Formentera's heads of safety and law enforcement services gathered today for a meeting of the island's Junta Local de Seguretat. Chaired by CiF president Jaume Ferrer and the Govern's envoy in Formentera, Teresa Palmer, the meeting featured the attendance of CiF councillors Bartomeu Escandell (presidential office), Rafael González (transport) and Vanessa Parellada (social welfare). The Spanish central government's representative in the Pitiüsas, Roger Sales, was also present along with other individuals representing forces of order and emergency services on the island.

CiF president Jaume Ferrer seized the opportunity to air concerns about an increase in burglaries and vandalism on the island in recent years. In that respect, Ferrer pointed to a number of cases of vehicle arson as well as a growing incidence of drug use. “These are real problems,” he said, “and to tackle them, we will be asking for a more robust police presence.” Moreover, Ferrer spoke about the need for a traffic officer of the Guárdia Civil to be stationed on the island year round.

Ferrer took the opportunity to thank the Formentera Playa hotel, the island's association of small and medium-sized businesses (PIMEEF) and the local federation of hotels for providing accommodation to law enforcement representatives. He celebrated recent improvements in coordination between Formentera's local police force, the Guárdia Civil and island agents of Spain's national police force.

Arrest for vehicle arson

For her part, the Govern envoy announced the creation of a coordinating committee so the various safety forces on the island can “effectively review and respond to issues of concern among Formentera residents.” Palmer confided the recent break-ins and car burnings sparked concern among islanders and that response teams were being created to tackle the problem. The envoy referred to the arrest yesterday of a Romanian national who is accused of arson in connection to a recent car fire in Sant Francesc. Guárdia Civil agents are currently investigating links between the individual and other recent fires.

Regarding the burglaries at homes in the Formentera countryside, Palmer announced the upcoming work with the specialist task force, ROCA. For summer 2016, the envoy shared plans for local safety operations were still being developed. “We've put in the request for an increase compared to last year's numbers,” Palmer said this morning. “We've asked for maritime forces as well as law enforcement officers and are expecting a return of a Guárdia Civil traffic officer and two Italian carabinieri.”

Formentera Council (CiF) president Jaume Ferrer sat down today with Maria Teresa Ferrer, president of the Formentera-branch of the cultural institute Obra Cultural Balear (OCB), to renew a partnership agreement in place between the two entities since 2011. The pact is valued at 7,000 euros, money which is intended to “complement the offer of cultural programming, fund Catalan language classes and provide consulting for the administration,” according to the CiF president.

The Obra Cultural Balear chief thanked the CiF for the show of support and seized the opportunity to speak about one of the institute's most challenging projects at present: a catalogue of all the public and private roads on the island of Formentera, an initial version of which will be ready this year.

Also at the signing was CiF councillor of culture Susana Labrador. Both Council officials took the opportunity to congratulate the new OCB president on her recent appointment to the post.

Earlier today, Formentera Council president Jaume Ferrer and social welfare councillor Vanessa Parellada met with the recently appointed Colombian consul in the Balearic Islands, Diego Felipe Cadena Montenegro. Afterward, the president thanked Cadena for his visit, which took place in the president’s office and, according to Ferrer, involved both sides expressing a desire to “launch cultural and artistic exchanges.” Ferrer described the process ahead as one of “sitting down with Colombian residents here on the island and finding out where the most interest exists for exchange programmes.”

The Colombian consul pointed out the presence in his country of a chain of islands –San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina– he said bears similarities to the Balearics. The Colombian archipelago’s experience, he noted, “could be of interest to the Balearics in general and to Formentera in particular.” Cadena pledged to help the Formentera Council establish contacts with the Colombian archipelago, whose similar geographical conditions mean “[Formentera and San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina] have got plenty to talk about”.

According to Councillor Parellada, Formentera is home to nearly 200 residents of Colombian origin, a fact which places the South American country third from the top on the list of non-European countries with residents on the island. In the words of the councillor, “our Colombian communities are among the most active we’ve got. They are also very involved in the community and their connections go deep, which makes for a better experience for everyone.”

Earlier today, the Formentera Island Council (CiF) convened a plenary session that featured the first all-party political debate on the state of the island. CiF guidelines stipulate that a similar debate take place once a year before the end of the first quarter. The first presentation duties fell to CiF president Jaume Ferrer, who gave an overview of local conditions and recent Council initiatives as well as a description of the main lines guiding Formentera Council policy, which he called «a preservation model for an island that is unique».

In his speech the president underscored the growing momentum of the Consell d'Entitats, a group of community representatives founded to promote debate on local issues, in addition to surging levels of local involvement around subjects such as regulated parking in the la Savina port and the planned Formentera landing relocation in the Eivissa port. Opposition to the proposed move has already been the centrepiece of several Consell meetings. In addition, President Ferrer pointed to consensus early on in the legislative session around a 14-point list of priority projects agreed on by all of Formentera's political parties. He also highlighted planned funding in 2016 for participatory budget items.

What is more, Ferrer spoke about the recent court ruling that overturned a significant portion of the so-called Coastal Law (la llei de Costes) as it referred to the specific case of Formentera. He bemoaned Partido Popular (PP) representatives' decision to break with consensus on such a key issue and asked that it not happen again. Speaking on the subject, Ferrer declared: «We want properties returned to their rightful owners, but not at the expense of coastal protections».

Consensus fighting landing move

Pointing to the broad consensus on Formentera to leave the location of the Eivissa-Formentera landing unchanged, the president asked Partido Socialista representatives at the plenary to try to «win the support of the socialist party and of [socialist] Govern president Francina Armengol» on the issue. He also urged the conservative party's reps to do the same, arguing that «with backing from the PP, the chances of having our voice heard increase». «We hope you'll do all you can,» he added, «and you can be sure we will too».

President Ferrer also spoke about a team of inspectors that will take to Formentera streets next month. The six-person team, formed of two CiF staff members and four workers with six-month contracts, will be tasked with «educating the public about municipal regulations and preventing infractions». «Staying unique means making sure rules are respected,» he added.