The Mogán Plenary will reject this Wednesday the request from the Nueva Canarias councillor to halt the agreement of June 23 that calls for the extraordinary extension of the concession of Mogán Port. The mayor, Onalia Bueno, criticises the coincidence of arguments between the party and Puertos Canarios.
The Mogán City Council remains firm in its position regarding Mogán Port. The local Corporation will bring to the plenary this Wednesday, July 29, the proposal to dismiss the suspension request presented by the Nueva Canarias councillor, Juan Manuel Gabella, against the agreement approved last June 23. That agreement urges the request for the extraordinary extension of the port concession and to advance in the recovery of direct management once the current concession period ends.
The council maintains that it is fully legitimised to exercise this right under the express reservation agreed upon by the municipal Plenary in 1987. That agreement, unanimously approved by all political groups including the PSOE, authorised the transfer of the concession to Puerto de Mogán S.A. for the remaining time of the original 50-year concession, expiring in 2031. But it also established that, once the infrastructure is reverted to the City Council, it reserved the right to request a future extension. The agreement was notified to the company, was never challenged, and has been in force for almost four decades.
The mayor, Onalia Bueno, has defended the consistency of the council. “What cannot be expected is for the 1987 agreement to be valid for allowing the private exploitation of the port for decades and that, forty years later, it ceases to be so precisely in the part that protects the rights of the City Council,” she stated. Bueno has described it as a “duty” to defend those rights and has labelled it “irresponsible” to renounce them without trying.
The surprise came with the decision of Puertos Canarios, which on July 27 rejected the extension request submitted by the City Council, considering it lacks legitimacy. The mayor has expressed her concern over the speed of the resolution and the literal coincidence of its arguments with those put forward by Nueva Canarias to suspend the plenary agreement. “It is very striking that such a quick response was chosen on a matter that affects the future of a strategic infrastructure,” Bueno pointed out, recalling that the City Council had requested a valuation of the substance of the matter since last year.
The mayor has also criticised the stance of councillor Gabella. “It is very concerning that someone who should contribute to strengthening the institutional position has decided to place themselves on the opposite side,” she noted, urging him to explain why he believes the City Council should renounce a firm and never contested plenary agreement.
The debate occurs in a context of tension between the council and Puertos Canarios, which has opened a new legal front. While the City Council defends its 1987 reservation of rights, the company Puerto de Mogán S.A. continues to exploit the facilities until 2031. The decision of the plenary this Wednesday reaffirms the local government's intention not to back down in its claim.
The next step will be to wait for the response from Puertos Canarios to the appeals that the City Council plans to submit. Meanwhile, the residents of Mogán are closely following a conflict that will determine the future of a key infrastructure for the local economy, both for its fishing activity and for nautical tourism.
The mayor concluded that the council will not relent in its efforts: “We will defend the rights of this municipality to the last consequences.”
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