Refugees in Tenerife, arriving by boat from West African countries and using the Canary Islands as a gateway to Europe, continue to pose a significant challenge.
Can the Canarian government and the various aid organisations cope with this influx?
The answer is a resounding no. It has already come to the point where Canary President Fernado Clavijo is inviting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchéz to come and see the situation on the ground. He calls for more involvement and support from Spain in dealing with the migration crisis affecting the Canary archipelago.
Europe
In his letter to Prime Minister Sanchéz, Clavijo explained that available resources on the islands are limited for the significant increase in the number of migrants who have arrived on several islands in recent weeks. In addition, the Canary Islands president also requested meetings with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson to push for greater European Union involvement.
He also advocates for the Spanish government to ask the European Union to guarantee the transit role due to the Canary Islands as the EU’s southern border. As the Canary Islands cannot cope with the migration pressure alone, they need this support, as well as shared solidarity from all member states. He also asked for help to ensure adequate reception of unaccompanied migrant minors who manage to reach the Canary Islands’ shores.
Too many ministries
In his letter to the acting president of the Spanish government, Clavijo asked Pedro Sánchez to travel to the Canary Islands as soon as possible so that he could see from the front row how difficult it is to manage migration with the available resources, especially during the summer months when thousands of migrants venture across.
Fernando Clavijo stressed the need for a single command to coordinate all the actions of government departments regarding the arrival of migrants in the Canary Islands. He recalled that in 2006, a single coordination command made it possible to respond adequately to the arrival of migrants with appropriate and effective actions. Now we depend on six ministries (Interior, Foreign Affairs, Migration, Minors, Defence and Public Works), and moreover, the Canary Islands does not have a single interlocutor to develop a coordinated strategy.
Specific questions
What the Canarian government is asking for is a coordinated, humanitarian, effective and safe EU migration policy that takes into account the specific needs of the outlying regions. These are the locations that face the major consequences of a large and constant migration influx. Moreover, the regional government wants to strengthen direct relations with the Spanish embassies in Mauritania and Senegal and with the authorities of both countries to increase relations and cooperation with these areas.
Direct contact
In the coming weeks, a delegation from the Canarian government will travel to Senegal and Mauritania to update the institutional agenda and cooperation agreements and also to learn, especially in Senegal, about the current social and economic crisis and the deactivation of the rickety vessels that have been deployed for months to reach the Canary Islands.
With this trip, the government of the Canary Islands wants to strengthen current cooperation projects in a geographical area where Canarias intends to expand support and work in a targeted way to address the current migration crisis. There are tot many refugees in Tenerife.
Cope.es © Photography
Refugees in Tenerife ©
More TRIVIA can be read [HERE]
Interested in Tenerife?
Subscribe to our newsletter and always stay informed about the news on Tenerife.
Enter your first name and a valid email address below. Then click on Subscribe.
