The opposition fears the 'forgetting' of the Canary Islands in the appointment with Rabat
One of the last rescues near Fuerteventura, with 56 people on board and about to capsize, they were transferred to the port of Las Palmas. /
CC and PP see in the numbers the proof that the situation has not changed despite the reactivation of bilateral agreements
There are many unknowns that remain in the face of the Spanish-Moroccan commission on immigration that will be held this Friday. The first is whether or not the Government of the Canary Islands will be present at the meeting with Rabat, as it has already confirmed for the issue of water limitation, and the second, what will be the weight of the archipelago's issues on this matter in that dialogue.
Doubts are also planted in the opposition, which claims to have knowledge only of the announcements by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.
In this context, they fear that the Canary Islands will once again be forgotten in a commission where it seems to have priority
the reopening of the borders in Ceuta and Melillawhich had paralyzed Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE), maritime connections and the High Level Meeting.
"The presence of the islands is essential to preserve and defend the demands of what is the territory most affected by migratory flows from Morocco," defends the Canary Coalition (CC). Some statements to which the PP also adds.
Senator Asier Antona criticizes the "passivity" of the Government of Pedro Sánchez and calls for "clear and concrete" measures to address the migratory drama.
Both political forces focus on the data on arrivals as an argument after Albares assured that the new climate of understanding translated into a drop in immigrants.
'Fall' of immigration only in Ceuta
The truth is that the numbers have remained high, according to the latest balance from the Ministry of the Interior: so far this year,
The Canary Islands have received almost 60% more people on their coasts compared to the same period last year; while Ceuta and Melilla multiply the data for arrivals by land by 181%. The only 'fall' occurs in the small boats located in Ceuta, 56.6% less.
In Antona's opinion, this shows that Pedro Sánchez's letter to Mohamed VI "has not been of any use" nor has his subsequent meeting in which he asked for control of migratory flows. In this sense, for the senator, also concerned about the number of deaths on the Canarian Route,
the EU plays a key role through Frontex.
The resignation of the director of the institution last week is a symptom of "another absolute failure of the socialist government," according to the PP. "The president must stop looking the other way and get to work on the problems that concern the canaries," Antona assured.
CC, for its part, sees it as "essential" to reach an agreement with the Alawite country on migration matters given the importance it plays in controlling the route that most affects the islands, with a large percentage of migration coming from Morocco.
"We believe that the Government of Spain should be more involved in this matter, at least in regard to the situation it poses on the islands," they say from the formation.
Who will participate in the commission?
The Spanish delegation that will travel to Rabat will be composed, in principle, by representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Territorial Policy and Public Function, Health, Interior and the third vice-presidency of Ecological Transition.
From the Government of the Canary Islands they have pointed out that although
the invitation has not been extendedwill maintain a dialogue with the State to be informed of the matters to be discussed and their possible repercussions in the Canary Islands.
