This new beach safety plan aims to end the lack of surveillance in many of these towns, which is particularly significant given that the Archipelago is the second Spanish community with the most drowning deaths. In 2025, 69 fatalities were recorded along its 1,500 kilometers of coastline, and it is estimated that 61% of these deaths could have been avoided by respecting pre-alert signals and red flags.
The initiative responds to a long-standing demand from the Canarian Federation of Municipalities (Fecam), which had called for a regional program to provide funding and regulation to ensure this essential service. The plan will not only include specific budget allocations but will also establish a system of inter-administrative coordination, awareness campaigns, and a detailed census of bathing areas, evaluating factors such as visitor numbers and risk levels.
The Ministry of Territorial Policy is driving this measure following the annulment by the Supreme Court in 2023 of Decree 116/2018, which regulated beach safety. The high court considered that the decree lacked legal standing and sufficient financial provision, in addition to imposing obligations on municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants that, according to the Law on Bases of Local Regime, are not obligated to provide civil protection services themselves.
Marcos Lorenzo, vice-minister of Emergencies for the regional Executive, announced that the plan is already in the development phase and is expected to be implemented "as soon as possible" through a decree, with a collaborative approach. Subsequently, it will be integrated into the Canary Islands Civil Protection Law. Lorenzo, who was the mayor of Tijarafe and a member of Fecam, has firsthand knowledge of the difficulties faced by municipalities affected by the previous decree.
Since the beginning of the legislature, the Canarian government has already been providing aid to small municipalities that requested it to deploy rescue resources, albeit without a clear regulatory framework. These subsidies have allowed some towns to have lifeguards at key points along their coasts. In 2025, 1.5 million euros were distributed, benefiting 20 out of the 45 intended municipalities. Among those receiving the largest allocations were El Rosario (Tenerife) and Yaiza (Lanzarote).
Municipalities like Arico have been particularly insistent on the need for regulation by the Canarian Government, arguing that the competence and funding to guarantee this "essential" service lie with the regional administration. The new decree aims to be approved before May 2027, and although municipalities will not directly fund the service, they will have to meet requirements such as updating safety plans and deploying warning signage, for which they will also receive assistance and guidance.
