The People’s Party (PP) has decided to break off negotiations with the Government for the relocation of migrant minors, stating that there will be no third meeting. The spokesperson for the conservative party in Congress, Miguel Tellado, was scheduled to meet with Minister of Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres on Monday, but Tellado announced that further meetings are currently being ruled out. According to sources within the PP, conversations have been suspended until the Government reconsiders and seeks support from the European community to address a conflict that extends beyond just the Canary Islands and Spain.
Negotiations between Coalición Canaria, the PP, and the Government resumed in person last Monday following a meeting held in Madrid on August 12. The main objective was to define the minimum number of places that each autonomous community should have in order to determine when each territory can request that others take in some of the minors in their care. While the PP leadership was pushing for a maximum agreement this week, the party in the Canary Islands was eager to reach a resolution as soon as possible. However, the PP leadership has now decided to suspend negotiations, as stated by the Congressional spokesperson.
The PP sources argue that the Government cannot reject the assistance offered to them or delegate the response to this problem to the communities governed by the PP. They find it unacceptable that the Spanish Government is preventing Europe from helping the Canary Islands out of pure political interest and an obsession with undermining the regional government. The PP is relying on statements made by Minister Torres on TVE, where he addressed the issue of his refusal to activate European Union mechanisms to address the migration issue affecting around 6,000 minors in the Canary Islands.
Up until now, negotiations had been conducted discreetly, although it had been revealed that the Government proposed that the sole criterion for determining the number of places each autonomous community should have and how they would be allocated would be based on population alone, excluding factors such as unemployment, income level, or territorial dispersion. The leaking of this information led to accusations about who was breaking the supposed silence pact between the negotiating parties. Minister Torres emphasized the need for an urgent and emergency solution for the minors in Canarias and criticized communities that rejected taking in the minors while expecting other EU countries to do so.
The stance taken by the PP leadership has put an end to the negotiations, at least for the time being, highlighting the strong disagreements between the Government and the opposition regarding the relocation of migrant minors. The decision to suspend talks reflects the deepening divide between the two sides, with each party accusing the other of hindering progress towards a solution. Without further negotiations, the issue of relocating migrant minors remains unresolved, leaving the minors in a vulnerable position as the search for a resolution continues amidst political tensions.
