A bilateral summit involving the presidents of the Balearics and the Canary Islands is to be held next month in Palma. Following discussions at the World Travel Market today, President Armengol and her counterpart in the Canaries, Fernando Clavijo, agreed to hold talks to consider matters of mutual interest.
These are principally to do with the two regions' financial relationships with Madrid and with air and sea connections. Both regions have concerns because of insularity, but different conditions apply to them in fiscal terms; the Canaries have a special regime for tax measures which the Balearics do not. The Balearic government has been and is continuing to press Madrid for a more beneficial economic regime.
Connections in terms of price and frequency are also very important to the two regions, and both have made calls for co-management of regional airports. A further point of interest is obviously tourism. In this context, the Balearics and the Canaries are both faced with issues related to holiday rentals and with the need for their effective regulation.