Natalia Intotero on the ANM situation: 10 months without a budget for 2026 and an incomplete Board of Directors

Environment Minister Natalia Intotero said Tuesday that the National Environmental Authority (ANM) operated for 10 months without a budget for 2026 and with an incomplete Board of Directors. The situation also affected weather stations, where employees are working in conditions the minister considers unacceptable.

Intotero said the institution's budget was approved at the government meeting on October 30. In the final days of the former management's term, the Board of Directors was completed so that it could become operational.

The minister said she visited the institution and met with ANM employees. According to her, weather stations face serious problems: deteriorating buildings, outdated equipment, and staff shortages. She asked the representatives of the Board of Directors to quickly identify solutions for increasing staffing and carrying out the necessary investments.

The statements come amid the scandal over procurement at ANM. Intotero said the inspection report would remain with the Prosecutor's Office and the Court of Accounts, institutions that can continue the checks and order the measures required by law.