The Lanzarote Business Confederation (CEL) has held a working meeting with representatives of commercial associations from several municipalities to advance the promotion of the creation of the Insular Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises. This new entity would be born as an independent body, but will have the accompaniment, advice, and technical and administrative support of the CEL and, once constituted, will be integrated as a full member of the Confederation.
The president of the CEL, Beatriz Salazar, explained that "this initiative arises from the urgent need to provide local commerce with its own structure that allows uniting efforts, generating synergies, and strengthening its representation before the administrations." "The Federation will have our full support because commerce needs an organized and solid voice that defends its interests and contributes to ordering and coordinating the Lanzarote sector," she said.
During the meeting, the first steps for the constitution of the Federation were addressed, **from the definition of its internal structure and functioning to the planned calendar for advancing its formalization**. The participating associations agreed that this tool will allow for the articulation of a common space to share resources, strategies, and lines of work, especially at a particularly delicate time for local commerceSalazar highlighted that Lanzarote's small and medium-sized businesses "are going through a complex situation, marked by a drop in turnover, the progressive closure of establishments, and a loss of competitiveness against the rise of online commerce, which in many cases operates under conditions of unfair competition.""To these problems are added the **additional costs derived from double insularity**, the need to advance in digitalization processes, the constant increase in commercial rents, and the difficulties of accessibility and parking in the main urban centers," said the president, adding that "the lack of generational succession further aggravates a scenario in which many family businesses are at risk of disappearing."
She lamented that "the reality is that Lanzarote's commerce has felt abandoned by institutions for too long. It is essential to develop coordinated plans that allow for the sector to be organized, offer real support to merchants, and build a shared roadmap that responds to their needs. The federation will be key for island commerce to have dialogue, common criteria, and the capacity for defense," stated the president of the CEL.
Beatriz Salazar recalled that the Business Confederation already develops digitalization and advisory programs that have benefited numerous businesses on the island, reflecting the entity's commitment to strengthening the business fabric. "For us, it is a priority to support local commerce, because it is essential for the life of our municipalities, for employment, and for social cohesion. That is why we will accompany them in this process with all the necessary technical and administrative support, until the Federation is fully constituted," she added.
The participating associations will continue working in the coming weeks, with the support of the CEL, to refine the legal and organizational aspects of the new entity and set a schedule of dates to complete the steps for its formal creation.