said.
Regarding the initial work permits, which will facilitate the incorporation of migrant people into the Galician labor market, he has argued that "the presence and contribution of immigration" to the Spanish economy "is key and fundamental for the welfare state".
In this context, he said he "does not understand" the "contradictory messages" that, in his judgment, the PP is sending on migration matters. "We do not understand how, for example, with so many people who had to leave to America from Galicia and who were descendants of exiles, they cannot have a right to participate in the new electoral appointment," he criticized, referring to the judicial path of the 'grandchildren law'.
Three transfers to Galicia in the past two years
Asked whether he considers that Alfonso Rueda is backing self-government more than Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the minister argues that the current president of the Xunta defends this issue in an "indisputable" way, since in this period negotiations have taken place that have "borne fruit and ended well", such as the one concerning the coastline. These competences were transferred in 2025 and are added to the two newly incorporated ones.
"We have continued to make progress in the search for agreements more than in dissonance," he said. Along these lines, he explained that, when he is asked why some communities accumulate more transfers than others, the reason is that "there are communities that ask for more transfers than others". "If you only ask for two, more than two you cannot achieve," he added.
Regarding the transfer of the coastline, the first granted to Galicia in more than 16 years, he has said that no "relevant" complaints have been recorded by any entity. In his view, it is a competence that has been "well negotiated" and that is being applied "normally".
Auction of assets from the Pazo de Meirás
In relation to the auction of close to 700 lots of objects originating from the Pazo de Meirás —which reported more than half a million euros to the Franco family—, Torres has indicated that, according to what the Ministry's legal services tell him, "everything possible" was done within the margins set by the regulations.
The minister has recalled that there were judicial resolutions that it was mandatory “to comply with and be able to appeal,” and he has asserted that the Government managed “to recover the Pazo de Meirás for the public.” Although he says he understands those who “demand the most,” he has concluded: “Sometimes you have to accept that politics is not about getting to the top, even if one aspires to it, but about reaching the best possible agreement.”