canary islands airport powers negotiation

Canary Islands push for wider airport powers than Basque deal

Canary Islands pushes for wider airport powers than Basque deal

The Canary Islands government is accelerating negotiations and reaffirming its determination to reach an agreement on airport transfers that does justice to the archipelago’s unique characteristics and the powers recognised in its Statute of Autonomy. The regional government’s spokesperson, Alfonso Cabello, stressed this Monday after the Cabinet meeting that the archipelago aims to achieve a management model that goes beyond the framework recently agreed between the Spanish state and the Basque Country, since the islands’ specificities, enshrined in law, allow them to aspire to a higher level of self-government.

Legal advantage over other regions

The fundamental difference lies in the fact that the Canary Islands’ 2018 Statute of Autonomy is a “last generation” text, giving the islands a position of legal advantage compared to previous agreements with other autonomous communities. The legal basis of the Canarian demand is found in Article 161 of the Statute of Autonomy. In its third and fourth sections, this article specifies that the autonomous community has the power to actively participate in decisions affecting its airports, including such vital aspects as knowledge of and participation in setting fees, strategic investments, and major decisions made by the managing body, Aena.

Rejecting a fragmented approach

Consequently, the regional government is backing the formula of “enhanced participation” agreed with the Basque Country as a starting point, but seeks to expand it with involvement in fees and investments as set out in the Canarian constitutional statute. Alfonso Cabello revealed that dialogue with the central government has intensified in recent hours. Throughout the entire past weekend and during the morning of this same Monday, the spokesperson has held direct conversations with the Ministry of Territorial Policy, headed by Canarian minister Ángel Víctor Torres, to unblock the transfer of airport powers.

The absolute priority of the regional executive is to approach the negotiation “jointly,” without allowing the process to be fragmented between different types of infrastructure. The spokesperson explained that Ángel Víctor Torres had suggested a calendar dividing the negotiation into two phases: an immediate meeting (this very week) to deal with airfields and heliports not considered of general interest — such as the Gran Canaria Aero Club — and a second phase in July for the major airports of general interest. However, the Canary Islands government rejects this fragmentation. “What we are looking for is to be able to discuss the full range of powers affecting air traffic in the autonomous community,” Cabello stated, insisting that making progress only on the “minor part” does not meet the islands’ needs.

One single working group demanded

The spokesperson was clear in stating that the objective is to address the transfer of airport powers as a single, unified process. Although administratively different instruments are mentioned — such as the mixed commission for airports that are not of general interest and the bilateral commission for those that are — the Canarian government argues against fragmenting the timetable. Cabello insists that the ideal format would be a single working group allowing progress on all fronts simultaneously, to avoid being left “with just one part.”

Beyond the Basque model

In this context, the Canary Islands has its sights set on the recent agreement reached by the state with the Basque Country, which establishes an enhanced participation body. While this co-management model is of interest to the Canarian executive, the spokesperson insists that the Canary Islands Statute of Autonomy provides specific features that must be recognised in the negotiation. The spokesperson noted that the Canarian government is still waiting for the documentation of the Basque enhanced participation agreement to be sent to them, and the ministry has undertaken to send it “as soon as possible, setting out the requirements for its adaptation to the Canary Islands Statute of Autonomy, which goes even further than what is in the agreement with the Basque Country,” he emphasised.

No symbolic seats, real decision-making power

The Canarian executive stresses that there is no point in delaying the debate on the major airports, which are the true engines of the archipelago’s connectivity and economy. Cabello reiterates that the regional government is not seeking a symbolic seat on the board of directors of Aena — an option considered impractical for regional interests. What is being pursued is to put into practice the decision-making capacity already recognised by law, that is, the Statute of Autonomy, ensuring that the islands have a voice in the daily and strategic management of their eight airports.

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