<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, announced this Tuesday that, in 2024, the Government invested €115 million in the consular digitalization process, created three attached consulates in Havana, Buenos Aires, and Mexico, "which are in particular demand," and approved the opening of new Consulates General in the United Kingdom, China, Cuba, and India.</strong></h4> Albares made these announcements after presenting the 2024 consular balance report to the Council of Ministers and following the final approval, at this same meeting, of the 2025-2028 Foreign Action Strategy, a "roadmap for Spanish foreign policy for the coming years" that provides, among other things, a rethinking of Spain's diplomatic and consular deployment through a section specifically dedicated to this topic. According to the report, a total of 8,600 collective and individual consular emergencies and more than 190,000 emergency calls were handled in 2024, representing a 19% increase compared to the previous year. In this regard, Albares explained that the most impactful crises handled by the consular network in 2024 occurred between May and December, especially following the worsening situation in Lebanon, which forced the evacuation of a total of 346 people, of whom 258 were Spanish, 88 Lebanese, and other nationalities. Another 36 Spanish citizens and their families were evacuated, through the Spanish consular services, on flights organized by other countries. Another example was the operation in Syria, where on December 7, in the face of the rapidly deteriorating security situation, the evacuation of a total of 34 Spaniards and seven Syrians was organized. In Afghanistan, on May 17, 2024, after a group of Spanish tourists suffered a terrorist attack, the Foreign Ministry deployed two diplomats to Kabul to support the survivors, organize the transfer of an injured person, and manage the transfer of three deceased. Albares also highlighted the interventions in natural disasters, such as the one caused by Cyclone Chido on December 21, as it passed through the French department of Mayotte, which forced Spanish consular services to arrange for the departure of 53 Spanish citizens. Separately, in May 2024, the departure of nine Spaniards and their families was arranged following the deterioration of security in the French territory of New Caledonia. On July 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs repatriated the six Spanish citizens and seven foreigners who survived the shipwreck of the fishing boat Argos Georgia in the Falkland Islands. <h5><strong>Permanent assistance</strong></h5> Regarding permanent assistance, the minister stated that the Spanish Foreign Service served the 3.1 million Spaniards living abroad (almost 60% of whom live in the Americas) and the millions of Spaniards who traveled abroad for tourism, business, or other reasons. A total of 167,000 travelers registered in the Ministry's Travel Registry in 2024, a figure 17% more than the previous year. According to the report, through the 178 consular offices deployed by Spain worldwide, 199,404 registrations were made in the Consular Civil Registries, a total of 402,882 passports were processed, and almost 1.8 million visas were issued. This intense activity has been reinforced, according to Albares, by "two major advances for Spanish citizens in 2024": the consular digitalization project and the Democratic Memory Law. Regarding the first point, in 2024, the regulation was approved that will provide residents abroad with a Central Consular Identification Number from which they can obtain their electronic certificate. Likewise, the progressive rollout of the digital Civil Registry (DICIREG) began, and the development of the Consular Digitalization Plan continued, which will allow the implementation, before the end of the year, of a new electronic office, Consular Folder, and Unified Processing and Management Desk. In this regard, the minister estimated the investment in consular digitalization at €115 million. The minister also recalled that, in July 2024, a third-year extension was agreed for the exercise of the right to opt for Spanish nationality under the Democratic Memory Law. At the end of the year, the consular network received a total of 609,344 applications, of which 288,393 applications were approved and 180,567 registrations were processed. <h5><strong>New Consulates General and 150 positions</strong></h5> "To address this increase in demand at the consulates," Albares stated at the press conference following the Council of Ministers, the Ministry has launched "a comprehensive plan of improvements" that included, in addition to the aforementioned investment of €115 million, the creation of 150 new positions for consulates and consular services. "Three attached consulates have been created in the Consulates of Havana, Buenos Aires, and Mexico, which are in particular demand," he explained. He also announced, "the opening of new Consulates General is planned, as already exists in the United Kingdom and China, and is imminent for these to also open in Cuba and India."
