Tuesday
11th December was a historic day for Ibiza and Formentera. The Parliament
of the Balearic Isles approved a law of Environmental Protection for the area
of ses Salines.
Since
1996, ses Salines has been categorised as a nature reserve, but the locals didn’t
seem to consider that this was enough and so fought for protection by law for
this area of outstanding beauty in Ibiza.
Finally
they have got their wish thanks to the Partido Popular (Popular Party), who
were voted into power at the last election, and the Ministry of Environment,
who have now proved that they are totally dedicated to conserving and protecting
Ibiza’s environment.
The
Environmental councillor, Margalida Rosselló, expressed how content she was
with the Parliament’s decision: “This is the first environmental law that has
been presented to the parliament and the fact that it has been approved makes
me feel very happy. Finally ses Salines has been awarded justice after fighting
for protection for over 30 years”.
A
large part of the law was approved unanimously although parts of it caused some
controversy between the members of the Balearic Parliament. In the end the majority
approved the law.
The
vice-president of the Consell Insular (Island Council), Vicent Tur, also wished
to comment on the news: “Although it has been a long battle, I am delighted
that finally the locals have achieved their goal”.
Other
local politicians, such as Miquel Ramón and Joan Buades, also expressed how
pleased they were with the Parliament’s decision.
QUALITY HOTELS
Three
hotels in Ibiza are hoping to receive the prestigious Q for quality award on
20th December.
The
hotels were tested back in October and, according to the co-ordinator of the
Federación Hotelera (Hotel Federation), Rosa Cicuéndez, “gave very positive
results”.
So
far the hotels Playa Real, Seaview Country Club, Aura, Presidente and Formentera
Playa can already boast of having received their Q for quality awards.
Approximately
30 Ibicencan hotels are actively working to improve their quality of service
so that they can also receive a Q but most local businesses are finding this
involves a lot of dedication and hard work.
Only
very few of these awards are issued each year in Spain.
The
president of the Spanish Institute of Tourism Quality, Eduardo Gomero, will
travel from Madrid to Ibiza on 20th December to award the Q’s.
EARTHQUAKE SCARE
An
earthquake in the Mediterranean Sea between Ibiza and Alicante registered 3.4
degrees on the Richter scale on Thursday 6th December at 13:48 GTM.
Even
though the epicentre of the quake was 84 kilometres south-east of mainland Spain,
neither Ibiza nor Alicante suffered any strong tremors.
IBIZA AND UK UNITE IN FIGHT
AGAINST DRUGS
British
police officers and Spanish security officials (Civil Guards and National Police)
have formed a new syndicate that aims to prevent the traffic of drugs in Ibiza
during the summer months.
The
new syndicate’s first meeting, which took place in Ibiza on Monday 10th
December, was attended by the Balearic Secretary of State, Marienna Sánchez-Jáuregui;
several police officers from the UK, the British vice consulate in Ibiza, officers
from the Guardia Civil (Civil Guards), the Lord Mayor of San Antonio and various
councillors from the Con sell Insular (Island Council).
“The
meeting has been very interesting, positive and constructive”, said Marienna
Sánchez- Jáuregui, who hopes that this meeting will be “the first of many to
come”.
During
the meeting the officers exchanged information regarding the most serious problems
and discussed possible solutions.
Sánchez-Jáuregui
added: “I believe that international collaboration is a sure way to solve these
problems. 40% of tourists that visit San Antonio in the summer are young British
people, therefore both groups of policemen, English and Spanish, understand
and have experienced the same problems first hand”.
Both
parties have agreed that the most urgent problem to tackle is designer drugs,
such as ecstasies, which is the drug of choice for most young British people
on holiday in San Antonio.
During
the syndicate’s next meeting, members will discuss possible solutions to other
problems involving British youth that visit San Antonio in the summer months.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
Now
that the hustle and bustle of the festive season has begun, Christmas shopping
is high on the list of things to do.
A
recent survey conducted by the Unión de Consumidores de España (Consumers Union
of Spain) has revealed that we Ibiza residents spend approximately 105,985 pesetas
(407 pounds) each over the Christmas and New Year period.
According
to the survey, the largest amount of this money will be spent on food; 14,532
pesetas in the home and 23,486 pesetas eating in restaurants and cafés.
A
large sum is also spent on the Spanish Christmas lottery on which each person
spends an average of 16,316 pesetas, in comparison to last year’s 9,745 pesetas.
A
figure of 22,515 pesetas of the Christmas budget will be spent on going out
to parties, theatre, cinema, etc.
Each
resident will spend 18,201 pesetas on Christmas presents this year, as well
as an additional 10,939 pesetas on toys for children.
According
to a spokesperson of the Consumers Union of Spain, “these figures are not that
alarming when you compare them to those of other places in Spain such as Madrid
or Navarra, where each person will spend approximately 130,000 pesetas over
the Christmas period.
As
every year, the Consumers Union has issued a list of useful Christmas shopping
tips in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises over the holidays.
One
of the first tips they offer consumers is to do your Christmas shopping before
15th December because, after this date, most shops increase their
prices.
The
Consumers Union also recommends people to compare the price of a product in
different shops and “don’t just be seduced by the promotional campaign, more
publicity doesn’t necessarily mean cheaper prices”.
Security
is also one of the Consumers Union’s priorities: “Do not attend Christmas or
New Year parties that don’t comply with the law and only buy toys that are marked
with the symbol Comunidad Europea (European Community), which guarantees that
the product has passed a security and quality control inspection”.
With
these tips in mind and 105,985 pesetas in my purse I’m off to do my Christmas
shopping, see you next week!
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