Harinera Lanzaroteña has achieved, after years of complaints, that the European Commission investigates several Canarian companies for breaching the accumulation clause to the Specific Supply Regime of the Canary Islands (REA) and causing, in this way, unfair competition. The island's company has seen its demands met after warning on several occasions that there are companies that receive different subsidies for the same product.
The investigation, as published by the EFE agency, will begin at the request of the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions, which has agreed to process the petition of the company Harinera Lanzaroteña S.A. Its representative, Agustín Márquez Fernández, reiterated in statements to EFE that the Spanish authorities "violate the accumulation clause to the Specific Supply Regime of the Canary Islands (REA)", thus breaking the Common Agricultural Policy.
"Contravening basic European legislation"
Márquez stated that his company has tried to obtain the list of those who have benefited from the aid granted in the Canary Islands. Although they have not been successful in this, he is convinced that everything will be clarified "with the intervention of the European authorities". According to him, with the complete and detailed lists, it will be proven that certain companies request, for the same merchandise, different aid, such as REA, and subsidies for inter-island transport in the Canary archipelago and transport between the peninsula and the Canary Islands. He also emphasizes that "this practice would be contravening basic European legislation and causing unfair competition".
Harinera Lanzaroteña asked the Committee on Petitions to address the European Commission so that it "requests and obtains from the Spanish authorities the complete and detailed lists of the aid granted in the Canary Islands, so that the technicians of the European Commission can cross-reference and verify the existence of the reported irregularities".
For years, the company has been denouncing that both the aid from the Canarian Government and the central Executive benefit the large islands and leave the smaller ones in an unfavorable situation.
