A meeting on the gender violence pact. Jaime Villanueva

Political groups put their differences aside to draft the first sweeping agreement of the current Mariano Rajoy administration. Under the terms of the cross-party pact, €1 billion will be spent over the next five years to implement 200 measures, ranging from early-detection protocols at primary-care centers to specially trained police units, programs to fight sexism in school, and preferential access to some public subsidies for orphans.

The agreement also introduces measures to protect the victims of human trafficking and forced marriages

The deal was six months in the making and included input from 66 outside experts.

Article 1 posed the biggest challenge, as it includes conceptual issues that affect the rest of the document, such as the definition of what constitutes gender violence. The leftist Podemos party unsuccessfully lobbied to extend the concept beyond the realm of sentimental relationships, to include all manner of violence against women in any context.

The agreement also introduces measures to protect the victims of human trafficking and forced marriages.

The document will now go to Congress for debate and a vote on Friday. Starting on Monday, the government will have two months to sit down with local and regional officials to kickstart some of the new initiatives. A congressional committee will also be created to follow up on the pact’s progress.