The Government assures that Justice will play a key role in the reconstruction of La Palma
- The Deputy Minister of Justice recalls that the decree of October 5, promoted by the regional Executive, was essential to provide an agile and coordinated response to the volcanic crisis.
- Carla Vallejo participates in the 'Institutional Dialogue: the role of Justice in the reconstruction of La Palma', held in the capital of La Palma, replacing Julio Pérez, present at the II Sectoral Conference on Democratic Memory held in Seville
The Deputy Minister of Justice of the Government of the Canary Islands, Carla Vallejo, highlighted this Friday the importance of the Judiciary, both in the management of the volcanic emergency in La Palma and in addressing the legal challenges of reconstruction, and recalled that the decree of October 5, promoted by the regional Executive, was essential to provide an agile and coordinated response to the volcanic crisis.
Carla Vallejo, who has participated in the 'Institutional Dialogue: the role of Justice in the reconstruction of La Palma', held at the CajaCanarias Cultural Space in the capital of Palma, replacing the Minister of Public Administrations, Justice and Security, Julio Pérez, present at the II Sectoral Conference on Democratic Memory, held in Seville, has stated that "the volcanological crisis was a challenge at all levels and, of course, the legal challenge was not and will not be nothing minor.”
He has pointed out that Justice, as an essential public service that it is, did not stop during the emergency in La Palma. "Few trials were suspended. There was a lot of gender violence that was addressed. We also provided the judicial bodies with the necessary means to do their work, reinforcing extraordinary cleanings, transfers to judicial headquarters and enhancing the technological part, updating computers and communications systems to facilitate telematic trials and be more agile," he explained.
The deputy minister has also highlighted the rapid response of the Judiciary in providing legal tools to manage the emergency. He explained that on October 5, three weeks after the volcano erupted (September 19), a first decree law was already approved that proposed specific measures for affected people, such as the installation of notaries in the affected municipalities.
“This decree not only responded to the emergency, but also anticipated the future,” said Carla Vallejo, since, as indicated, this norm provides for the possibility of dictating specific plans to address the increase in litigation related to the crisis or access to free justice for people whose economic capacity was reduced by the volcano.
Along the same lines, he pointed out that "we are going to encounter important challenges and not only on La Palma. There are conflicts that transcend the island and that will be analyzed at many levels. But we have already anticipated this," he stressed.
He also wanted to highlight the work that Justice provides in La Palma. "The system works on the island much better than it should with the means it has. However, the volcanic crisis has highlighted the need to have technical means and facilities to cover the existing needs," he indicated, while alluding to the commitment of the Department of Public Administrations, Justice and Security of the Government of the Canary Islands to reinforce the services of the Judicial District of Los Llanos de Aridane and the Courts of Santa Cruz de La Palma.
"We learned it in the pandemic, but it was certified during the volcanic crisis. Technical means guarantee us a more effective response. The Government of the Canary Islands has a firm commitment to improving the infrastructure on La Palma and the situation of personnel, which will result in the development of the island, attracting more and better legal professionals," stressed Carla Vallejo.
To all this must be added the effort and commitment of notaries and registrars, who also knew how to launch immediate and agile services to respond to the demands of those affected in relation to documentation and registration of their properties and rights.
Reconstruction, a challenge
At the aforementioned event, the vice-counselor was accompanied by the president of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC), Juan Luis Lorenzo; the dean of the Bar Association of Santa Cruz de La Palma, Juan Antonio Rodríguez, and the president of the Cabildo of La Palma, Mariano Zapata.
The president of the TSJC has commented that after the volcano we are experiencing “an unprecedented situation” in legal terms. All “a challenge” for which it has guaranteed “the maximum commitment” on the part of the governing bodies of the Judiciary in order to offer a quick and well-founded response to the requests of citizens and administrations.
For his part, the dean of the Bar Association of Santa Cruz de La Palma explained how his institution, from the first moment, put itself at the service of the people affected by the volcano to advise them on their demands.
The president of the Palmaro Cabildo has emphasized the sensitivity that the different public institutions are having with the island. He has also highlighted that, “for the first time”, a TSJC government room will be held outside of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. “One more example of the commitment, affection and solidarity that all the institutions of Spain have expressed with La Palma,” added Zapata.
