SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 20 May. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The spokesman for the Government of the Canary Islands, Julio Pérez, announced this Friday that his Executive is preparing an offensive before the European Commission and the European Parliament to prevent the so-called ‘green tax’ – fuel tax – from being applied to international flights that arrive in the archipelago.
In a press conference to give an account of the agreements of the Governing Council, he pointed out that negotiations are being carried out with Canarian MEPs so that they present initiatives and the “maximum complicity” of various ministries such as the Treasury, Ecological Transition, Transport or Foreign Affairs is also sought to that support the theses of the islands.
Pérez has admitted that the impact of this measure would be “negative” for the Canary Islands because it would imply an increase in the price of tickets that would weigh down the tourist market, but he believes that “it is too early” to know the real amount.
It has not hidden that the exemption of the Canary Islands from this rate presents “greater difficulties” than what has already been achieved, that national flights are left out until 2030, including inter-island flights, although the Government of the Canary Islands wants the rule to have a reference more “explicit”.
He has assumed that there are departments within the European Commission that are giving a “momentum” so that the directive is applied as soon as possible and for this reason, he has indicated that the Government of the Canary Islands is already working on some initiatives.
Pérez has detailed, for example, that through the Ministry of Tourism work is being done on the design of a system of incentives for airlines in case international flights are not exempt in the end and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will also be offered. CO2 produced in the Canary Islands.
In his opinion, this happens through the increase in renewable energies and undertaking processes of reforestation of the territory.
However, it has left the door open to explore the jurisdictional route if the objective is not achieved, given that the EU Treaty allows the “singularities” of certain territories, as some sentences have already shown.
On the trip of the Canarian president, Ángel Víctor Torres, to the Conference of Presidents of the ORs in Martinique, he commented that the balance is “satisfactory” with a view to hosting the presidency from November, which in the second half of 2023 will coincide with the presidency of the EC by Spain.
Pérez has assessed that this forum of presidents has more and more “political consistency” and “influence” in the EU as a whole to the point that each year there must be a summit between the member states and the governments of each region.
Likewise, he has highlighted the “explicit” support that the Canary Islands have found for it to be the headquarters of the European Tourism Agency.
