The Cabildo of Lanzarote has announced that it will appeal the provisional resolution of the Ministry of Finance that declares inadmissible its Integrated Action Plan (PAI) in the EDUSI-FEDER 2021-2027 call. The island institution will present allegations within the period of ten days established by the Official State Gazette, convinced that its legal status and its right to compete for these funds have been violated. The Corporation denounces that the Ministry's decision has not taken into account Lanzarote's status as a territory integrated into the Large Cities regime, a consideration included in Canary Islands Law 2/2006 and protected by the modifications introduced in the state regulations for local government (Law 57/2003 and Law 7/1985). This legal framework, they maintain, enables the island to apply for up to 20 million euros of European funding on equal terms with other local entities in its category. The Island Council announces that it will appeal "We will appeal because this is not just an administrative procedure: it is about defending the dignity and opportunities of Lanzarote and all our municipalities, which are waiting for these funds to launch vital projects for citizens," said the president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort.
For her part, the vice president and head of the Planning and Project Coordination area, María Jesús Tovar, stressed that "we have worked tirelessly so that Lanzarote and La Graciosa could acquire this financing. These funds were on our roadmap because, at all times, we considered that they corresponded to us. Now a period opens in which we will fight for our rights."
The rejected PAI is aligned with the Urban Agenda of Lanzarote and integrates initiatives for digitalization, sustainable mobility, urban regeneration, energy efficiency, and social cohesion, aimed at responding to the strategic challenges of the island as a Biosphere Reserve.
Despite the setback, the Cabildo is pleased that the municipalities of Teguise and Tías have been provisionally admitted to the call, a fact that the corporation values as positive for the entire island territory.