The European Commission has offered financial support to the Canary Islands in an effort to resolve longstanding deficiencies in wastewater treatment systems, which have led to sanction procedures against various municipalities across the archipelago.
Currently, the Canary Islands are facing four penalty cases due to illegal wastewater discharges, one of which has already entered the enforcement phase, carrying an estimated cost of €12 million.
The Commission has confirmed that these breaches, some of which have been ongoing for several years, continue to pose significant risks to both the environment and public health, particularly in areas such as Arico on the west coast of Tenerife.
The issue was brought to the attention of the European authorities by Pedro Jonay Díaz, president of the local committee of Nueva Canarias–Bloque Canarista in Arico, and Juan Daniel Fajardo, vice president of Nueva Canarias Tenerife.
Both representatives reported that they had submitted several formal requests to the Arico Town Council and the Government of the Canary Islands without receiving a satisfactory response. As a result, they decided to escalate the matter and take it to European level.
A roadmap to address the problem is now being developed in coordination with Vicent Marzà Ibáñez, MEP for Compromís, and Paula Duarte, head of the Marine Environment and Clean Water Services Unit at the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Environment. The Canarian representatives outlined the “negative impact of poor wastewater management in the region” and emphasised the “urgent” need to improve local sanitation infrastructure.
According to Nueva Canarias, the European Commission has expressed its willingness to provide financial aid through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), provided that a suitable regional plan is submitted for approval.
