He assures that the ministerial decision lacks valid arguments and is part of a premeditated strategy to close the hotel, which has always operated legally, rejecting accusations of violations and defending its record of regulatory compliance.
Criticizes the manipulation of facts by the Ministry and its obstruction of the hotel's improvements, and guarantees to defend its rights in all judicial processes that are opened from now on
It also denounces potential economic and social damages for the island of Fuerteventura due to the possible closure of the hotel.
RIU Hotels & Resorts considers that the decision of the Ministry of Ecological Transition to force the expiration of the concession of the hotel Riu Oliva Beach, from the island of Fuerteventura, is an arbitrary action lacking arguments and confirms that it will defend its legitimate rights in the face of what it considers a hostile strategy from this department of the central government.
The ministerial decision lacks valid arguments and is part of a premeditated strategy:
The Mallorcan chain estimates that there is evidence that shows that the strategy of the Ministry of Ecological Transition It is premeditated since it has sought from the beginning to cause the expiration of a concession in force for the use of hotel facilities that remained in the public domain and, with it, the closure of a facility that has always carried out its activity in full legality. and with full respect for the regulations regarding the legislation that regulates the management of the coast, as well as any other urban and environmental considerations.
Part of the strategy of the Ministry of Ecological Transition has focused on arguing the commission of infractions by RIU, but the hotel company highlights its history of respect for regulations and distances itself from any infraction that is attributed to it.
RIU assures that the resolution of the aforementioned central government department is based on false, disproportionate and incomplete arguments and misrepresents the physical reality of the property, object of the concession: in no case is it true that greater public domain space has been occupied than the referred to in the scope of the concession, as argued in the file opened by the Ministry of Ecological Transition. In the same way, it assures that it is false that there are unauthorized uses within the scope of the concession, since all those mentioned in the file, as is the case of the bazaar, are complementary uses that are consolidated and absolutely common in the hotel facility. Furthermore, it tenaciously confirms that it is not true that works have been carried out without authorization within the scope of the concession. Likewise, remember that, after the transfer of powers from Costas to the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, the body does not have jurisdictional legitimacy.
The hotel company considers that the attitude of the Ministry of Ecological Transition is scandalous and that it is the culmination of a premeditated strategy, which started in 2018 with a clear objective: to force the expiration of the concession. RIU argues that this decision was predetermined in advance and that the necessary arguments were sought subsequently, with a clear manipulation of the facts.
Manipulation of facts by the Ministry and obstruction of hotel improvements:
On the other hand, the chain denounces that the aforementioned central government department has hindered any action by RIU to, always with full respect for the regulations, improve the hotel's facilities; delaying for years the resolution on the authorization of the requested works and subsequently challenging the authorization granted by the Government of the Canary Islands, once the powers of Costas were transferred. Even, the company emphasizes, they have tried to annul the concession with an ex officio review that ended up shelving due to lack of support from the State Attorney's Office.
The expiration process for violations in the concession, which RIU considers bulky and manipulated, that the Ministry of Ecological Transition has initiated has been taken with a speed that suggests a deliberate interest, criticizes RIU, and remembers that for this it has had to challenge acts own, such as the transfer of Coastal powers to the Government of the Canary Islands.
On the other hand, RIU firmly believes that the central government department has not evaluated the consequences of its attitude and decision for the general interest of the island of Fuerteventura, since the possible closure of the Riu Oliva Beach hotel would have serious economic and social implications.
Potential economic and social damages for the island of Fuerteventura due to the possible closure of the hotel: An establishment with 52 years of history
The establishment was built in 1972 in the municipality of La Oliva, in the north of Fuerteventura and became a hotel of the RIU chain in 1995. The Oliva Beach not only played a transcendental role in the development of Fuerteventura, creating hundreds of jobs, providing training and generating wealth for the population of the towns and localities of the island, but also managed to open the way by becoming a benchmark in international tourism, leading the image of excellence of the Fuerteventura and Canary Islands destination in the world. To this day, the hotel continues to have great relevance for the society of the municipality of La Oliva and the entire island of Fuerteventura, creating 600 jobs, directly or indirectly.
These are jobs that are now at risk due to the unfounded claims of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the company criticizes; to which we must add the undoubted damage that the closure of the hotel would cause to the productive fabric of the north of Fuerteventura. As reference data, the chain would like to highlight that only the clients of the Riu Oliva Beach and its neighbor Riu Palace Tres Islas maintain the movement of 1,5 planes daily to the island of Fuerteventura, with an economic impact of 13,6 million euros in annual turnover for the island of Fuerteventura, according to official data collected by the La Oliva City Council. However, the real economic impact for the island of Fuerteventura exceeds 27 million euros if we add the spending in the destination made by hotel guests throughout the year.
RIU will defend its rights in all judicial processes that are opened from now on:
The RIU chain, a company with an impeccable reputation with 97 hotels open in 21 countries around the world, denounces that it feels like a victim of this attitude of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, and insists on defending its rights, not only for its business interest. but also, and above all, for the sustained commitment to its workers, its suppliers and the island of Fuerteventura as a whole; that through their institutions and the political parties represented in them, as well as the economic and social agents, businessmen and unions, have already shown unwavering support for the future of Oliva Beach.
Finally, and regarding the complaint filed by RIU against the three senior ministerial officials related to the processing of the review, sanction and expiration files of the hotel concession, the chain considers that it was a necessary action for the defense of its legitimate rights. , and remembers that its admission to processing was defended to the end by the different prosecutors who participated in the case.
RIU Hotels & Resorts, which respects and trusts in the Rule of Law, will defend itself in all judicial processes that are opened from now on, which it understands will undermine the Ministry for the Ecological Transition.
