Blas Acosta, general secretary of the PSOE majorero, labels the proposal by Asamblea Majorera-CC to segregate the Port Authority of Las Palmas and create one for Fuerteventura and Lanzarote as an 'invention'. Acosta accuses President Clavijo of creating a problem with the appointment of Beatriz Calzada.
The general secretary of the PSOE in Fuerteventura, Blas Acosta, has strongly criticized the proposal by the leader of Asamblea Majorera (AM-CC), Mario Cabrera, to segregate the Port Authority of Las Palmas and create a new one for the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Acosta has described the initiative as an 'invention' and has directly pointed to the President of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo, for the current situation.
According to Acosta, the regional government has 'an unresolved problem with the Port Authority (AP) of Las Palmas that costs us majoreros money'. The socialist has reminded that the presidency of the AP is proposed by the regional government, and that Clavijo 'decided to use the largest industrial engine of the province as a political springboard for a mayoral candidate in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria who has not even managed to be a candidate'.
Acosta was referring to Beatriz Calzada, the current president of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, whose appointment has been a source of controversy. The PSOE majorero maintains that 'the disastrous consequences of this decision are suffered by the companies and families of Fuerteventura, who are paying up to 78 percent more for the costs of transporting goods'.
The socialist leader explained that this extra cost is due to Calzada's 'management incapacity', who, according to Acosta, 'has been unable to tender the reform of the PIF or the Schengen facilities at the Puerto del Rosario dock'. These infrastructures are key for the maritime connection of the island, and their delay directly affects the local economy.
The PSOE insists that the problem was created by Clavijo's government by proposing Calzada, and that it is the only one that can propose her replacement to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, as stated in the Consolidated Text of the Law on State Ports and Merchant Shipping.
In response to the proposal for segregation, Acosta sarcastically remarked: 'If they are going to invent instead of solve, the Canary Islands Government could consider handing over the management of Morro Jable and Corralejo, which depend on Canarian Ports, to State Ports'. In this way, according to the socialist, 'there would be a possibility that the two main maritime connections of Fuerteventura with Gran Canaria and Lanzarote receive the investment they deserve'.
Acosta recalled that Spain already has 28 port authorities managing 46 ports of general interest, and creating the 29th would be 'an operational absurdity'. In his view, the AM-CC proposal is 'a feigned threat to achieve other objectives of the Lanzarote business community'.
Finally, the majorero socialists pointed out 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 Tenerife, although they acknowledge that 'it is a political position without current prospects'.
The controversy comes at a time when maritime transport of goods in Fuerteventura is experiencing cost increases that, according to the PSOE, undermine the competitiveness of local companies. The reform of the PIF and the Schengen facilities in Puerto del Rosario still lack a tender date, generating uncertainty among operators.
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