The debate on the potential location of the National Volcanic Center remains open while the methodology and format for selecting the headquarters for this scientific infrastructure is being determined, While statements about location preference are heard. In addition to politicians, mainly from Tenerife and La Palma, some attribute the scientific coordinator of the Volcanic Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan), Nemesio Pérez – whose entity continues to rely on and mainly financed by the Cabildo de Tenerife – an attempt to unbalance.
“Scientists should devote themselves to the practice of science, not the practice of politics or constant appearances in the media.” Thus the President of Cabildo de La Palma directly referred to Nemsio Pérez, Mariano Hernandez Zapata, who expressed his fear and concern “for these kinds of statements”, Where the Involcan Coordinator from Tenerife demanded the installation of this scientific center, supporting the theses first defended by Cabildo’s president, Pedro Martín.
Hernandez Zapata expressed that the decree prepared by the Spanish government to set standards for the decentralization of national utilities will be studied in depth, hoping “That objective assessments prevail with regard to the location of the National Volcanic Center and Let’s get the best possible report with the in-house technicians and, if necessary, seek outside support that will give us what we understand clearly and clearly, which is that this site is La Palma ».
Among the arguments, the island has experienced three volcanic eruptions in the last 72 years, which, together with the underwater eruption of Tagoro, at El Hierro, shaped all volcanic activities in the Canary Islands in the last century. For these reasons, both the palm institutions and scholars advocate this site for the future National Volcanic Center, although they warn of the existence of political movements.
The Cabildo de la Palma plenary approved an institutional declaration in which the political forces represented in that forum claim that the center ofThe. All agree that “it will not be understood that it was nowhere else than La Palma” and demand that such an approach be evaluated from the key to land restoration and reconstruction after the Tajugate.
Of the Canary Alliance, the only opposition party, Nevis Lady Barretto sees it as positive not only that the Canary Islands are the main seat of the volcanic centre, but that it must be La Palma due to the activity recorded during the last century. Pareto is confident that the governments of Spain and the Canary Islands will make the decision on the basis of “purely scientific and objective criteria and not of any other kind”.
normative
It will not even be a scientific committee to decide the ideal location for this think tank, as Royal Decree 209/2022, of March 22nd, which regulates the decentralization processes of facilities at the national level, stipulates that the proposals will be evaluated by an advisory committee chaired by the Minister for Regional Policy, Isabel Rodriguez , consisting of representatives from the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Labor and Social Economy, Environmental Transformation and Demographic Challenge, Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Finance and Civil Service, Transport and Mobility, Urban Agenda, Presidency and Court Relations, Democratic Memory, Social Rights and Agenda 2030. In addition, it will include Members of the ministries to which the affected entities are associated. Its task is to formulate recommendations to the Council of Ministers regarding the most appropriate location for the future headquarters and to prepare a report with specific evaluation criteria to determine the location. Among the criteria to be taken into account is the determination of the population and that it has an impact on job creation, something that will be even more pronounced in the case of La Palma. It was precisely the President, Pedro Sanchez, who on his recent visit to the island referred to the basic principles of “structuring, regional balance and adaptation to the sector of activity” to make the final decision in “objective and competitive” where and local administrations may submit their nominations. |
