Clavijo Highlights Advances in a Canary Islands for Its Residents

In his speech the president assumes ten commitments for the remainder of the legislature, among them the construction of “more homes for the Canarians.”

The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, used Tuesday’s opening of the third Debate on the State of the Nation in the regional parliament to underline the advances of “a Canary Islands for the Canarians” despite the adverse effects of the national paralysis and worldwide turmoil.

“The Canary Islands work. Not because we have no problems – we have many – but because we have decided to face structural challenges without fear, with method, rigor and unity,” he declared.

Clavijo argued that the government’s roadmap, which tackles long‑postponed thorny issues, is delivering improvements in essential services and economic gains that place the archipelago among the autonomous communities whose GDP growth exceeds the national average.

Political Context and International Outlook

• The president stressed that the Canary Islands must “function” despite a “headwind” from the international disorder triggered by Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency.
• He highlighted the plight of many Canarians living in Cuba, suffering what he called the “injustice” of the U.S. “suffocation.”
• Clavijo issued a clear anti‑war statement: “Canary Islands are against war.”
• He warned that the EU’s loss of global prominence threatens the special status of the “small, remote outer‑peripheral region” of the Canaries, adding that “times are not favourable for this land and we will have to fight hard.”
• He criticized the Spanish central government for being “incapable not only of approving a budget but even of presenting one,” which has delayed urgent commitments to the islands.

Nevertheless, Clavijo asserted that the Canary Islands have fulfilled their part: while the state struggles to approve its accounts, the regional government has already approved its third budget and pushed through regulatory changes to “unlock” progress.

He called for unity among all parliamentary groups to defend the archipelago’s rights in matters such as debt forgiveness, autonomous financing, and the protection of the RUP regime within the new EU Multi‑annual Financial Framework.

“Our public health, education, and employment are in danger. If we want to face these structural challenges on equal footing with mainland citizens, we need more state resources,” he said, adding, “I want the Three Wise Men to come to the Canary Islands, not only to Catalonia and the Basque Country.”

Clavijo emphasized that the Canary Islands do not seek privileges but instruments—the capacity to decide on housing, dependency care, wages, and territorial cohesion without waiting for external resolutions.

Advances in Economic Areas

Clavijo’s second‑stage speech detailed the work of each department and the “clear” progress toward improving life for all islanders, regardless of their island of residence.

• Presidency and Treasury: After a deteriorated start under the previous legislature, both ministries now provide a “strong skeleton” that underpins the government’s actions. The Treasury “rigorously approves budgets,” while the Presidency “guarantees human resources to implement policies.”
• The public sector is described as “robust and serious,” making the Canary Islands the second‑best payer in the country and the least indebted autonomous community, translating into “tranquility and reliability.”
• Economic Growth: Three consecutive years of growth above the national rate have narrowed the per‑capita GDP gap to 80 % of the Spanish average, a reduction of 7.8 points—the largest convergence in the historical series.
• Labor Market: Employment reached a record 967,275 workers, with 77 % of contracts being permanent and self‑employment growing 7 %, resulting for the first time in more self‑employed people than unemployed. The creation of a General Directorate of Self‑Employed is credited for this success.
• Tourism: The government has “taken the bull by the horns,” shifting from a quantity‑focused model to a qualitative growth strategy. Measures include the Tourist Vacation Law, a two‑digit wage increase agreement with unions, and upcoming reforms to the 1995 Tourism Law.
• Primary Sector: The regional government has contributed €24.9 million to the POSEI (Special Fund for the Protection of the Agricultural Sector) over the past three years.

More Housing and Better Essential Services

Housing policy received special emphasis:

• Over 4,000 homes are currently in planning, construction, or rehabilitation, thanks to public land activation, faster licensing, and a stronger role for Visocan.
• A new decree imposes residence and anchorage requirements for access to public housing promotions. The government will continue to lobby Brussels to limit foreign purchases and amend the Local Regime Law to intervene in the housing market.
• Private housing licenses have risen 40 %, linked to regulatory tweaks allowing the RIC (Canary Islands Investment Fund) to be allocated to housing.

