Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday urged office staff to forgo their ties in favor of more casual attire in the sweltering summer heat. Sanchez asked the office staff to follow his own tie-free lead in a move that some would be shocked was even necessary considering Spain’s well-known hot temperature. During a news conference in Madrid, Sanchez pointed to his open-neck shirt and grinned heartily, saying, “I would like you to see that I am not wearing a tie.”
He asserted that increasing comfort may conserve energy if it led to less air conditioning usage.
He added that he had ordered all ministers and governmental officials to cease wearing ties and hoped the commercial sector would also follow suit, saying, “This implies that we can all save energy.”
Without going into further detail, Sanchez stated that the Spanish government is planning to enact a number of “urgent” energy-saving measures on Monday, “in line with what other European nations do.”
The European Commission unveiled a 210 billion euro plan in mid-May in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with the goal of promoting renewable energy sources and lowering energy usage to cease reliance on Russian gas.
In response, Spain has implemented a number of policies, such as promoting remote work and restricting the use of air conditioning in offices during the summer and radiators during the winter.
The 27 EU nations also decided on Tuesday “to cut their gas demand, between 1 August 2022 and 31 March 2023, by 15% relative to their average consumption over the preceding five years, with measures of their own discretion,” according to a statement from the European Council.
This week, a number of German cities announced that they will increase their efforts to conserve energy, with Berlin turning off the spotlights that illuminate its historic monuments and Hanover in the north announcing plans to only give cold showers at public pools and sports facilities.
