Lola García backs new Cabildos Law and urges energy planning tailored to Fuerteventura

The island’s Cabildo president has endorsed the draft Cabildos Law currently before the Canary Islands Parliament and urged a tailored energy‑planning framework for Fuerteventura.

Lola García, president of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, expressed her support for the proposed Cabildos Law during the General Cabildos Commission meeting held on Wednesday. The session examined a range of issues of interest to the archipelago.

“The new regulation is necessary because it updates the islands’ legal framework, reflects current realities, and allows the Statute of Autonomy to have real consequences on the Cabildos’ management capacity,” García said.

She explained that the Canary Islands have evolved and that Cabildos now possess competencies directly granted by the Statute of Autonomy. The new law would enable them to apply the same legal regime used by the regional administration when exercising those powers.

More Tools to Manage Own Competencies

García reminded listeners that Cabildos currently oversee strategic areas such as land‑use planning, terrestrial transport, social services, equality policies, protected natural spaces, and historic heritage.

“This responsibility requires us to have adequate tools to develop our competencies effectively,” she noted, emphasizing the Cabildo’s willingness to work constructively on refining the legislative text through dialogue, technical rigor, and institutional coherence.

Energy Planning: Caution Amid Project Pressure

The same commission also discussed amendments to the Canary Islands Climate Change and Energy Transition Law, a matter on which Fuerteventura maintains a firm stance in favor of island‑specific planning.

García stressed that the Cabildo has warned “from the very beginning” about the risks of energy deployment without clear limits or an island‑focused planning framework, especially in a fragile territory like Fuerteventura, where project pressure exceeds the regional average.

While acknowledging that Decree‑Law 1/2026 introduces improvements and certain filters compared with the previous model, she warned that the reform “does not return full competence to the Cabildos in energy‑planning matters nor does it set island‑specific limits on the number of projects.”

She called for continued refinement of the proposal to ensure energy planning is based on technical criteria and clear objectives.

“We cannot allow Fuerteventura to be riddled from north to south with energy infrastructures without a global vision, causing landscape and environmental damage,” García asserted.

Concluding, García reiterated the Cabildo’s commitment to a responsible energy transition that respects the island’s real capacity and its insular model.