The Government and the Canary Islands Executive are set to sign an agreement next week to establish a bilateral body to monitor and participate in the management of the islands‘ eight airports, as announced on Thursday by the Minister for Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres.
Since the start of the legislative term, Fernando Clavijo’s Executive (CC-PP) has been calling for compliance with one of the new provisions introduced in 2018 by the latest reform of the Statute of the Canary Islands: the right of this autonomous community to «participate in the planning, programming and management of ports and airports of general interest, in accordance with the terms set out in national legislation».
Article 161.2 of the Canary Islands‘ Statute of Autonomy specifies that this power is recognised for the Canary Islands because the islands‘ airports form part of «networks that are essential for connecting the territory as an outermost region»
Canary Islands: Eight representatives form a joint airport committee
In a statement issued by his Ministry, Torres announced that on 29 October, the Canary Islands-Central Government Bilateral Commission will meet to approve an agreement implementing that mandate.
According to the minister, a «bilateral, joint body comprising four representatives from the Spanish Government and four from the Canary Islands Government» is to be established, with its legal basis in «the unique archipelagic and outermost region status of the Canary Islands».
Airport committee strengthens oversight and self-governance
This joint body will also be responsible for monitoring the investments made by the State in airports of general interest in the Canary Islands through the DORA plans.
Ángel Víctor Torres believes that this will mark a «very important step towards self-government in the Canary Islands», something which the central government also values, based on the conviction that «greater self-government does not mean less of a state, but quite the opposite».
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