Overview

• Defence Minister Margarita Robles is set to explain in the Senate what the Government and the Armed Forces have done since August 2 in response to the wildfires, as well as what was not done.
• Robles defended the military’s performance and said resources were available from the beginning, while urging regional leaders to be honest about the Army’s work.
• She accused many autonomous communities of failing to assume their obligations during the crisis and suggested PP influence may explain their public silence.
• PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo criticized Robles’s assessment, accusing her of acting late and arguing the central government should have ordered an immediate Army deployment; he said he requested such support on August 15.
• The PP has forced a series of ministerial appearances this week, with Robles scheduled at 16:00, and is demanding precise timelines and an accounting of the resources used by the UME and other forces.