Both the regional executive and the island corporation, along with the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR), have warned that the new community framework toughens European asylum policy, reinforces border externalization, and creates uncertainty about its application in border territories like the Canary Islands.
The spokesperson for the Government of the Canary Islands, Alfonso Cabello, stated after the Governing Council that there are "many more doubts than certainties" regarding the pact's implementation. Cabello emphasized that the Canary Islands "cannot face the migratory challenge alone" and called for recognition of the islands' "singularity" as Europe's southern border, urging shared management of migratory pressure by the State and the European Union.
For his part, the president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, described the PEMA as "a rigid document" that could turn island territories into "island prisons" if not accompanied by resources and institutional co-responsibility. Morales, during the presentation of CEAR's annual report, defended Gran Canaria as an "island of welcome" but stressed the need for sufficient means to ensure dignified reception, calling for European aid to avoid overburdening border territories.
The Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) also criticized the new framework, with its territorial coordinator in the archipelago, Juan Carlos Lorenzo, stating it will mark "a before and after." He denounced that the pact is based on "more control, more deportations, and less protection" for migrants and asylum seekers, lamenting that Brussels aims to "externalize borders and returns."
CEAR urges Spain to leverage the fact that its asylum law has not yet been updated to reform it with a guarantor approach against the PEMA, although they admit the difficulty of this modification progressing in the current legislature. It is considered necessary for the State to strengthen international protection guarantees in the face of the toughening of European policy.
The regional executive's warning was linked to the message from Pope Leo XIV during his visit to the Canary Islands. Alfonso Cabello hopes the pontiff's words on the migratory reality have "deeply resonated" with the central government to move "from photos and visits to action and political decision," demanding greater sensitivity towards the Canary Islands' demands as Europe's southern border.
Antonio Morales also recalled the pontiff, noting that the Canary Islands are an "entry point to Europe" and "a land of welcome," quoting the phrase: "Dignity has no passport." Both Lorenzo and Morales highlighted the concepts of "safe country of origin" and "safe third country" introduced by the PEMA, criticizing that they allow asylum applications to be deemed inadmissible based on "generalized presumptions" or to send migrants to third countries without a "reasonable connection."
