Canary Islands president calls for progress on equal footing with other regions

Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands, warned on Friday that his administration cannot remain idle while the Spanish government “doesn’t work, fails to approve its budgets and stalls the implementation of commitments to the archipelago.”

Clavijo posted on his official X account (as reported by Europa Press) that this “inaction” could be overcome with the Canary Islands Decree, which would allow the region to keep moving forward on equal footing with the other autonomous communities.

“Canary Islands will always be found with the task completed. We cannot stand still in front of a Spanish government that does not work, that does not approve its budgets and blocks the development of the commitments it has with the islands. The Canary Islands Decree would unlock this inaction and enable us to continue advancing on equal terms with the rest of the autonomous communities,” Clavijo emphasized.

A video accompanying the president’s message highlights that in the Canary Islands “negotiations happen,” dialogue occurs “with everyone,” and the regional government—composed of CC and PP—“favors agreements with parties represented in the Congress of Deputies,” but “in the Canary way of doing things: sit down, talk, and seal agreements.”

He added that those agreements exist in the Canary Agenda, the 2023 Budget, and the Statute of Autonomy, while noting that the problem lies in Madrid, where “they have been in a dispute for a long time,” and the Spanish government “keeps using the 2023 budget year after year.”

Clavijo pointed out that when the Congress of Deputies fails to reach consensus, the measures already agreed upon are not implemented—not because the Canary Islands have not done their part, but because political fighting blocks execution.

“When houses are not built, when aid does not reach our people, when free transport or discounts depend on whether something is approved, or when finding a job and becoming independent becomes an uphill battle, this is not theory—it is everyday life for our citizens,” the video states.

He stressed that if the central government does not implement what has already been agreed, it remains stagnant, and any blockage in Madrid stalls the Canary Islands. Consequently, the Canary Islands Decree is crucial so that the archipelago does not always depend on another entity and that agreed measures are not left waiting.