The Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote demands its own Port Authority for the island. This was explained by its president, José Torres Fuentes, this Wednesday, and it can even be seen on the organization's website, which has started a collection of signatures to gather the support of the citizens of Lanzarote. "We are asking for direct management depending on Madrid, to be the 29th Port Authority in Spain," explained Torres Fuentes, who believes that "it no longer makes sense" to depend on the province.
Although the announcement comes in the midst of a political storm, after the president of State Ports himself accused the president of the Las Palmas Port Authority of discriminating against Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in investments, Torres has stressed that the Chamber has been "working for months" on this proposal. "It was time to get to work," said the president of the Chamber on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero.
"Our port has been viable for many years, generating profits every year, and therefore it no longer makes any sense to depend on the province. It has been demonstrated with the bar association, the architects' association, the quantity surveyors' association... in short, I believe that paternalistic tutelage leads to nothing. I believe that the best favor that the Board of the Las Palmas Port Authority can do is to include on the agenda an item inviting State Ports to be tutored by the State," he argued.
Effort "from everyone" for "the general interest"
For Torres Fuentes, the Chamber's proposal is something "common sense", as it means "having a Port Authority of Lanzarote, which has an impact on the citizens of Lanzarote." Therefore, he points out that it is a "common work, of everyone: of people, presidents and public representation."
For this reason, the Chamber has even launched a signature campaign, which reflects the arguments of the proposal and asks for citizen support. In addition to the push from Lanzarote society, the Chamber needs its proposal to also receive institutional support. "Now all that is missing is the political intention, which is what we hope will respond, which we are convinced it will," said Torres, who believes that "this should be on the electoral program of the national elections."
A "simple" process
According to the president of the Lanzarote Chamber of Commerce, the procedure to disassociate from the Las Palmas Port Authority is "very simple." "It is an agreement taken by the Council of Ministers at the request of the competent ministry, which is Development, and they consider creating the 29th Port Authority, you adhere to the State Ports law and a council is created as exists in Las Palmas or Tenerife, formed by a series of members," he explained. That council, as with the other port authorities, would be co-managed by the autonomous community.
Torres Fuentes pointed out that the last Spanish port authority was created in 2008 and was in Motril. "The port of Motril next to ours is less than half of half and it was created because it was a demand that the central government saw it," he said.
"The port of Arrecife represents an economic lung for the island and we need it, but we need it to go at a pace," he claimed, emphasizing the need to "make an effort among everyone." "And among everyone we have to manage to have a port to generate a better economy for the island."
