Formentera talks triple insularity with representative of European Commission

Today Ana Juan, President of the Consell de Formentera, was visited by Manuel Szapiro, Director of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands' delegation in the European Commission, and Rosario Sánchez, Balearic Minister of Finance and External Relations, to present the EC's working programme and priorities in 2022.

During the meeting President Juan pointed out that the EC representative "had experienced triple insularity first-hand" on his journey to Formentera, and insisted, "It is very important to take into account just what that means when asking for EU funding". The President praised the EC's work over the last two years, "during which it has "worked efficiently to deploy EU funding for economic recovery". Juan also spoke to problems around heavy maritime traffic during the tourist season, the importance of safeguarding posidonia seagrass, and progress on the path toward the energy and digital transition.

Szapiro, for his part, gave a review of EC priorities and working plan for 2022 and highlighted "the opportunities they offer for the Balearic Islands in key issues at the European level". He also assured he would "relay islanders' concerns in Brussels", described the encounter as "very productive" and held up other topics of discussion like "decarbonising maritime connections, sustainable tourism projects and the circular economy.

Minister Sánchez said that starting the tour of the islands on Formentera was "a good way to spotlight the problems of triple and double insularity", and affirmed that the regional government was "working to articulate and cement the concept of Mediterranean insularity in order to develop an EU strategy on island territories" that was "place-specific".

Other attendees of the meeting were Alejandra Ferrer, Vice President and Councillor for Tourism; Bartomeu Escandell, Councillor of Finance; Antoni Vicens, the Balearic government's General Director of External Relations, and Yolanda Vega of Centre Balears Europa. The visit ended with a tour of La Mola lighthouse which was restored as a museum with EU funds.

10 February 2022
Communications Office
Consell Insular de Formentera