SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 28 Oct (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister for the Presidency, Public Administrations, Justice and Security of the Canary Islands Government, Nieves Lady Barreto, has called for a “thorough” discussion on immigration and “solutions on the table” at the upcoming Conference of Presidents, for which no official date has been set yet.
This declaration was made following the conclusion of the preparatory meeting for the Conference of Autonomous Presidents that took place today in Madrid, at the Ministry of Territorial Policy’s headquarters, presided over by Minister Ángel Víctor Torres.
Immigration, alongside housing, regional financing, and the shortage of personnel in the healthcare sector, will be the main topics on the agenda for the Conference, following the consensus reached today by the representatives of all autonomous communities. “These are all structural and strategic matters for the Canary Islands,” the minister remarked.
Nieves Lady Barreto emphasised in her address that following the rejection of the proposal to amend Article 35 of the Immigration Law, which would have ensured a mandatory distribution, and the stalemate in negotiations opened by the Government of the Canary Islands and the National Government to formulate an objective criterion for distribution, the Conference of Presidents provides the appropriate setting to make a decision that can resolve a serious humanitarian issue impacting the islands.
Concerning the update of autonomous financing, Barreto cautioned that the current system, established 14 years ago, “has long failed to meet the genuine needs of the Autonomous Communities and, without a doubt, the path is not through bilateral agreements like the one intended to be finalised with Catalonia, as this exacerbates disparities and directly undermines territorial balance.”
The minister also disclosed that the Canary Islands will arrive at the Conference of Presidents with an agreement to separate the REF from the overall financing system: “This is not a whimsical and arbitrary demand; it is a right enshrined in our Statute and the legislation that ensures the Canary Islands can be treated comparably to the rest of the territory.”
In relation to the housing crisis, the proposal put forward by the Government of the Canary Islands is the establishment of a State pact. “Thousands of individuals in Spain are unable to exercise their right to housing, significantly widening the inequality gap. It is crucial that politics responds with an agreement that addresses this urgent situation,” stated Nieves Lady Barreto.
As for healthcare personnel, the Canary Islands will advocate for the acceleration of the procedures for the recognition of the qualifications of healthcare professionals to increase the number of specialists who can join the regional health services staff, as well as to implement coordinated measures that foster talent retention within health services.
