Canary Islands government faces legal battle over opaque volcanic aid distribution

A legal and political dispute has emerged in the Canary Islands regarding the transparency of economic aid distributed to victims of the 2021 Tajogaite volcanic eruption on La Palma. The citizen association Tierra Bonita and the PSOE parliamentary group are challenging the regional government's decision to keep the identities of aid recipients confidential.

The Canary Islands government argues that disclosing the names of beneficiaries alongside the compensation amounts would allow for the deduction of their private financial status prior to the disaster, thus violating privacy protections under the Canary Islands Volcano Law. However, critics argue that general subsidy legislation supports the public disclosure of fund distribution and that the confidentiality clause was not part of the original popular legislative initiative.

Official records in the Boletín Oficial de Canarias (BOC) show significant individual payments, including three amounts exceeding 1 million euros. The dispute is currently undergoing judicial review following a recommendation from the Transparency Commissioner of the Canary Islands.