The Secretary General of the Canarian Coalition, Fernando Clavijo, announced, during his visit to Lanzarote, that he advocates for "a common front with the fishermen's associations, ASOLAN, the Chamber of Commerce and the municipal institutions against the installation of new marine cages on the island in the places that are intended."
This was conveyed by the nationalist leader after a meeting held on Wednesday morning with the fishermen's associations of San Ginés, La Tiñosa, Playa Blanca and La Graciosa. An event that was organized by the executive secretary of Island Policies, Pedro San Ginés, in which the national Organization secretary, David Toledo, and the island secretary of CC in Lanzarote, Migdalia Machín, were also present.
As Clavijo explained, the associations have conveyed "their opposition to these facilities," due to the harmful consequences for the sector that derive from them, "such as the reduction of fishing areas, which is drastic in some cases, the loss of marine biodiversity, or the attraction of large predatory species." "With what this implies of affection to the catches of our inshore fleet, in addition to the danger to the environment of the bathing areas," Clavijo assured.
Thus, the Secretary General of CC has indicated that his party "assumes the commitment to promote, through a Non-Law Proposal, the modifications of the Regional Aquaculture Planning Plan (PROAC) that are necessary in Lanzarote and in any other island", where the proposed location for the installation of marine cages "poses a risk to tourism, as the main industry, to the environment and, of course, to the health of users in the vicinity of these farms."
In the same vein, the executive secretary of Island Policies, Pedro San Ginés, has insisted that "although the PROAC was approved by CC", it is a living document that has to "adapt and evolve". "The recent public tender for the selection of a new aquaculture concession has been approved by the current government, but we do not want to find culprits but solutions to a problem that directly threatens the tourism industry on which the island lives", added Pedro San Ginés.
Thus, the councilor in the Cabildo has also announced that the Nationalist Group in the Cabildo will ask that the institution "urgently present an appeal against the public tender for the selection of a new aquaculture concession", convened last Thursday, and will force "the holding of an extraordinary plenary session to address this issue, which includes the intervention of the affected sectors if the president sees fit."
Meeting with AFA, Adislan and El Cribo
On the other hand, during his visit to the island, the Secretary General of CC also met with the NGOs AFA, Adislan and El Cribo, interested "in the approval of the regulation of the Social Agreement in the field of Social Services of the archipelago."
"We have seen it more than necessary to hold this meeting with the three NGOs that have been providing services of this nature for decades, given the line marked by the government of Dolores Corujo in the Cabildo of Lanzarote, to award to private companies the provision of dependency services that AFA, Adislan, and El Cribo provide today", said the island secretary, Migdalia Machín.
From Coalición Canaria they emphasize that the party approved "in the past term the Law of Social Services", which they assure that already "provided for an additional transitional provision so that the NGOs that had been providing these services, continue to do so until the development of the Social Agreement, which allows a restricted tender to non-profit entities without industrial profit among the costs to be paid."
Coalición Canaria maintains that the Governing Council "already approved this regulation" and is in process at this time, pending the Advisory Council for its approval, so the nationalists have acquired "the commitment to ask the Cabildo of Lanzarote to wait for the full operation of the Social Agreement so that these NGOs have an opportunity".
Fernando Clavijo has insisted that CC "defended and defends a Law of Social Services that allows, through the Social Agreement, to continue doing so with these entities". "We have shown all the support and respect, which this government is lacking, to the NGOs that in Lanzarote have been working with the third sector for decades, and that allocate all the resources to the improvement of the service not having profit motive or industrial benefit", Clavijo defended.
Finally, the executive secretary of Island Policies, Pedro San Ginés, has stressed that Lanzarote "should not be different from other islands in terms of care for disability and dependent people". "Lanzarote is not different from the Canary Islands. What Dolores Corujo says is false. If in the rest of the archipelago these services are still provided by NGOs, why not in Lanzarote?", he said.