The Gran Canaria Island Council raises the alarm over Moroccan exploration in nearby waters, while the central government looks the other way.
Gran Canaria stands firm against Morocco's latest move in waters near the archipelago. The island council has voted in plenary session to reject the authorization granted by Rabat to Israeli companies for oil and gas exploration in an area that not only violates international law but could also seriously affect the Canary Islands' ecosystem and tourism, its main economic driver.
The initiative, promoted by Nueva Canarias – Frente Amplio Canarista (NC-FAC) and supported by Coalición Canaria and the Partido Popular, emphasizes the negative impact these operations could have on the security and stability of the Canary Islands. However, the motion failed to achieve unanimous support: PSOE and VOX chose to abstain, making it clear that defending the archipelago's interests is not always a matter of consensus.
The exploration zone granted to the Israeli company NewMed Energy covers 34.000 square kilometers in the waters of Western Sahara, a territory pending decolonization according to the UN. Morocco's initiative, published in its Official Gazette on February 17, once again raises alarm about the plundering of natural resources in an area that does not legally belong to it.
The problem isn't new, but the passivity is surprising. While Morocco unhinderedly advances its resource appropriation strategy, Spain continues its tirade that "they do not affect Spanish sovereign waters." As if the spilled oil or the environmental impact would stop at the imaginary line of the Exclusive Economic Zone.
The exploration plans, which will begin with geological and geophysical analysis over the next 30 months, have the support of Morocco's National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and Adarco Energy, owned by Moroccan-Jewish businessman Yariv ElBaz. If the results are positive, exploratory drilling will be the next step, with a license that will last up to eight years.
The island council warns of the ecological risk posed by this activity in a maritime area with geological characteristics similar to those of Mauritania and Senegal, where significant gas deposits have already been discovered. But the concern is not only environmental: the legal uncertainty surrounding these concessions, as they overlap with the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claimed by the Canary Islands, further complicates the already complex diplomatic situation between Spain and Morocco.
The unilateral expansions of Morocco's EEZ in 2020 and the lack of progress in delimiting its waters with Spain have generated tension in recent years. While Rabat continues to move forward with its plans, the Gran Canaria Island Council is demanding that the Spanish government and the European Commission take action and protect the archipelago's interests. However, it seems that Madrid and Brussels are more concerned with "survival kits" and calculating their financial situation to push forward with their "European rearmament" plan.
The central government's lukewarmness contrasts with Morocco's determination, which is moving forward with a clear roadmap for the exploitation of natural resources without Spain daring to make a move. Will dialogue prevail, or will Morocco continue to set the pace on the Atlantic energy scene? Does the government prefer to avoid diplomatic problems with Rabat at the expense of the Canary Islands' interests?
