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Sanchez, Sanchez: Spain wants to coordinate climate change agreement with France and Portugal

The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Monday that his government will coordinate a number of climate-change measures with neighboring countries as a response to recent weather disasters such as the massive wildfires in August.

The Civil Protection Authorities declared the end of one of the worst wildfire waves recorded in the nation on Sunday. More than 300,000 acres (740,000 hectares) of land had been burned in less than a week.

Nearly 36,000 people were evacuated.

Sanchez called for a "state-pact" to combat climate change in response to recent fires. This would involve all major political forces, including political parties, local and regional authorities, unions, activists and scientists.

He predicted measures to prevent fires, new water infrastructures to reduce floods, limitations on housing permits in areas that are prone to wildfires or floods, and new laws on labour to protect workers from heatwaves.

Sanchez, in a Madrid speech, said: "There can be no more excuses or pauses. It is time to accelerate the ecological transition."

The government plans to coordinate its new measures with those of its European neighbors.

He said: "We will ask the Portuguese and French government to join us in this state pact, and we will tell EU Commission not to stop the ecological transition."

Sanchez's initiative will be difficult to implement, as his socialist-led government does not have a majority of seats in the parliament. Several parties such as the conservative People's Party(PP), the far right Vox or the far left Podemos are already opposed to the idea of a pact.

Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the PP on Monday, said that Prime Minister had already requested a pact to combat climate change for 2018 and 2022 but it was not implemented. He said, "This government lacks credibility." (Reporting and editing by Emma Pinedo, Sharon Singleton and Inti Landauro)

(source: Reuters)