The institutional offensive launched in Brussels by the Port Authorities of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife has opened a deep breach of distrust within the European Commission. The united front articulated alongside the Outermost Regions (RUP) of France and Portugal to demand a drastic relaxation of the Emission Trading System (ETS) for maritime transport has been received with severe reservations by community technical teams. The Canary representatives Beatriz Calzada and Pedro Suárez have conveyed their alarm over the loss of connectivity against competitors from North Africa, stumbling against the resistance of the European Union’s climate policy officials.
High-level community sources consulted in the European capital express deep bewilderment at the bilateral negotiation strategy employed by the delegation from the archipelago. Senior officials from the European Commission directly point out that the demands for exceptional treatment weaken the coherence of maritime decarbonization policy and generate discontent among the Directorates General responsible for supervising the distribution of cohesion funds. Brussels offices criticize that the Canary Islands benefit from preferential flows of community capital and special budget allocations for infrastructure, only to later demand exclusion clauses when the environmental requirements of the bloc come into effect.
The discontent within the community executive is fueled by the lack of a univocal position within the political and social fabric of the islands themselves. Internal reports from European civil servants warn that not everyone in the Canary Islands supports the same criteria for tax exemption, with some sectors aligned with the strict green transition thesis rejecting the extension of carbon emissions. This fragmentation of the Canary position erodes the credibility of its port managers, projecting an image of weakness that European negotiators exploit to maintain the deadlines for regulatory review set for next July.
‘The sahrawis of Europe?’
The paralysis in communication and technical isolation in the center of the continent have deteriorated the political weight of the autonomous community in decision-making bodies. Economic diplomacy analysts in Brussels suggest that the position of the Canary Islands within the structures of the European Union is beginning to resemble the subordinate role and constant asymmetrical demands that the sahrawis have in Rabat. The archipelago risks becoming trapped in a loop of budget dependency and legal subordination, where its geographical singularities are treated as peripheral elements managed according to the strategic priorities of the major continental powers.
The urgency expressed by the maritime transport employers stems from the real fear of a relocation of transshipment traffic to port platforms outside the jurisdiction of the European Union. The logistical development of facilities such as Tanger Med in Morocco or new developments in West Africa offers large international shipping companies operational alternatives free from CO2 tax burdens, threatening the increase in the cost of living in an island economy that imports 85% of its consumer goods. Despite the fact that the EU-ETS Observatory of State Ports has documented a real contraction in long-distance container connectivity, Brussels maintains regulatory pressure, demanding environmental trade-offs before granting any preferential treatment in the transatlantic market.
