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This Sunday, emergency responders and rock-climbers head to La Mola for a mock rescue an injured person at Cova des Fum

The Formentera Office of Interior reports that this Sunday 20 March, a rescue drill will take place at Cova des Fum, a cave on a cliffside in La Mola. Members of the Balearic Federation of Speleology's Cave Rescue Group and Penjats de Formentera, which is also part of the federation, will join members of Formentera Civil Protection, the Formentera Fire Brigade and the Mountain Rescue Group of the Eivissa Fire Brigade, in performing a drill to evacuate a person on a stretcher using the abseiling technique. Drill participants will have to overcome a drop of 60 metres.

Josep Marí, Councillor of Interior, pointed out that "actions like this prepare emergency workers to improve coordination and response in rock-climbing rescues that may occur, especially if we take into account the geological features of the islands". On that note, he applauded the Balearic Federation of Speleology (FBE) for performing this drill on Formentera, and praised Penjats de Formentera, Formentera Civil Protection and Formentera and Eivissa firefighters for their collaboration.

This action is part of a collaboration agreement between FBE and the Regional Ministry of Public Administration and Modernisation to assure aid and rescue services in caves. The drill will take place, weather permitting, between 8.00am and 4.00pm.

18 March 2021
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

Ana Juan asks Armengol to consider Formentera's triple insularity and take specific steps to lower fuel costs

foto 2022 AJ reunioToday Ana Juan, President of the Consell de Formentera, asked Francina Armengol, President of the Balearic government, that measures to alleviate rising fuel costs due to the war in Ukraine –a point of discussion at the last Conference of Presidents on La Palma– " account for the triple insularity of Formentera". In this connection, President Juan stressed "the importance of working in coordination with the European, state and regional administrations".

During the encounter with the Balearic premier and representatives of the other island councils, Palma City Council and the Federation of Local Entities in the Balearic Islands (FELIB), Formentera's top official asked for "measures tuned to the specific situation of Formentera". Juan pointed out that, as a territory, Formentera is "very sensitive to situations of economic uncertainty", and that transport costs, both for passengers and goods, "always have a more serious impact on our island". She also voiced concerns related to potential supply issues and to the fact that, "in tourism, Formentera is at a disadvantage compared to other tourist destinations".

This week, President Juan listened to concerns from employers and the primary sector. She told Armengol that Formentera's fishing sector, for example, has seen fuel prices double, and that Formentera residents now spend ten per cent more on groceries than anyone else in the Balearic Islands. "That's going to impact families", she warned.

Coordination meeting on the island

President Juan said the local administration was looking at which steps it could take, as was done with COVID-19, to "help the island's most vulnerable and the sectors that have been hardest hit". She also underscored "the will" of Formentera to help in the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, and that the Formentera Office of Social Welfare "is in constant contact with the Balearic government to articulate aid when required".

Lastly, Juan praised President Armengol for bringing up the cost of acute insularity at the Conference of Presidents, and called on the Spanish government to press the European Union to secure lower prices by modifying the auction-based system and decoupling the price of gas from other energies.


16 March 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

Rally in solidarity with Ukraine

Images of rallies today in the Plaça de la Constitució and at the Formentera Day Centre (Centre de Dia) in solidarity with the people of the Ukraine. The Consell de Formentera has joined in expressing support and affection for all those suffering the consequences of the war unleashed by the Russian Federation against the Ukraine.

foto 2022 concentracio E

foto 2022 concentracio G

foto 2022 concentracio F

9 March 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

"Capital for Formentera" – Ana Juan asks Armengol to approve maritime transport order

foto 2022 visita armengol CbToday Ana Juan, President of the Consell de Formentera, along with cabinet councillors, met Francina Armengol, the regional premier, to review the strategic projects being developed this term on Formentera and those that are pending and in the pipeline.

First, President Juan stressed "the good understanding" between the municipal and regional administrations, and "coordination around policies with considerable local impact". Juan wanted the cabinet to be present at the meeting so they could learn first-hand about the projects. "We told the premier that, for Formentera, the maritime transport order is essential this term", she said, insisting the decree must affect "not only the regular line but also day trips". She also underscored the importance of "guarantees on islander mobility", and asserted that "service minimums and maximums be respected". Juan also asked the chief of the Balearic government to "act as a go-between for the distinct administrations involved in regulating maritime transport and restructuring the port".

For her part, Francina Armengol underlined the joint work between the Govern and the Consell over the last seven years. She also made assurances that the regional government had already "practically completed the maritime transport order" and that it would reflect local demands. She drew attention to "fundamental" investments in education, social services and health. Armengol announced that on Monday the government commission would lay the groundwork for IbSalut to bid to build a permanent 061 emergency response base on Formentera. After the meeting, Juan and Armengol visited the haemodialysis service works, which started this year.

4 March 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

Plenary attendees endorse anchorage rules at S'Estany des Peix, 2022 subsidy plan and landmark status for Molí d'en Botigues

foto 2022ii pleToday decision-makers gathered for the February plenary assembly, where they handed approval to a number of proposals, including rules for anchoring at S'Estany des Peix, the 2022-2023 Strategic Plan on Subsidies and 'cultural-interest site' status for En Botigues windmill (Molí d'en Botigues).

