Regional president, Fernando Clavijo, has contacted the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, to request information regarding the impact analysis of the international crisis, stemming from the war against Iran, on the Spanish economy and, specifically, on the islands. The letter also seeks details on planned measures to prevent a potential kerosene shortage, which would have very negative consequences for the Canary Islands.
Regional spokesperson, Alfonso Cabello, announced last Monday, after the Governing Council meeting, that the ministries of Tourism and Industry would also be contacted. The priority is to acknowledge the Canary Islands' status as an Outermost Region (RUP), which necessitates the implementation of specific measures. Cabello recalled that in previous anti-crisis packages, the archipelago's peculiarities were not taken into account.
“"In the anti-crisis measures, they did not take us into account; they forgot about the Canary Islands."
In his communication to Puente, Clavijo emphasized that fuel supply restrictions, potentially affecting Spain due to the conflict in the Middle East, could seriously jeopardize the air and maritime connectivity of the Canary Islands. He stressed that the archipelago, due to its geographical fragmentation and distance from the continent, suffers more acutely from the repercussions of international conflicts, given its greater economic and input dependency.
Cabello highlighted that 92% of goods arriving in the islands do so by sea or air, justifying the series of communications that the regional ministries will send to the national ministries. The objective is to ascertain if there is an emergency plan in place for a potential supply shortage, and that this plan is active and adapted to the reality of the Canary Islands as an RUP.
