Spanish politicians are strongly criticized by the Valencian population after the terrible floods which caused at least 217 deaths in the region last week. Several political figures are accused of having taken too long to warn residents, of having underestimated the extent of the danger, and of having delayed the aid provided to the victims.
Critics also focus on the policy pursued by the president of the Region, Carlos Mazon, of the Popular Party (PP). The latter is particularly singled out for having nipped in the bud the Valencian Emergency Unit project, one of whose missions was precisely the response to climatic disasters.
The alliance with the climate skeptic party Vox
This decision is all the more significant as it is one of the first measures adopted by the Mazon government after its election in July 2023. A significant victory, since it results from an alliance with the Mazon party. far right Vox. “Climate skepticism is one of the strong points of Vox's political program,” explains María Elisa Alonso, teacher-researcher at the University of Lorraine and specialist in Spanish politics. They are against all climate measures. The end of this emergency unit was precisely one of the conditions that the party had set to support Mazon. »
Party figures have on several occasions made comments tending to question the human origin of global warming, as reported in the press (here or here, in Spanish).
The unit's mission was to coordinate relief interventions at the regional level, particularly to respond to natural disasters. It had not been put into service strictly speaking, but had been allocated a budget of 9 million euros. “The speech from Vox and Mazon was to say that it was a waste of money,” analyzes María Elisa Alonso.
“Climate issues come second”
Vox has not been part of the government since July 2024, when the two parties broke their agreements. However, the tropism of climate skepticism is also present within the PP, but not as strongly as in the far-right party. “Some representatives have positioned themselves in this direction, but it is not a majority position,” tempers María Elisa Alonso. The party is actually ambivalent on the issue […] The main concern of the PP is tourism and the economy. Climate issues come second. »
The abolition of the Valencian Emergency Unit is not the only measure denounced by the inhabitants of the region hard hit by the floods. As reported by the media The Diaryclassified on the left, the budgets allocated to the climate transition increased from 237 to 148 million under the governance of the PP-Vox alliance, a reduction of almost 38%. As also reported by several Spanish media, the Valencian Climate Change Agency saw its budget drop from 400,000 to 2,000 euros between 2023 and 2024 (a reduction of more than 99%). “They prioritized other issues, by raising the budget for the bullfighting sector, for example,” explains María Elisa Alonso.
As the researcher also explains: “in 2009, the Valencian government tried to implement a redevelopment of the region to adapt it to the climate challenge. The plan was never implemented and was blocked by subsequent governments, which were of the PP. […] »
The weight of political quarrels
The same day the floods began, the PP and Vox agreed to authorize the construction of hotels 200 meters from the coast, instead of 500 meters as previously imposed by the rule in force in the region. Region. In the context of the recent floods, Carlos Mazon was also criticized for having wrongly tweeted (before deleting the publication) that the intensity of the storm would decrease around 6 p.m.
However, María Elisa Alonso highlights another element to analyze the slowness of relief: political quarrels. “Carlos Mazon refuses to implement alert level three, which facilitates the intervention of the army, because competence passes to the state level. Every time he needs soldiers or firefighters, he has to make a request to the government, which takes time.” The PP, which governs Valencia, is effectively part of the opposition to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a member of the Socialist Party.
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