Parliament votes to protect the Canary Islands' traditional coastal villages

The plenary of the Parliament of the Canary Islands voted unanimously to request a modification of the State Coastal Law, aiming to give legal certainty and protection to traditional coastal settlements and other public‑interest facilities located on lands that have become maritime‑terrestrial domain.

Unanimous Call for Reform of the State Coastal Law

The initiative originated from the People’s Party (PP), which incorporated amendments from the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). The amendments urge the Canary Islands government to accelerate the drafting of an autonomous Coastal Law and call on other governing parties—Coalition Canaries (CC), Canarian Nationalist Party (AHI), and Sustainable Canaries (ASG)—to demand the effective transfer of competencies over coastal matters from the central state.

Party Positions

• People’s Party (PP) – Leads the proposal; argues that the 1988 State Coastal Law “did not consider the archipelago’s coastal particularities, drawing arbitrary, saw‑toothed lines.”
• Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) – Supports the amendment; stresses that the proposal is a “replica” of the initiative already under discussion in the national Congress and highlights the advantage of the Canary Islands having received transferred competencies since 2023.
• Coalition Canaries (CC) – Backs the PP’s amendment, framing it as a step toward full autonomous management rather than a relinquishment of powers.
• Canarian Nationalist Party (AHI) – Calls for the inclusion of the settlements’ ethnographic values in the amendment.
• Sustainable Canaries (ASG) – Emphasizes the need for accompanying economic, material, and human resources with any transfer of coastal competencies.
• Vox – Voted against the two main points of the amendment, arguing that before “obsessing over self‑government,” the regional government must complete the census of coastal settlements and implement measures to assist affected families.

“Before obsessing over self‑government, the Canary Islands government must finish the coastal‑settlement census and promote measures for the families affected,” said deputy Paula Jover (Vox).

“We are talking about our own identity, our idiosyncrasy; these settlements define us as a people,” asserted Jennifer Curbelo (PP).

Legal Uncertainty and Demolition Orders

The current law leaves many settlements vulnerable; several have active demolition orders. Curbelo noted that the demarcations prescribed by the law “are not based on scientific criteria” and ignore “the circumstances and characteristics of each zone.” She added that residents have endured “years of judicial suffering” because “each delimitation, decision, or line drawn affects a house, leading to long, costly litigation and personal exhaustion.”

PSOE’s Response and Call for Autonomous Legislation

PSOE deputy Rafael Nogales urged his colleagues to contact the President of the Congress, Francina Armengol, to “pull the State Coastal Law amendment out of the drawer.” He explained that the amendment mirrors the bill being processed in the national Congress and that differences among the various autonomous communities “complicate and slow down” the process. Nogales highlighted that the Canary Islands’ transferred competencies since 2023 provide a “great advantage” to craft a regional law, which he described as “the best way to safeguard a large part of the settlements.”

Historical Context and Recent Developments

• May 2024: Draft of the autonomous coastal law was launched.
• 2023: Transfer of coastal competencies to the Canary Islands government.
• 2013: The State Coastal Law was amended under a PP‑majority government, yet no changes were made to coastal settlements.

Nogales warned that “this will not be solved with a declaration of intent” and recalled the 2013 amendment that left settlements untouched.

Additional Party Statements

• Jana González (CC) emphasized that supporting the PP’s amendment “should not be seen as a renunciation of our competence management.” She praised the regional government’s creation of a General Directorate of Coasts and its inclusion of “full assumption of competencies” in the so‑called Canarian agenda. González argued that the 38‑year‑old State law “needs modifications, but the correct answers will come from self‑government.”

• Jesús Ramos (ASG) agreed that the law must be changed to avoid dysfunctions “if we keep legislating from thousands of kilometres away,” and insisted that any transfer of coastal powers must be accompanied by the necessary economic, material, and human resources.

• Raúl Acosta (AHI) stated that “a proper response is hardly possible without the necessary tools,” and highlighted the importance of recognizing the ethnographic values of the Canary Islands’ coastal settlements in the amendment.

• Carmen Hernández (New Canaries, NC) congratulated both PP and PSOE for agreeing on the need to amend the State Coastal Law, noting that “today we leave here with the confidence that change is possible and that there is political will.”

Outlook

With broad parliamentary consensus and the Canary Islands’ newly transferred competencies, the region is poised to push for a regional coastal law that respects the unique identity of its traditional settlements while providing the legal certainty needed to protect them from demolition and protracted litigation