<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Energy Ministers of Spain and Portugal, Sara Aagesen and Maria da Graça Carvalho, met this Friday to discuss the massive blackout that left the Iberian Peninsula without power last Monday.</strong></h4> The two leaders agreed to create a joint technical team, with the participation of independent experts from both countries and other European Union Member States, to clarify the causes of the incident and prevent future energy crises. The meeting between Spain's Third Vice President and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, and Portugal's Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, was held online. During the meeting, the Portuguese minister expressed her concern about the lack of conclusive information on the origin of the blackout, which affected millions of citizens and paralyzed key infrastructure in both countries. Carvalho announced the request for audits from institutions linked to communications and transportation systems, with results expected in less than a month. For her part, Spanish Vice President Aagesen reported that the government has requested more information from electricity operators to reconstruct the incident, given that technical data is still being collected. Both governments agreed on the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation on energy matters and to review emergency response protocols. They also pledged to keep the European institutions informed of the progress of the investigation and to work closely with the European Commission to improve the resilience of the peninsular electricity system. The next meeting of the joint technical committee will be held in Lisbon in the coming weeks.
