As is well known, the Canary Islands Development Fund (FDCAN) originated in 2016 in the items that the Canary Islands annually returned to Madrid as compensation for the extinction of the old General Tax on Business Traffic (IGTE) so that they remain on the islands.
Regarding the objective of these funds, it should also be remembered that they are intended for the realization of actions that contribute to economic, social and territorial cohesion, as well as to the economic development of the Canary Islands and the creation of employment in the islands.
Regarding these funds, the Government of the Canary Islands has regulatory power to set, in conjunction with the rest of the island's local administrations, the relevant strategic lines and other conditions of the funds, an aspect to which I refer to current regulations.
What is not acceptable, nor understandable, is that in a fragmented territory, with its own singularities and idiosyncrasies, it is going to act in a more centralist way than the State Government itself in the management of the same by the Government of the Canary Islands.
From a strategic political point of view, it is reasonable and logical that in the current crisis situation, the axes of the funds should be re-elaborated or redesigned based on the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic and the needs of citizens demand of us. If this is done with a head and does not involve a waste of time or work is discarded in projects in an advanced stage, we will be there to support it.
But what makes no sense is that it is decided from Santa Cruz or Las Palmas what La Graciosa, Fuencaliente or the Cabildo of Lanzarote itself needs in terms of mobility, to give some examples.
We defend that a balance be maintained as the one existing in the allocation of funds. The Cabildos and the City Councils have a better understanding of local needs and this allows a greater impact on the fulfillment of the proposed objectives.
What has no justification whatsoever, under any concept, is that we are expropriated funds with a roadmap already marked, based on key investments in each territory, with the sole purpose of balancing the accounts of the Canary Islands Autonomous Administration.
The Government of the Canary Islands should focus on exercising its powers, which are not few. Raise issues of scope such as the change of the tourist model, improve the figures of assistance to dependency or the much demanded reindustrialization of the Islands and the much demanded from Europe, new model of sustainability by the “Green New Deal”, among many others.
And of course, let the rest do their job and not take away the few tools they have available to meet the demands of citizens.
Jacobo Medina, insular secretary of the PP and vice president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote
