Councillor Pablo Rodríguez and General Director María Fernández have participated in the first Sectoral Transport Conference since 2022, where they have demanded that the distribution of European funds and new state governance consider the uniqueness of the Archipelago.
The Councillor for Public Works, Housing and Mobility of the Government of the Canary Islands, Pablo Rodríguez, has demanded this Wednesday in Madrid that state mobility policies incorporate the reality of insular and ultra-peripheral territories, such as the Archipelago. The request was made during the first Sectoral Transport Conference held since 2022, a coordination body between the State and the autonomous communities that had been inactive for more than four years.
Rodríguez, accompanied by the General Director of Transport and Mobility, María Fernández, participated in the meeting convened by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, where three major issues were addressed: the Social Plan for the Climate, the regulatory development of the Sustainable Mobility Law, and the implementation of the future Single Ticket. In all of them, the Canary representative insisted that the measures must adapt to the geographical uniqueness of the Archipelago.
“We celebrate that this Sectoral Conference is finally convened because transport and mobility are strategic issues for the Canary Islands. For our archipelago, talking about mobility means talking about territorial cohesion, equality of opportunities, and economic and social development,” Rodríguez stated during his speech. The councillor recalled that, despite the body not meeting since 2022, the Canary Executive has continued to work with the Ministry on issues such as free public transport, maritime and air connectivity, or the promotion of railway infrastructure.
In the section dedicated to the Social Plan for the Climate, Rodríguez argued that the European resources aimed at promoting more sustainable mobility should incorporate criteria that take into account the particularities of the Canary Islands. “We cannot design mobility policies thinking only about the peninsular reality. If the programmes focus exclusively on certain modes of transport, the Canary Islands will be left out. It is essential that the distribution of funds and investments considers our condition as an ultra-peripheral region and the needs arising from insularity and territorial fragmentation,” he indicated.
The councillor also took the opportunity to express the Canary Executive's willingness to sign agreements that will provide funding for the trains in Gran Canaria and Tenerife. “Last year, a very important milestone was achieved for the Canary Islands, which was the signing of two protocols with the Ministry. The signing of those protocols entails the signing of their respective agreements with funding to execute a railway network that is absolutely essential in the Archipelago today, so we are ready to ensure that this signing is possible and takes place,” he assured.
During the Sectoral Conference, the regulatory development of Law 9/2025 on Sustainable Mobility was also addressed. In this area, the Government of the Canary Islands reiterated the allegations presented to ensure effective participation in the new governance bodies provided for by the law. Among the proposals submitted to the Ministry are the permanent inclusion of the Canary Islands and the island councils in the Superior Council of Sustainable Mobility, the creation of a specific section for insular, extrapeninsular, and ultra-peripheral territories, as well as the establishment of mechanisms that guarantee the Archipelago's participation in decisions that directly affect its mobility and state funding.
María Fernández emphasized that the Government of the Canary Islands has maintained a firm position throughout the processing of the state regulation. “The Canary Islands has taken advantage of all participation channels to defend its uniqueness. We do not ask for exceptional treatment, but rather that a territorial reality protected by Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union is recognized. This uniqueness must be reflected both in funding criteria and in the representation of the new governance bodies,” concluded the General Director.
Regarding the future Single Ticket, the Government of the Canary Islands has reiterated its willingness to become one of the territories where the pilot project promoted by the Ministry is developed. The councillor explained that the Archipelago has a consolidated experience in developing technological tools to integrate transport titles, thanks to the work carried out by the General Directorate of Transport and Mobility together with the island councils with the Unique Transport Title. This experience, according to Rodríguez, makes the Canary Islands an ideal candidate to test the new system before its widespread implementation.
The councillor positively assessed the recovery of this space for institutional dialogue and highlighted the importance of maintaining permanent coordination between administrations on a strategic matter for the Archipelago. “Transport and mobility are strategic issues for the Canary Islands. For our archipelago, talking about mobility means talking about territorial cohesion, equality of opportunities, and economic and social development,” he reiterated.
The meeting of the Sectoral Transport Conference is the first since 2022, a hiatus of more than four years that the councillor has deemed necessary to overcome in order to advance in the coordination of mobility policies between the State and the autonomous communities. In this regard, Rodríguez expressed hope that from now on the meetings will be periodic and allow for continuous monitoring of pending issues.
The next relevant appointment will be the signing of funding agreements for the trains in Gran Canaria and Tenerife, a step that the Canary Executive hopes to materialize in the coming months. Meanwhile, the Government of the Canary Islands will continue to work to ensure that state mobility policies do not ignore the insular and ultra-peripheral reality of the Archipelago.
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