S'Estany des Peix anchorage rules

The Gent per Formentera (GxF) and Socialist cabinet overcame resistance from opposition group Sa Unió to grant initial approval to anchoring rules and the legal rubric for mooring fixtures at S'Estany des Peix. Antoni Tur, Councillor of Environment, called approval of the rules "an important step towards the endgame of recovering and preserving this environmentally endangered natural area". Councillors created a ranking system prioritising traditional watercraft and set up discounts for distinct groups, with Tur asserting that the aim of the rules was "to keep moorings and activities that are steeped in historical tradition side by side". He cast the project as "cutting-edge" and the subject of "broad popular request".

Strategic Plan on Subsidies

The GxF-PSOE cabinet overcame abstention from the opposition to endorse the Strategic Plan on Subsidies for 2022. Bartomeu Escandell, Councillor of Economy and Finance, said the €2,025,200 budget reserved for the subsidies plan showed the administration had "the political will and economic mettle to support Formentera's associations", which he thanked for their work and support.

Escandell said subsidies fell into categories like social action, culture, education and heritage, sports, agriculture, livestock, fishing and hunting, mobility, environment, trade, housing, and tourism. The plan also includes new allocations for livestock, tourism promotion and the fight to tackle climate change. Escandell offered that "these subsidies are an attempt to address the demands of our various groups and their enormous efforts".

Molí d'en Botigues, new cultural-interest site

Assembly members also moved unanimously to designate the Molí d'en Botigues windmill in La Mola a cultural-interest monument (Bé d'Interès Cultural, BIC). Raquel Guasch, Councillor of Heritage, emphasised "the legacy of this windmill", and called it "a noteworthy 19th-century element requiring the maximum level of protection". The councillor cast the landmark designation as "another step towards our goal of affording protected status to Formentera's windmills".

Metred parking

The cabinet once again overcame opposition abstention to grant final approval to a modification of the ordinance which regulates metred parking rates in Es Pujols, Sant Ferran, Sant Francesc and La Savina.

Rafael González, Councillor of Mobility, pointed out that the modification partially accounted for a petition to ensure that Formentera residents who drive vehicles used previously by car-hire companies were eligible for discounts. Islanders who pay Formentera's vehicle circulation tax receive a full tax break and may park in blue and green zone spaces at no charge; now Formentera residents who drive vehicles operated previously as rentals will benefit from an 85% reduction of the same tax.

The cabinet overcame the opposition's abstention to back initial approval of the modified ordinance regulating metred parking. Councillor González charged that the change targetted parking problems that occurred in the centre of La Savina in July and August 2021.

"The centre of La Savina was satured with rental vehicles that were not in fact being rented. The current change makes it illegal to park a rental vehicle without a visible document proving it is rented. Last summer in La Savina, Formentera Local Police issued 150 fines for unrented rental vehicles parked in metred spots. The modification, which was communicated to and agreed with the La Savina Association of Neighbours and car rental companies, empowers law enforcement and blue zone parking attendants to sanction violators of this rule.

Three proposals from Sa Unió representatives were also unanimously approved. The first calls on the Consell de Formentera to urgently convene a meeting of the Audiovisual Management Body (Ens de Gestió Audiovisual, EGA) and to regularly comply with protocol for gatherings as set out in the EGA charter. The second urges local and regional government to evaluate the effectiveness of measures to curb local numbers of the pine processionary caterpillar and to study new and possibly more effective approaches. The third motion urges the Balearic Agency of Water and Environmental Quality (Agència Balear de l'Aigua, ABAQUA) to expand maintenance and oversee appropriate infrastructure upgrades in Formentera's sewage network, particularly near Ses Salines Natural Reserve.

Department report from the Councillor of Infrastructure, Primary Sector and Interior

Josep Marí, Councillor of Infrastructure, Primary Sector and Interior, offered a review of efforts in his departments. He hailed progress strengthening the primary sector, agriculture, livestock, fishing and hunting – a priority that he asserted had been in place since creation of the Consell de Formentera. He described the Formentera Farmers Co-operative (Cooperativa del Camp, CCF) as "the backbone and driver of the recovery of local agriculture and livestock".

On fishing, the councillor offered, "Our policy is to protect Formentera's sea and artisan fishermen". He asserted that the Fishermen's Guild served to "protect our fishing professionals" and insisted that that group would have "new facilities to do its work within the year".

On interior affairs, the councillor highlighted a long-standing effort to ensure that emergency and law enforcement forces on the island were "local and sufficiently staffed". He insisted that in recent years, the Consell de Formentera has presided over a resolute push for competitive examinations to increase the number of police staff. "New selection processes will mean we can reach our goal of consolidating the workforce", he added. The councillor spoke about the island's lifeguards and fire department and offered special thanks to the Civil Protection volunteers corps.

On infrastructure, Councillor Marí said that over €1 million in investments during the last three legislative terms meant Formentera had "moved forward and made substantial improvements in almost all the towns on our island".

He underscored initiatives near Sant Francesc's socio-health hub, where work on the old person's home and access roads is under way and nearing completion, and in Es Ca Marí, where plans are in place to install a sewage system.

Official proclamation International Women's Day, 8 March

Finally, Ana Juan, President of the Consell and Councillor of Equality, presented a proclamation for International Women's Day, 8 March, in which she asserted, "We must recognise that gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also one of the essential foundations for building a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world". She pointed out that "without gender equality today, a sustainable and egalitarian future will remain out of reach".

25 February 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

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