The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, contrasted the archipelago's budgetary stability with the "paralysis" of the Spanish Government, which is ending its term without approving the General State Budgets. Clavijo announced that the 2027 Canary Islands Budget project will be presented this Tuesday to the Advisory Council and submitted to the Governing Council on Thursday. "The lack of state budgets cannot be an excuse to paralyze management or to fail to meet citizens' needs," he stated.
Clavijo warned that the State has yet to specify a timeline for the transfer of committed funds to the Canary Islands in areas such as roads, educational infrastructure, housing, or hydraulic works, as well as airport management. He recalled that negotiations have unlocked over 196 million euros for employment, the fight against poverty, and strategic infrastructure, in addition to advancing the Canary Decree, with measures like the 60% personal income tax bonus for residents of La Palma and authorization to allocate 100 million euros for its reconstruction.
Regarding migration, the president announced the convocation in the coming days of the Migration Pact Table to address the reactivation of the Atlantic route and strengthen the Canary Islands' common position. Clavijo called on the State for a preventive response to prevent the islands from facing situations like that of 2024 again and expressed concern about the Temporary Center for Foreigners (CATE) in El Hierro due to the increase in migrant arrivals in October.
He also demanded increased cooperation with African countries, surveillance and rescue operations, Frontex involvement, and coordination with the Canary Islands, emphasizing that "anticipating also means saving lives."
Clavijo reiterated the Canary Islands' defense before the EU for maintaining differentiated funding for outermost regions in the next multiannual financial framework 2028-2034, valuing the joint letter from the presidents of Spain, France, and Portugal. He insisted on preserving specific funds for the ORs, their direct participation in resource management, and the continuity of POSEI.
The president identified housing and social protection among the priorities for the 2027 Budget, highlighting the reduction of the poverty rate to 22.9% and the decrease in the average processing time for dependency benefits. He defended the approved decrees to boost housing construction and tax incentives, as well as the legislative proposal to limit property purchases by non-residents.
Finally, he reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the demographic challenge and the creation of opportunities in the less populated islands and rural municipalities, announcing that with the 2027 accounts, over ten million euros will have been allocated to municipal planning aid during the legislature.
