The Community of Madrid has decided to take legal action against the Ministry of Transport, headed by Óscar Puente, for not convening the Sectoral Conference on Transport, the "main coordination body" between the central Government and the autonomous communities. More than three years have passed since the last meeting, a situation that the Madrid executive considers "difficult to justify".
Within the framework of Europa Press's 'Madrid Breakfasts', the Minister of Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, Jorge Rodrigo, explained that the regional government took the first step this Tuesday to formally demand the convening of this forum.
"This very day we have formally requested the Ministry of Transport to convene the Sectoral Conference. If the official convening has not occurred within 30 days, we will resort to the courts," the counselor warned during his speech.
If Óscar Puente's department does not respond within that period, the Community will file an administrative litigation appeal before the National High Court. The last session of the Sectoral Conference on Transport took place in July 2022, despite the regulations establishing that it should meet every six months.
Rodrigo has insisted that "it is not an administrative procedure. It is an essential instrument to guarantee the coherence of the system, to share diagnoses and to articulate joint responses. Its absence for so long is, in itself, a worrying symptom of democratic degeneration".
In this regard, it has maintained that the Ministry's refusal to convene this coordination body, repeatedly requested by different regional governments, evidences "the confirmation of a way of governing that disregards dialogue, ignores institutional cooperation, and renounces the construction of shared solutions".
Madrid's "constructive attitude" and claims over Cercanías
The regional head of Transport has insisted that this is not a "minor issue", since the Sectoral Conference is, in his opinion, the appropriate space to jointly address the main challenges of the sector, with special attention to the Madrid Commuter network.
"In Madrid, we have always maintained a constructive attitude. But also one of demandingness. Demandingness for investments in line with the weight and needs of our region. And demandingness for planning, rigor, and assumption of responsibilities. Because institutional loyalty cannot be confused with resignation," Rodrigo remarked.
He stressed that the objective is not to stage "a political protest action", but to get the minister to "attend" to them, recalling that, according to him, Puente has not even responded to the letters sent by the regional Executive. "It shows the little interest he has, not in those who are speaking to him, but the little interest he has in the people of Madrid and the problems affecting Madrid's public transport," he lamented.
Regarding a possible coordinated action with other autonomous communities, the counselor has highlighted the "fluid relationship" he maintains with other regional governments. He explained that Madrid is going through a "very complex" situation that they want to face "as soon as possible." "We have initiated this request and I hope that some autonomous community, if it deems it appropriate, will also do so," he added.