SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 5 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez, has declared that the Chamber’s Board has agreed to process “for the first time in history” a proposal put forward by a coalition of municipalities within the Archipelago.
As stated by the parliamentary institution, this development has been made possible “following the recent amendments to the Statute of Autonomy and the Regulations of the Chamber which also conferred the legislative initiative to the municipalities of the Canary Islands.”
The agreement by the Board facilitates the processing of the draft legislation presented by 13 municipalities from Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura on July 31, 2024. Furthermore, it mandates the forthcoming publication of the text in the Official Gazette of Parliament; forwards the document to the Government of the Canary Islands for feedback, and communicates the agreement to the proponents.
“We are witnessing a fully novel legislative initiative in the Canary Islands, under the auspices of articles 44.3, 126 and 139 of the Statute of Autonomy of the Canary Islands, along with the third transitional provision of the Regulations of the Chamber,” stated the president.
She further remarked that “since the modification of the Statute in 2018, it was envisaged that the municipalities of the Canary Islands, when acting collectively, could exercise the legislative initiative, also adhering to a transitional provision of our regulations. It stipulates that it must be exercised by at least five municipalities representing a minimum of 10% of the population of the Canary Islands.”
This initiative is designed to establish a legal framework to regulate tourist municipalities in the Canary Islands and addresses elements such as the requirements and processes for obtaining or relinquishing the designation of tourist municipality, the specific rights and responsibilities arising from this status, and the supplementary administrative organisation of these areas.
The principal aim of this draft bill is to enhance the quality of public services provided to both the registered population and the tourist population, as well as to foster the tourist development of the municipalities thus designated, “contributing to sustainable tourism that is safer and more rewarding for both communities, alongside a municipal administrative organisation that is appropriately sized, effective, efficient, and accessible to both residents and users of tourist services,” according to its explanatory statement.
The proposal for a Law on Tourist Municipalities in the Canary Islands has been championed by the town councils of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Mogán (Gran Canaria); Arona, Adeje, Guía de Isora, Puerto de la Cruz, and Santiago del Teide (Tenerife); Teguise, Yaiza, and Tías (Lanzarote); and Pájara, La Oliva, and Antigua (Fuerteventura).
