The Secretary General of the PSOE of Fuerteventura, Blas Acosta, criticises Beatriz Calzada's management at the Port Authority of Las Palmas, which has caused a 78% increase in transport costs for the island.
The Secretary General of the PSOE of Fuerteventura, Blas Acosta, has lashed out at the Canary Islands Government over the situation at the Port Authority of Las Palmas, which he considers an "unsolved problem" that directly harms the residents of Fuerteventura. Acosta pointed out that the president of the agency, Beatriz Calzada, proposed by the government led by Fernando Clavijo, "has been unable to tender the reform of the PIF or the Schengen facilities" at the port of Puerto del Rosario.
This lack of management, according to the socialist leader, is having serious economic consequences for businesses and families in Fuerteventura, who "are paying up to 78 percent more for the costs of transporting goods." Acosta reminded that the port presidency is directly proposed by the Canary Islands Government, which "decided to use the largest industrial engine in the province as a political springboard for a candidate for mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria who has not even managed to be a candidate."
In light of the idea of segregating the ports of Puerto del Rosario and Arrecife from the Port Authority of Las Palmas to create a new state agency, Acosta has demanded that they "stop inventing and resolve" the problem. He recalled that Spain already has 28 port authorities managing 46 ports of general interest, and creating the 29th would be "an operational absurdity."
The socialist emphasised that the logical trend from the perspective of port management and the economic development of the Canary Islands would be the merger of the port authorities of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, although he acknowledges that it is a political position without traction at present. However, he insisted that the real problem is Calzada's "inability to manage," which would continue to affect Fuerteventura regardless of the administrative structure.
Acosta added that the Canary Islands Government, led by Clavijo, is the only one that can propose to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility the replacement of Calzada, according to the Consolidated Text of the State Ports and Merchant Marine Law. "This problem was created by the Clavijo Government by proposing Beatriz Calzada as president and it is the only one that can propose her replacement," he stated.
As an alternative, Acosta suggested that the Canary Islands Government could consider transferring the management of the ports of Morro Jable and Corralejo to State Ports, currently dependent on Canary Ports. In this way, according to the socialist leader, "there would be the possibility that the two main maritime connections of Fuerteventura with Gran Canaria and Lanzarote receive the investment they deserve, need, and generate, instead of distributing that benefit among the ports of the other province."
The situation at the Port Authority of Las Palmas remains a concern for the business sector of Fuerteventura, which sees logistics costs soar while the necessary infrastructure for the transport of goods and passengers is not modernised. Acosta has urged the Canary Islands Government to act urgently to resolve the problem and prevent the island from continuing to lose competitiveness.
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