The municipality of Mogán has established itself as a key driver of European funding for coastal development on the southwest coast of Gran Canaria. The final resolution of the advance call for proposals for the 2026 fiscal year, signed by the Deputy Minister of the Primary Sector, Eduardo García Cabello, of the Canary Coalition, has ratified the allocation of €251.646,33 in subsidies managed through the Gran Canaria Coastal Action Group (GALPA). The fishing guilds and the Mogán public administration have secured the largest share of this EU funding, designed under the framework of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFF) to promote a sustainable blue economy in traditional fishing communities.
The most significant investment milestone in the municipality belongs to the Mogán Fishermen's Association, which has secured final approval for the construction of a tuna processing facility. This infrastructure project, framed within the initiative to create value and employment, aims to directly add value to the catches of the local fleet and diversify artisanal fishing activity towards more profitable commercial channels. This initiative will run alongside the ambitious Mogán 2026-2027 Nautical-Fishing Training Plan, promoted by the Mogán City Council, which has absorbed a substantial portion of the funding to guarantee lifelong learning, generational renewal, and the promotion of equal opportunities in maritime professions.
However, the success in securing these funds contrasts sharply with the bureaucratic rigidity imposed by European control regulations, which has sidelined logistics projects in the region. The Directorate General of Fisheries has upheld the rejection of the appeal filed by Pefrescatron Sociedad Limitada, which sought to finance a refrigerated truck and polystyrene boxes with these funds, for a total of €59.790,27. The regional government's rejection was based on the fact that transport equipment, in and of itself, does not constitute an operation eligible for subsidies under sustainable mobility criteria, unless it forms part of a primary green marketing initiative. This will force companies in the sector to reconfigure their technical modernization plans.
The resolution imposes a highly demanding implementation and reporting schedule for the beneficiaries in Mogán, setting November 10, 2026, as the deadline for completing the first year's activities. With a co-financing model where the European Union contributes 70% of the capital and the Canary Islands Autonomous Community the remaining 30%, local fishermen and technicians face the challenge of executing the investments swiftly to avoid having to repay the funds. The transformation of Mogán's fishing industry is thus progressing towards the modernization of its processing facilities and the professionalization of its fishermen, circumventing the bureaucratic hurdles of increasingly inflexible EU environmental regulations regarding investment in conventional vehicles.
