Tenerife Council Seeks Economic Relief Measures Amid Middle East Conflict Fallout

The Tenerife Island Council has reached a cross-party agreement to address the economic fallout from the conflict in the Middle East. Following a recent plenary session, the council committed to creating a support package once the Canary Islands Parliament approves Decree-Law 3/2026. This plan, supported by both the governing coalition (CC-PP) and the Socialist group, includes an urgent meeting of the Island Council for Territorial Administration to finalize the details.

Beyond local measures, the council is urging the Spanish government to recognize the unique needs of the Canary Islands when drafting national economic policies. Specifically, the council has requested that the state temporarily suspend spending rules for island councils for this year and next. They are also calling for more flexibility in the European Stability and Growth Pact, aiming to use treasury surpluses to fund essential social and territorial projects.

During the session, political parties debated the pace of these actions. Socialist spokesperson Aarón Afonso criticized the government for being too slow to react, while Coalición Canaria’s José Miguel Ruano argued that any response depends on the state relaxing budget restrictions. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for mid-May to finalize these decisions.

In other business, the council began the process of awarding the Gold Medal of the Island to writer and journalist Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa. Additionally, officials moved to break the deadlock regarding the restoration of San Marcos Beach in Icod de los Vinos. The council is now pressing the Canary Islands government to speed up environmental and port assessments, while calling for guaranteed multi-year funding from both regional and state authorities to complete the project by 2026 or 2027.