SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 30 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The parliamentary opinion on the reconstruction commission of La Palma, unanimously approved this Wednesday, advocates reaching a balance between environmental protection and the “essential” economic reactivation to avoid the impoverishment of the population and the progressive depopulation of the island after the eruption volcanic.
This is stated in a communiqué from the Socialist Group that underlines that the opinion highlights the role of public institutions, which have demonstrated a “praiseworthy response capacity” and determined that the best guarantee of success in dealing with complex situations is the participation of affected people.
In addition, the need to seek effective solutions for second homes, tourist homes, rural houses, shops and industries has been highlighted, as well as for the most affected municipalities to “receive as soon as possible” the money from their own funds that they have used to the emergency, “since some are almost technically bankrupt.
For its part, it is committed to the study of a clear model of land occupation that takes into account the way of life chosen by the citizens of La Palma, through a governance model that could take the form of a consortium and in that the recovery of agricultural land is a priority.
Support is also given to the Canary Islands as the future headquarters of the Spanish Volcanological Center, accompanied by the implementation of university studies on the island on Volcanology and Geology, in addition to the drafting of a law that responds to this type of natural catastrophes.
The commission supports the implementation of a Canarian strategy to deal with the risks derived from volcanic eruptions that can occur anywhere in the archipelago, in addition to promoting the creation of a culture of security in the entire population, which allows understanding and adequately assess the risks derived from living in a vulcanologically active archipelago.
The deputy Matilde Fleitas has valued the “unity, spirit and dialogue” when addressing this “intense” commission and unanimously approving the opinion, where the final text has been debated “always seeking” the best solutions and proposals for citizens .
In this line, he affirmed that the socialist deputies “have always been on the side of the affected citizens, on the side of La Palma for its recovery”, and that this opinion serves, once again, to show that what unites to the deputies “is the well-being and the future of the palmeros and the palmeras”.
In this sense, he said that they will continue working on these budgets as well as through specific initiatives and legislation “to minimize the effects of the volcanic eruption.”
MORE THAN 55 PROFESSIONALS AND 40 HOURS OF LISTENING
This study commission was set up last February and since then ten sessions have been held with more than 40 hours of listening to 55 professionals from multiple fields (scientific, academic, tourism, business, planning, risks, public administrations), in addition to the affected people, platforms and neighborhood associations.
“This commission has responded to a social and economic reality, after the volcanic eruption in La Palma, which should serve as a starting point for the actions that have to be developed in many areas, such as the executive, legislative, educational, risk assessment and planning, among others, and that will not only serve the island as a whole in general and the Aridane Valley in particular, but also the whole of the Canary Islands as a volcanically active territory,” explained Fleitas.
