Canary Islands and Basque Country urge Sánchez to convene autonomous regions over Iran war
The presidents of the Canary Islands and the Basque Country have sent a joint letter to Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, requesting an urgent convening of a Conference of Presidents or a similar body to examine the consequences of the war in Iran and to coordinate measures that mitigate its impact on the economy, the country’s productive fabric, and citizens.
In the letter, Fernando Clavijo and Imanol Pradales express their “growing concern” about the economic and social fallout from the current international context, marked by the escalation of the conflict between the United States and Israel on Iranian territory and its direct impact on energy markets.
“The unilateral military action has generated strong uncertainty in the international community, violating international law and human rights, and risks a further escalation that could jeopardise global political and economic stability,” they warn.
The presidents underline that the sustained rise in oil and gas prices is already having significant effects on the European and Spanish economies, according to a statement from the Canary Islands government.
Both leaders note that these effects are felt especially intensely in island and ultra‑peripheral territories such as the Canary Islands, which are highly dependent on maritime and air transport and on fossil fuels for much of their economic activity. At the same time, industrial regions like the Basque Country are suffering a direct hit to the competitiveness of their industries—particularly energy‑intensive sectors—due to higher energy costs.
The letter also points out that, if the conflict continues, the coming weeks could see shortages of components and a drop in demand that would affect the entire national industrial fabric. This is already occurring within less than two weeks, while citizens are perceiving a deterioration in purchasing power.
Given that the Spanish government has announced it is studying shock measures, the Canary Islands and Euskadi consider it “opportune and necessary” to activate, in a coordinated way, all available instruments across the different institutional levels.
Accordingly, they request an urgent meeting, forum, or monographic gathering “like the Conference of Presidents” to jointly assess the impact of the international crisis and coordinate measures that mitigate its effects on the economy, productive fabric, and citizens.
The presidents conclude their joint letter to Sánchez by emphasizing that dialogue and cooperation between administrations are “indispensable” to craft effective responses in an international scenario that is “as complex and changing as the one that has opened after the US‑Israel attack on Iran.”
“Dialogue and cooperation between administrations are indispensable for articulating effective responses in such a complex and changing international scenario,” the letter states.
Follow‑up Actions in the Canary Islands
The head of the Canary Islands government has scheduled two meetings next week on the archipelago to discuss autonomous‑level actions that could alleviate, as far as possible, the war’s impact on citizens and the sharp rise in fuel prices.
- A meeting with parliamentary spokespersons will be held.
- The President’s Advisory Council—comprising representatives of the main business and trade‑union organisations in the islands—has also been convened.
The surge in fuel costs has become one of the most visible effects of the war in Iran, which has strained the global energy market and driven oil prices upward. Since the conflict began, the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a strategic passage through which about 20 % of the world’s oil flows—has raised risk premiums and pushed international price quotations higher.
“Brent crude has surpassed $100 per barrel on several occasions, while diesel and gasoline have shown sustained increases in Europe and the United States, with spikes that in some cases double the usual variations,” the report notes.
This rally, fueled by geopolitical uncertainty and reduced maritime traffic, is already reflected at the pumps and threatens to spread to sectors such as transport, aviation, and industrial production.
President Clavijo warned that the effect could be especially intense in the Canary Islands due to their reliance on air and sea transport as a remote, fragmented territory.
“We understand that the impact will undoubtedly arrive, that there will be inflation, and that this will harm families by reducing their income,” he said, calling for coordinated measures across all administrations “targeted at the most vulnerable and affected groups, so that public money achieves the maximum result.”
Regarding autonomous‑level measures, the president disclosed that earlier this morning he met with Vice‑President and Economy Minister Manuel Domínguez to discuss fiscal actions the Canary Islands government could adopt in this direction.