The candidate of Coalición Canaria (CC) for mayor of Arrecife, Echedey Eugenio, has emphasized the importance of Arrecife becoming the blue capital of Macaronesia, "the transformation of the city involves looking back at the sea, which the government of Arrecife has turned its back on in recent years", lamented the nationalist candidate.
The commitment to the blue economy will allow us to "take advantage of the resources of the sea and coastal areas in a sustainable, efficient, and innovative way, respecting the environment and improving social well-being," he says. He has also referred to it as
the same as "a commercial model that imitates the functioning of nature, offering local and competitive solutions that generate multiple benefits."
Eugenio stressed that CC's proposal for the good governance of Arrecife is to make "that transformation looking at the sea, and exploring the opportunities that the blue economy gives us from the labor, economic, tourism, and sustainability point of view."
For Eugenio, "from any point in Arrecife, from the last space in Argana to the city center, we have to look to the sea to obtain the resources that will allow us to transform, European resources endowed
with significant economic funds that are placing great emphasis on this type of project, from which the real transformation of Arrecife will come, along with the project we started in the last legislature in the Cabildo
de Lanzarote of "Arrecife, capital of the Biosphere Reserve".
In the same vein as his fellow electoral list member, the former mayor of Arrecife, José Montelongo, stated that "this ambitious initiative seeks to maximize our marine resources and promote sustainable development in harmony with our sea." Montelongo stressed that "Arrecife has a privileged location, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and a rich marine biodiversity, and our goal should be to lead the blue economy in the Macaronesia region and take advantage of the numerous opportunities that this approach offers to our city."
Therefore, Echedey Eugenio said that "we are committed to promoting sustainability in all economic activities related to our sea". "This implies promoting responsible fishing, sustainable coastal tourism, the development of marine renewable energies, sustainable aquaculture, and the conservation of the marine environment,” he adds.
It should be remembered that the candidate, on the occasion of the celebration of the "Seminar on Youth, Education and Climate Change" that the European Democratic Institute organized in Lanzarote with the participation of experts and public representatives from the Canary Islands, Madeira, Italy, Greece and Cyprus, highlighted the importance that, for Arrecife, Lanzarote and the Canary Islands, "it means placing ourselves at the center of the
debate on the blue economy, sustainability and the future that should be linked to youth because I believe that is the path we must take."
Regarding the practical application of the blue economy in the transformation of the city, both have advanced that "the promotion of sustainable tourism and responsible fishing to improve the local economy and protect marine resources, as well as the development of projects linked to marine renewable energies and aquaculture and marine biotechnology, as well as the creation of infrastructures and services that improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of Arrecife."
