Article 2 of the Spanish Constitution recognizes autonomy, but always within the unity of the State. This implies that autonomy is not unlimited, but an exercise of territorial maturity integrated into a superior political and legal framework. To access it, an autonomous process and the approval of a Statute of Autonomy are necessary, such as that of Canarias in 1982.
The Statute of Autonomy of Canarias is the basic institutional norm of the archipelago, subordinate to the Spanish Constitution and compatible with international obligations. It includes the powers that the Autonomous Community exercises to manage regional interests, always within the constitutional framework and applying the principle of solidarity with other communities.
Autonomy does not equate to independence or separate sovereignty, as the State reserves constitutional control mechanisms, such as Article 155 of the Constitution. This article applies in cases of serious breach of obligations or when an Autonomous Community seriously threatens the general interest of Spain. Laws enacted by the Parliament of Canarias, for example, are subject to the constitutional control of the Constitutional Court.
“"It is not coherent to claim broad margins of self-government and, simultaneously, transfer to the State the immediate resolution of every crisis that exceeds the autonomous response capacity."
True autonomous maturity implies effectively exercising statutory powers, such as that of railway infrastructure assumed by Canarias since 1982 and still undeveloped. It also means understanding that the State is the ultimate guarantor of constitutional and territorial integrity, and that foreign policy and decisions exceeding regional interests correspond to it.
The State does not disappear with the exercise of autonomous powers; it remains supervising, coordinating, financing, and compensating imbalances. It is responsible for interterritorial solidarity, pensions, public security, border control, and the major strategic infrastructures of Canarias. It intervenes when an Autonomous Community cannot face problems on its own.
Due to its ultra-peripheral, fragmented, and distant condition from the mainland, Canarias depends even more on this state structure to guarantee connectivity, sustain strategic investments, face migratory crises, and compensate for the additional costs of insularity. Autonomous maturity lies in progressively reducing these dependencies through responsible self-government within the State, not outside of it.
