Canary Coalition of Tenerife has definitively rejected the project of the future port of Fonsalía because it’s about an infrastructure whose viability will be “nil” for the next few years after the expiration of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as well as by the impact on cetaceans and other protected species that give a high environmental value to the area.
This has been agreed this Saturday at a meeting of the Insular Political Council (the highest body between congresses) in which the Tenerife nationalists also raised the need to seek “urgent, real and definitive” solutions to the collapse suffered by the port of Los Cristianos and, in addition, optimizing existing port infrastructures such as Granadilla, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the port of Los Cristianos itself.
The final decision of the Canary Coalition of Tenerife on the Fonsalía port project comes after a process of reflection and internal debate opened by the party for weeks to review its position on this infrastructure.
The insular secretary general, Francisco Linares, described the internal debate process launched by the Tenerife nationalists as “historic”, since “meetings have been held at all levels, from the sectoral commissions of the Canary Islands Coalition, island executives and meetings with mayors, spokespersons and councilors of CC on the island, as well as meetings with young nationalists and with different economic and social agents of Tenerife “.
“After bringing together and evaluating the different sensitivities of the nationalist formation regarding this matter, and within our defense of the territorial integrity and ecological health of the island and the Canary Islands, from a responsible exercise of debate and internal democracy, the Council Insular Politician has decided not to support the construction of this infrastructure in Guía de Isora “, highlighted Linares.
“As nationalists, we defend our natural heritage as well as our cultural heritage. We seek a better future for Tenerife and the Canary Islands, as a party that builds its own identity as a political force from the bottom up,” he reiterated.
From CC de Tenerife, within their strategy of development of the island from the point of view of the protection of the environment, the economy, employment and tourism, they raised the need to seek urgent solutions to the collapse suffered by the port of Los Christians, proposing that European funds and also regional financing be used “to carry out real and immediate investments that solve the current problems in two years”.
RESOLVE CONNECTIVITY
Specifically, Linares explained that the proposals to solve the connectivity problems, both inside and outside of Tenerife, in this matter would involve “providing an urgent solution to the collapse of Los Cristianos with a solution that would be real and executable in the next two years and that allows to solve the question for the next five years “, which would go through decisively intervening in the urban rehabilitation of Los Cristianos, facilitating the decongestion of the road corridor between the Port and the TF-1, promoting the harmonious development of the urban, commercial and tourist space from the city of Los Cristianos.
“Another important solution would also be to optimize the existing port infrastructures that can accommodate the maritime connection with the Green Islands (Ports of Santa Cruz, Granadilla and Los Cristianos), combining the economic and social development of the island, the generation of employment and the strong and forceful defense of the environmental values, of the territory and of our natural heritage “, highlighted Francisco Linares.
He recalled that the existence of projects in this area, as well as new financing that could be used, “guarantee a short-term viability of an action of this type. Among the projects we must mention those of the new Los Cristianos transport interchange, the transformation of Chayofita avenue in boulevard, depressing the road in its path with the connection of with the Mojón road and the development of an integral action in the corridor between the Port and the TF-1, including a new connection on the highway, as well as the project to rehabilitate Los Tarajales beach and its surroundings “.
Similarly, he assured that other actions would be necessary “that could contribute to reducing polluting emissions and making the mobility pattern more sustainable in line with what was pointed out in the study of alternatives to the public transport corridor between San Isidro and the tourist city of San Isidro. south of the island, as well as evaluating the impact on land movements of the displacement of some operations to the Ports of Granadilla or Santa Cruz “.
Regarding financing, he proposed that these actions “would have an adequate fit in the lines of support that have been opened at the local level with European financing from the Next Generation fund within the Spanish Transformation and Resilience program.” In addition, it requested the Government of the Canary Islands to include in the regional budgets a sufficient and adequate multiannual budget allocation for the development of these actions.
COMPENSATIONS FOR ISORA’S GUIDE
On the other hand, the insular secretary general reported the agreement reached this week by the local committee of the Canary Coalition in Guía de Isora to request financial compensation for the municipality, since it will lack an infrastructure that would bring many economic benefits.
The Isoran nationalists, in this way, also reject the port of Fonsalía and bet on reinforcing the infrastructures of Granadilla and Los Cristianos, but making it clear that the municipality must be compensated for the non-construction of the future port. Therefore, they will request the appropriate compensation from the appropriate authorities.
The Canary Islands Coalition of Tenerife wanted to highlight today, within the entire debate raised around Fonsalía, that the extension of the Special Conservation Area of the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip and the declaration of the La Gomera-Teno marine SPA, as well that the declaration of the space between the tip of El Fraile (Teno) and Punta Salema or Rasca, in Las Galletas, as the first Whale Heritage Site in Europe by the World Cetacean Alliance, was possible thanks to the different governments of CC in the Cabildo de Tenerife, with Carlos Alonso at the head, and also from the Government of the Canary Islands.
“It was the different nationalist governments that, for example, proposed, processed and approved the Special Conservation Zone where the construction of Fonsalía is projected. All the legislation on environmental protection that currently exists was achieved with governments of the Canary Islands Coalition”, they sentenced.