Essential services:

• Dependency care: Average waiting time cut from 782 days to 391, with 25,000+ people added to the system in 30 months.
• Healthcare: Surgical waiting lists fell 11 %, from 36,395 in June 2023 to 32,131 by December 2025. The Plan Activa achieved a historic number of operations, 61,000 extra consultations, and 10,000 additional diagnostic tests year‑on‑year.
• Education: Improved staff stability, reduced student‑teacher ratios, and expanded vocational training in renewable energy, digitalisation, and the blue economy. Early‑year (0‑3) classroom places have increased after the previous government “sold non‑existent seats.”

Clavijo also praised the solidarity shown by the Canary Islands during the migration crisis, noting the Pope’s upcoming visit as recognition of this spirit. He highlighted the new Immigration Law as a historic achievement born of “Canarian mode” and called on the state and EU to focus on the islands as Europe’s southern frontier, aligning with the Canary‑Africa Strategy.

Demographic Challenge and Sustainability

A third block of the speech addressed infrastructure, environmental, and territorial planning:

• Legislative reforms to environmental and land laws aim to simplify bureaucracy while preserving legal certainty.
• Investments in energy and water are helping resolve “very serious” structural problems that once required emergency declarations.
• To counter the demographic challenge, the government has implemented differentiated policies, bolstering public services on non‑capital islands and ensuring sufficient air‑sea connectivity. The Demographic Challenge Strategy—developed with universities, FECAM, and FECAI—is already underway.
• Police staffing will rise from 150 to roughly 600 officers by the end of the legislature.
• Post‑volcanic eruption reconstruction on La Palma: the regional government contributed €100 million (two installments of €50 million in 2024 and 2025) plus an advance of €100 million from the state, and has invested €64.5 million in protected housing across several municipalities.
• The executive stresses knowledge‑based growth, partnering with public universities to boost R&D + I, renewable energy, blue economy, astrophysics, and biomedicine, while cultural initiatives such as the Identitaria project promote regional identity.

Ten Public Commitments for the Final Stretch

Clavijo concluded by announcing ten concrete commitments for the remaining months of the legislature:

1. Support for Self‑Employed and Work‑Life Balance – launch the Concilia Programme (2026) and the +uno52 Programme to subsidise Social Security contributions for hiring workers aged 52 +.
2. Less Bureaucracy, More Opportunities – present the Administrative Simplification Plan to centralise all business‑related procedures in a single portal.
3. Public Housing for Canarians – ensure 6,000+ public homes under construction by the end of the term and update the Land and Protected Natural Spaces Law to streamline housing and demographic policies.
4. Mobility as a Right – maintain free regular passenger transport and pilot the Single Transport Ticket.
5. Education for All – create a book bank for free textbooks, and further reduce pupil‑per‑class ratios (e.g., 23 → 16 in early childhood).
6. Science, Innovation, and Identity – approve the new Canary Islands Science Law, re‑orient the Development Fund toward R&D + I, and back cultural projects like Identitaria.
7. More Rights and Better Social Care – eliminate dependency waiting lists over 180 days, cut disability waiting times in capital islands, and launch programs for 100,000+ seniors.
8. Green Economic and Fiscal Regime (REF) – update the REF to prioritize sustainable investments (RIC, ZEC, IGIC, AIEM) in rehabilitation, renewables, innovation, and productive diversification.
9. Demographic Challenge – move from diagnosis to implementation of the Canary Islands Demographic Strategy (approved late 2025), solidify the Virtual Demographic Office for municipalities under 10,000 inhabitants, and develop the “Canary Islands of 15 Minutes” model for local service proximity.
10. Agriculture – publish the Agricultural Land Management Guidelines (DOSAS) to protect and promote the sector, and continue defending the POSEI fund.

These commitments aim to cement the progress achieved so far and ensure that the Canary Islands continue moving toward a future truly “for the Canarians.”