SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 3rd July (EUROPA PRESS) –
Today, the Ministry of the Presidency, Public Administrations, Justice and Security has issued an Order in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC) outlining the direct provision of financial aid to compensate individuals and entities for the economic losses suffered in relation to their properties, as a direct or indirect consequence of the volcanic activity on the island of La Palma.
Nieves Lady Barreto, the councillor in charge of this initiative, has announced that the initial phase of the payment scheme will focus on compensating those affected who lost their primary residence due to the volcano. Subsequent phases will address yearly payments to cover agricultural lands, secondary residences, holiday homes, and other affected infrastructure.
“This has been our primary goal for the past two years while in opposition, and we have been diligently working towards it during our first eleven months in office. We have always advocated for fairness, aiming to return the value of what was lost to the individuals, enabling them to rebuild their lives and recover the heritage that was taken by the volcano. We said it, and now we are delivering on it,” expressed Barreto.
Alongside Deputy Minister for Economic and Social Recovery of La Palma, Pedro Afonso, both officials reviewed the progress made by the new government over the past eleven months, following the roadmap set out at the beginning of their term. “The first step was establishing the regulations, and the second step was securing the necessary funds,” highlighted Nieves Lady Barreto.
Pedro Afonso elaborated on the extensive eleven-month process that led to this moment, commencing in August of the previous year with the initiation of drafting decrees for the reconstruction of urban and agricultural areas, as well as a special decree for housing. The first decree was ratified in December, followed by the subsequent decrees in March.
“In January, the Spanish Government allocated €100 million for 2023, complemented by an additional €50 million from the Canary Islands Government. At that juncture, we were finally able to assemble the required technical team to commence property appraisals, starting with the primary residences, totaling 840 in number,” explained the deputy minister.
The final compensation amount for the affected individuals will be derived from these appraisals, deducting any public funds already disbursed for the loss of their properties, including contributions from the Insurance Consortium.
“For two years, both as opposition members in Parliament and in the Cabildo, we asserted that this could be achieved within a year. It is a matter of justice for our people, and hence, it is imperative for us to meet these obligations,” concluded Nieves Lady Barreto.
