canary islands parliament residents tourist areas

Canary Islands Parliament blocks law for residents in tourist zones

Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.

The plenary session of the Canary Islands Parliament has rejected this Wednesday, with the votes of CC and the PP, the absence of the Mixed Group spokesperson Raúl Acosta and the abstention of ASG, a proposal by the Socialist Group that sought to make residential and tourist use compatible across the archipelago, thereby offering a solution to the more than 70,000 residents living in tourist areas.

What the rejected law proposed

The bill, defended by PSOE, NC-bc and Vox and which had received an adverse report from the regional government, recognised existing residential uses on plots classified as tourist or mixed as compatible where urban planning permits, granting them a legal status of consolidation. It also redefined concepts such as tourist accommodation establishment and accommodation unit in order to adapt the regulations to the reality of the Canary Islands’ non-hotel complexes.

The proposal was intended to put an end to fines imposed on the owners of apartments located in areas that, years after being purchased, were declared tourist zones. The legitimate owners of these apartments either live in them or use them as second homes, and refused to hand them over to third parties for tourist exploitation, for which they were sanctioned by the Canary Islands Government. These homes had a residential use when they were purchased, but this changed, without their consent, with the Canary Islands Tourism Act, which imposed tourist use.

Socialists accuse government of feudal mentality

In the debate on whether to admit the proposal for consideration, Gustavo Santana (PSOE) anticipated the arguments of the groups supporting the Canary Islands Government to stress that “nothing is being approved today”, and that their initiative “makes no sense” when the explanatory memorandum contains “extracts from their own regulations… you are criticising yourselves”. He questioned whether the bylaw being processed by San Bartolomé de Tirajana Council “solves the problem” that exists in other areas where residents and tourists live side by side, such as Valle Gran Rey, Puerto de la Cruz, Arona and Teguise.

Regarding the decree “leaked to the media” on which the Ministry of Tourism is working, he claimed it oozes the “feudal mentality of the PP”, and asked CC deputies whether they share it. Santana insisted that admitting this initiative for consideration “is only the start of discussing” the “only alternative for building consensus” among all parties involved.

Canarian Coalition acknowledges concern but cites complexity

Socorro Beato (CC) acknowledged the “concern” about solving the problem but did not overlook the “complexity” of tourist buildings in the Canary Islands, stressing that legislation cannot be drawn up “ignoring” the consequences it may have. “We cannot give legal certainty to some owners while creating new uncertainties for others,” she said.

The nationalist deputy urged the Government to step up its work and present a legislative proposal “as soon as possible” after “so many years of uncertainty”, although she also criticised PSOE for presenting itself as a “mere spectator” when it had held government responsibilities. She said that, in her view, rejecting the processing of the new law does not mean “turning one’s back on residents or questioning their legitimate demands”, but she defended a “broader, more rigorous solution capable of understanding the different realities that exist in the Canary Islands’ tourist complexes”.

PP says proposal was short-termist and divisive

David Morales (PP) criticised PSOE for having put those affected “in its sights” and “sentenced them civilly and constitutionally”, recalling that it voted in favour of the principle of substitution of the owner. He said the law is “short-termist”, seeking electoral gain through “social manipulation”, and in response he defended “honesty, transparency and technical and legal rigour” thanks to the regulatory “progress” developed by the Ministry of Tourism.

Among these advances, he highlighted that “an end is being put for good” to the right of expropriation and to official inspections, and that “the possibility of converting complexes from tourist to residential use, shielding regulated and orderly holiday rental activity” is included.

NC-bc compares situation to eviction of homeowners

Esther González (NC-bc) shared the “anguish” of people living in tourist areas who now face “conditions” that did not exist when they bought their homes. “It is hard to understand how a Government can change the rules in this way and evict thousands of owners from their homes,” she explained. She criticised the fact that people’s rights are subordinated to the interests of large tourism operators and said that Canarians’ homes “are not hotel rooms”. “Their owners should not have to give up their rights so that others can do business in them,” she stated.

Vox accuses CC and PP of betrayal

Paula Jover (Vox) reproached the Government for its “virulent rejection” of initiatives processed in Parliament to protect the 70,000 people affected while the urban planning “renewal” of the islands remains undone, and she agreed with PSOE and NC-bc in criticising Fernando Clavijo’s broken election promises. “The Canary Islands Government has done nothing,” she said, stressing that CC has committed a “betrayal” of those affected, as has the PP, which has not defended private property and is planning a “model” that “sets tourists against residents”. Jover declared the parliamentary term “exhausted” on tourism and housing and urged deputies to distance themselves from the executive and admit the proposal for processing.

ASG calls for dialogue until the end

Jesús Ramos (ASG) called for efforts “to the very end” to draw up a law that responds to those affected through consensus, because they are living in “constant anguish and with anxiety”, and he believes the PSOE proposal could be a “starting point” for beginning work. “We are open to dialogue and to working together,” he explained. He said the solution to the tourist residential issue “cannot be dragged out over time” because owners “remain in the same situation” twelve years on. “Let us find one deputy from each of the groups and sit down and draft a law, let us seek help from whoever we need to and find a solution for these people who are desperate, and I believe it is not fair that they continue like this over time,” he commented.

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