Andrew EdePalma30/06/2020 00:10
TW
1

A couple of weeks ago it was a Congress agreement to the Canary Islands having a specific plan for tourism (to be made available by the Spanish government) when there is not a specific plan for the Balearics. Now, there is to be a difference in how ERTE is applied. Before making public the agreement about the ERTE extension, the government - at the last minute - slipped in a clause which will mean that ERTE is extended in the Canaries until there is a recovery of international air traffic.

While the general agreement is for an extension to end-September, the Canaries already know - courtesy of this clause - that ERTE will continue beyond September. The Balearics had argued the case for an end-December agreement being made. It wasn't, but the Balearics now understand that the Canaries have got their own specific deal. Again.

Canaries' tourism isn't the same as the Balearics because, under normal circumstances, the islands are very much all-year beach holiday destinations. So, account does need to be made of this. However, it is an agreement that is causing a political fuss in the Balearics and is once more raising questions about how effective the Balearic government is in getting Madrid to listen to its demands.

While this is an old theme, it has been given an additional edge because of the crisis, and the accusation levelled at Francina Armengol is that she simply isn't tough enough in pressing Balearic demands.