Irrigators demand that Ribera rectify or resign, in the Madrid protest backed by the socioeconomic fabric of the three provinces and almost all parties, including the PSOE
Vice President Teresa Ribera does not give her arm to twist and does not intend to change one iota her claim to cut the Tajo-Segura Transfer by 40% for irrigation in Levante, in exchange for more desalinated water, despite the initial proposal of her Ministry to condition the staggered increase in the ecological flows of the Tagus to the good state of the water masses. It was his response to the concentration that took place in the morning at the headquarters of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, where the irrigators and the entire socioeconomic fabric of the Region of Murcia, Alicante and Almería, together with the regional governments and almost all political parties politicians, including the PSOE, demanded that he rectify his policy.
The slogans of the demonstrators demanding his resignation were constant. «Minister, go, and if not, they will throw you out». With this message from the president of the transfer irrigators, Lucas Jiménez, the concentration against the cut of the transfer ended. Given the short margin of time that remains, it has been the last attempt by the sector, in its mobilization campaign, to prevent the central government from carrying out its plans and to reconsider its proposal, due to the damage it will cause to the socioeconomic fabric of the Levantine agriculture.
THE KEYS
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1. Meeting with Hugo Morán
The Minister of Agriculture of the Valencian Community, Isaura Navarro, met in the afternoon with Hugo Morán to ask him to back down and maintain the text that the National Water Council supported, before the Ministry made the change. -
2. The last cartridge
Yesterday’s demonstration in Madrid may be the last cartridge in the irrigators’ mobilization calendar before the Council of Ministers approves the new basin plans. -
3. An election year
With the electoral appointments as a backdrop, there was a high presence of politicians from the three autonomous communities receiving the Transfer, belonging to almost all the political parties, in addition to the national leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal. The rejection of the transfer cut united them yesterday before the Ministry.
Third protest in Madrid
Backed by a broad representation of politicians, the members and conveners of the Water Tables of the Region of Murcia, Alicante and Almería saw their expectations fulfilled with a large influx of producers, day laborers and businessmen, accompanied by the governments of the Region of Murcia , Valencian Community and Andalusia, as well as representatives of almost all political parties. During the day, agricultural activity was paralyzed.
Members of the Irrigation Communities of the Transfer unfurled the banners during yesterday’s demonstration in front of the Ministry for Ecological Transition. /
This is the third demonstration that has been held in Madrid in recent years in defense of the Transfer, described as a success by the organizers given the effort required to mobilize and displace the sector in such a short time. In the speaker’s gallery, Lucas Jiménez did not hide his emotion at the response yesterday in Madrid. The call had a similar impact to that of May 2021, and the previous one of 2018 in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, in the government stage of the PP.
The concentration showed the rejection of the Levante socialists to the minister, although José Vélez and Ximo Puig did not attend
A short distance from the concentration, which passed without incident and under discreet police surveillance, Vice President Teresa Ribera attended an investor forum at the Ritz Hotel at 1:00 p.m., while Secretary of State Hugo Morán was in Melilla. A few days after the Council of Ministers approves the basin plans, nothing weighs on the fact that the Ministry changes its position on the rigorous application of the progressive increase in ecological flows in the Alto Tajo, which will cause an estimated loss of 105 hectometres per year in the year 2027, 40% of what the Levante irrigation systems receive.
The president of Scrats, Lucas Jiménez, addresses the protesters, accompanied by members of the Water Table. /
The protest included the participation of all the irrigation and farm organizations, cooperatives, employers, social economy entities, carriers, unions and companies linked to the agricultural sector. As well as the fruit and vegetable employer Fepex and Fenacore.
The protest coincided with the strike in the countryside; more than 130 buses and many private vehicles moved
The organizers estimated attendance at around 15,000 people, while the Government Delegation estimated around 4,000. More than 130 buses moved at dawn along with a large number of private vehicles. About thirty trucks and tractors were parked next to Nuevos Ministerios. The Government Delegation did not allow the use of trailers, according to the organizers.
Internal struggle in the PSOE
The concentration highlighted the water war that exists between the PSOE of Levante and Castilla-La Mancha, and the rejection of the socialists of the Valencian Community and the Region of Murcia of Teresa Ribera’s proposal. The Valencian president, Ximo Puig, did not attend the protest, nor did the secretary of the PSRM and government delegate in the Region of Murcia, José Vélez. A broad representation of mayors and socialist positions did, including the councilors of Murcia, Lorca, Águilas and Molina de Segura (José Antonio Serrano, Diego José Mateos, Mari Carmen Moreno and Eliseo García), together with the president of the PSRM, Alfonso Martínez Baños, Carmina Fernández and other regional deputies.
Carlos Mazón, Inocencio Arias, López Miras and Carmen Crespo. /
On behalf of the Consell, the head of Agriculture, Isaura Navarro, from Compromís, attended, and on behalf of Andalusia, the counselor Carmen Crespo. The mayors of Elche and Orihuela, among others, also attended. The Valencian councilor, accompanied by the regional secretary Rogelio Llanes, met in the afternoon with Hugo Morán to ask him to maintain the text that the National Water Council supported, before Teresa Ribera gave the big change in favor of Castilla-La Mancha . That text was the result of an agreement between the Ministry and the Socialists of Valencia and Murcia, which Ribera has turned into a dead letter. «There is room for maneuver until the Council of Ministers says its last word. The text that came out of the National Water Council was balanced and benefited all parties,” said Navarro. She recalled that the Consell has presented allegations to the Council of State, as have the governments of Murcia and Castilla-La Mancha, the latter in favor of applying the entire increase in the ecological flow in Aranjuez.
Miras, Mazón and Abascal
Fernando López Miras was the only regional president present at the protest, accompanied by numerous officials from the regional PP, including the Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Luengo, José Ballesta and the mayoress of Cartagena, Noelia Arroyo. Also in attendance were the president of the Regional Assembly, Alberto Castillo; Vice President Isabel Franco and regional deputies. The president of the PP of the Valencian Community and of the Provincial Council of Alicante, Carlos Mazón, headed the delegation of his party. Both he and Miras criticized that Minister Ribera intends to cut the transfer without technical grounds, and to be guided by “partisan and sectarian” criteria, while warning of socioeconomic and environmental damage. The national president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, and regional and national officials from this party also accompanied the irrigators; like representatives of Cs.
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