Like a World Cup: Spain will mobilize 13 ministries to face the unprecedented challenge of the upcoming total solar eclipses.

With just over a year to go until the total eclipse of August 12, 2026 , the Government will launch an inter-ministerial commission to "ensure that its observation takes place in a safe and orderly manner." This time, in addition to being the first total occultation of the Sun in more than a century on the Iberian Peninsula, there is the added astronomical coincidence that this eclipse will not occur alone. It will be followed by another total eclipse—in August 2027—and an annular eclipse—in January 2028—forming a trio of top-category eclipses in three consecutive years, something unprecedented in modern history .

Given the chaos and speculation that always accompany total eclipses, experts warn, the Spanish government plans to approve a royal decree this Tuesday to coordinate the actions of up to 13 ministries—in addition to local and regional governments—during the so-called Iberian Trio of Eclipses 2026-2027-2028. EL PAÍS has had access to the final draft of the regulation, which was promoted by the Ministry of Science and Universities and warns that "it not only represents a unique opportunity for astronomical observation and scientific dissemination, but also poses logistical and security challenges that will require careful planning and coordinated action by public administrations."

The Ministry of Science led by Diana Morant, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, will lead this interministerial committee, which will be chaired by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Universities, a position currently held by Juan Cruz Cigudosa. In addition to these two ministries, the committee will also include the following ministries: Defense; Finance; Interior; Education, Vocational Training, and Sports; Industry and Tourism; Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory; Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge; Culture; Economy, Trade, and Business; Health and Social Rights; and Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda.

A total of 13 of the 22 ministries currently comprising the government, at the level of those convened for the organization of the 2030 World Cup, created a commission on February 18 to coordinate the actions of 15 ministries. Unlike this major sporting event, which is held in three countries over the course of a month, the government estimates that each total eclipse will cause the displacement of at least "hundreds of thousands" of people in the areas of the country where the eclipses of 2026 and 2027 will be total. And the unpredictability of weather forecasts makes it impossible to know well in advance where all these people will want to gather.

Spain will be the only country in the world guaranteed to observe the total eclipse of August 12, 2026, which will only graze the western part of Iceland. Given this unique situation, in the middle of the peak summer season, and the fact that it will be decades before a total eclipse passes through Europe again , some experts estimate that several million people will travel. The most recent similar precedents are the total eclipses that mobilized tens of millions of people in the United States in 2017 and 2024, which also boosted reservations for tourist accommodations. And government sources point out that the last total solar eclipse seen in Europe— on August 11, 1999 —mobilized 3 million people. That happened in a world without social media and without widespread internet access.

Mass displacements and concentrations

Last week, Airbnb announced that searches for accommodations in Spain for August 12, 2026 , had increased by 830% throughout the eclipse's totality path, especially in rural areas of the Spanish Vaciada region, which is considered the ideal area for observation . More accurately estimating the influx and the number of trips will be one of the first challenges for the interministerial commission, which, according to the royal decree, "will focus its activities on four key aspects: scientific outreach, education, scientific tourism, and civil protection."

The massive expectation aroused by total eclipses poses a challenge for the Directorates General of Traffic and Civil Protection, both under the Ministry of the Interior. According to Joaquín Álvaro, president of the Federation of Astronomical Associations of Spain , "if it's not planned, it's going to be a disaster. There will be massive traffic jams and the risk of forest fires will skyrocket. This is a constant in total eclipses." Managing large and unusual gatherings of people—which tend to occur in rural areas and natural spaces—and the high temperatures of early August will increase not only the risk of fires during the total eclipses of 2026 and 2027, but also heat exhaustion and dehydration. Other experts point out that in recent cases, there have been "in addition to road congestion, fuel shortages, and telecommunications network outages."

Recent experience in the United States reveals that fatal traffic accidents increased on the day of the eclipse in 2017. To minimize incidents, a state of emergency was declared in multiple counties and even some entire states on April 8, 2024. In both cases, vacation rental prices and Google searches for eye injuries skyrocketed.

The mystery of protective glasses

In Catalonia, the Generalitat (Catalan government) has already presented its own interdepartmental action plan, which also brings together multiple ministries and does include the mass distribution of approved glasses. One of the key issues facing the new interministerial commission will be deciding whether or not to address the purchase of large batches of eclipse glasses . These devices are very inexpensive to manufacture, but as a total eclipse approaches, their price skyrockets, leading to shortages, as also happened with masks at the beginning of the pandemic. Like masks, eclipse glasses must be approved.

The text of the royal decree creating the inter-ministerial commission for the trio of eclipses leaves open the possibility of a mass purchase of eclipse glasses, as it contemplates "the development of prevention, promotion, or resource management actions." However, it clarifies that any of the commission's actions "will not entail an increase in public spending" and must be addressed "with the material and personnel resources of the ministerial departments that comprise it."

Following the creation of the commission by the Council of Ministers this Tuesday, the proximity of the eclipses calls for swift action. Its functions include "ensuring the dissemination of official information about the eclipses and their effects." For now, the National Geographic Institute has already launched a website with official maps to show where to go to see the total eclipses . Furthermore, it pledges to support and promote "the activities of all organizations and entities, both public and private, linked to the three eclipses, and to contribute to their maximum dissemination." It remains to be seen what channels—new or existing—will be used to communicate all this information and official measures in an orderly manner.