The governments of the Canary Islands and the State have decided to postpone until the second half of September the technical meeting scheduled for this Monday, in which it was intended to continue deepening the co-management of the eight airports of general interest in the archipelago.
According to the regional Executive, the postponement seeks to allow more time for both administrations to bring to the table all the pending technical material, which could not be finalized in recent weeks due to the situation in Ceuta.
In the meeting, the Secretary of State for Territorial Policy, Myriam Álvarez Páez, and the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Sastano, were to participate on behalf of the State; while representing the archipelago were the Minister of the Presidency, Public Administrations, Justice and Security, Nieves Lady Barreto, and the Deputy Minister of the Presidency, Alfonso Cabello.
Boost to the agreements reached in July
Alfonso Cabello, spokesperson for the Canary Executive, recalled after a Government Council held at the beginning of the week that the purpose of the next meeting, now moved to the second half of the month, is to continue the agreements reached in the meeting held in early July.
He also detailed that the drafts on which both parties have been working during the summer will be put on the table and that the negotiation will be structured around two major blocks within airport management.
First, the situation of the airports that do not have the status of general interest will be examined. In this regard, Cabello emphasized that significant progress has been made in the distribution of competencies, although it remains pending to precisely outline the volume of human and technical resources essential for the Canary Islands to fully assume that competence.
In this line, he indicated that the Government of the Canary Islands will attend the meeting with a detailed economic file, where the professional profiles and the necessary means to perform the functions at these aerodromes will be specified.
Airports of general interest and bilateral body
Secondly, the management of airports classified as of general interest will also be addressed. Cabello recalled that the Canary Islands and the State had agreed to create a bilateral airport body between both administrations, with the degree of linkage and the nature of the reports that this new entity will issue yet to be specified.
In this regard, the spokesperson insisted that the Government of the Canary Islands maintains its position that this body can issue binding reports on certain matters considered "vital" for the Autonomous Community, including those related to investments.