Santa Cruz de Tenerife 8 Apr. (Press Europa) –
The Vice President and Minister of Economy of the Canary Islands Government, Manuel Domínguez, has urged all parliamentary parties on Tuesday to unite in their request for amendments to the state law on Mines, established in 1973, in order to “protect” Fuerteventura from any potential extraction of rare earth elements.
In response to a query from NC-BC during the Parliament’s control session, he reiterated that “not a single centimetre of land will be ceded” while emphasising that the nationalist party aims to awaken the “sleeping lion” in Brussels, seeking a decision from a supra-regional body, and later “find an offender within the Canary Islands Government.”
Natalia Santana (NC-BC) remarked that there is no “certainty” that Fuerteventura will be excluded from the EU rare earth strategy in the future, a plan aimed at “reducing” reliance on China.
He praised the Canary Government’s rejection of mining prospects, though they remain mere “intentions,” noting that the parliamentary mandate to approve a decree law “has not been fulfilled,” which would have unambiguously closed the door on sacrificing Fuerteventura “for external economic interests.”
Today, a year later, there is no decree, no progress, and also no explanations; all that remains is inaction, “the vice president stated, who employs what is known as the ‘Dominguez mode’ in politics—allowing time to pass, avoiding conflict, steering clear of disagreements, and turning a blind eye as long as no one raises a fuss.”
Nonetheless, he asserted that the residents of Fuerteventura “are indeed raising their voices, and what they demand is not political rhetoric or statements with expiration dates, but rather legal assurances.”
