The Secretary of State for the European Union, Juan González-Barba, and the Secretary of State for Territorial Policy and Public Function, Víctor Francos, have made a joint work trip to Ceuta to reiterate the commitment of the Government of Spain with the Autonomous City and explore the options offered by the European framework to promote post-pandemic local development.
The Secretaries of State have met with President Juan Vivir to get to know first-hand the reality of the Autonomous City, address the situation generated after the May crisis and analyze the future prospects. González-Barba and Francos have expressed to Vivir the willingness of the Government of Spain to collaborate with maximum institutional loyalty to ensure preferential attention of the General Administration of the State (AGE) to the Autonomous City and to seek a broad participation of Ceuta in European policies.
Both Secretaries of State have highlighted the excellent cooperation between the Government of Spain and Ceuta, which they hope to maintain. The Government of Spain recognizes that the recent crisis has tended the provision of public services and is committed to strengthening the role of the State in the Autonomous City.
In addition, they have addressed the possibilities offered by the European context to alleviate financially in the short term the consequences of the May crisis and to address in the future the specific particularities of the Autonomous City.
González-Barba has conveyed to his interlocutors the special importance of the autonomous cities participating in the different lines of action of Spain before the EU, especially at a key moment to respond together to the pandemic and accelerate economic recovery. Cooperation between the different administrative levels, from European to local, including national and regional, is key to the management of mobility, vaccination and the deployment of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
For his part, Víctor Francos has highlighted the involvement of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Public Service in promoting the coordination of the actions of the General Administration of the State in the city, and a specific reinforcement of a consultancy that already works at the highest ministerial level to carry out this important task.
Subsequently, the Secretaries of State held a meeting with the social agents of Ceuta at the headquarters of the Government Delegation to gather the impressions of unions and businessmen.