The Government of the Canary Islands, in coordination with the Canary Federation of Municipalities, is developing a "more flexible" General Plan for Safety and Rescue, adapted to the particularities of each municipality and its coastal areas. This future framework, which will be reviewed every four years, will set minimum criteria for the provision of material resources and personnel with the aim of achieving "homogeneity" in the safety of the beaches of the archipelago.
This was explained by the Minister of Territorial Policy, Manuel Miranda, who recalled that this work will respond to the ruling of the Supreme Court which, in 2023, annulled the decree that imposed on municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants the obligation to finance and provide the service of surveillance and lifeguarding on their beaches. The new plan will incorporate the necessary economic provisions into the legal framework being designed.
"It is about achieving a much more dynamic model, where municipal competencies are respected, but at the same time where there is some unanimity and unification of criteria throughout the Canary Islands. It should also be an inclusive model, not imposed by the Government, where different sectors participate, such as tourism, as well as the Cabildos and the Municipalities," the regional minister specified.
Miranda indicated that the discussions to create this new regulation have been "hard," due to the "different ways" of conceiving safety on the beaches by each local corporation. In this context, he wanted to highlight the "commitment" of the regional government, which has been supporting the municipalities affected by the annulled decree through a line of subsidies already in place.
The minister detailed that, in 2024, aid totaling 1.26 million euros was granted to the municipalities, an amount that increased to 1.4 million in 2025 and was added to the 1.2 million awarded in 2026. "46 municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants have benefited from this aid. We wanted to create that climate of trust and compensate for those expenses that the municipalities had to incur," the regional minister specified.
"Perhaps, the previous decree was very structured regarding the type of beach, and it required that in certain coastal areas or beach areas they had to have means that, perhaps, were dimensioned for them, and in some cases did not meet the needs," Miranda pointed out in response to the deputy Natalia Ébora (CC), who inquired about the status of the negotiation with the FECAM regarding the new regulatory framework.