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Formentera Council christens fresh configurationon

ple2019-1-Today, the first full-house assembly of a dawning legislative session of the Formentera Council came with confirmation of a newly configured organisational structure and the roster of councilmembers set to head administration departments.

A coalition between Gent per Formentera (GxF) and the Socialist Worker's Party (PSIB-PSOE), the governing team is composed of Alejandra Ferrer (president and councillor of planning and tourism), Ana Juan (vice-president and councillor of housing, trade and entrepreneurship), Susana Labrador (deputy vice-president and councillor of culture and education), Rafael Ramírez (associate vice-president and councillor of social welfare, governance and transparency), Bartomeu Escandell (economy, tax office and general services councillor), Antonio Sanz (environment and inspection services), Rafael González (mobility and land), Raquel Guasch (patrimony, language policies and training), Josep Marí (infrastructure, primary sector and interior), Vanessa Parellada (youth services, citizen participation, new technologies, equality and LGTBI) and Paula Ferrer (sport, human resources and island services).

Of the new governing team's 11 consellers, or “councillors”, six belong to GxF (spokesperson: Bartomeu Escandell) and five to PSIB-PSOE Formentera (spokesperson: Rafael Ramírez). The opposition party, Sa Unió de Formentera, is a coalition of the People's Party (PP) and Compromís that comprises Lorenzo Córdoba (spokesperson), Ana Negre, Verónica Castelló, Javier Serra, Cristina Costa and Óscar Portas.

Appointed positions were announced as well, including chief of tourism promotions Carlos Bernús, communications chief Elena Trinidad and president's office secretary Isabel Juan.

Councilmembers were united in their backing of a motion to set plenary sessions at 9.00am on the last Friday of every month.

Wage structure
With “yes” votes from the governing team and despite the abstention of Sa Unió, councilmembers granted approval to proposed governing team remuneration, compensation for session attendance and political party allowances.

Wages for the full-time offices of the president, vice-presidents and councillors are identical to the previous term. The president receives €52,950.00 in gross yearly compensation, the vice-presidents receive €51,400.00 and five councillors with full-time positions receive €50,300.00. Councillor Raquel Guasch, who is on a 10-hour per week scheme, will earn €13,413.33 in annual pay.

Assemblymembers approved a €34,794.79 pay arrangement for Sa Unió Formentera's (maximum two) designated full-time or part-time opposition councillors. Councillors without a pay arrangement will receive €200 for attending ordinary and extraordinary sessions of the Formentera Council plenary assembly, and €120 to attend gatherings of advisory committees.

With the support of the governing team and despite a “no” from the opposition, assemblymembers passed a wages plan covering €42,000.00 for the chief of tourism promotions, €35,000.00 for the communications chief and €30,000.00 for the secretary of the president's office.

8 July 2019
Office of Communication
Formentera Council

'Simply Formentera'—audiences come away dazzled from yesterday's runway show

foto passarella 2The twelfth Passarel·la de Moda—a fashion catwalk event under the tagline “Simply Formentera—got rolling last night (Tuesday) at 10.00pm in Sant Francesc's plaça de la Constitució. The evening is aimed at promoting the work of local textile merchants and designers.

This year's show saw the collaboration of Te doy la Luna, Macrame&Andrés Rodriguez, Molly Mallone, Janne bikinis, Tito Solari&FK, Ur Joies, Ishvara, Elena Hurtado&Lorenzo Pepe (Obi), Equilibre, Kavra de Formentera, Hippie Shop Formentera, Flavio Cocho, Vesti l'Arte, Eva Cardona and Majoral.

Eleven clothing and accessories designers and five jewellers had their creations on the runway. Presenting duties were handled by former IB3 Eivissa reporter Maria Moya, who currently is part of the crew on La Sexta's programme “Arusitys”.

As ever, modelling talent was supplied by Deva Models d'Eivissa, who brought to life the locally-designed fashion before a teeming crowd of islanders and tourists.


6 July 2019
Office of Communication
Formentera Council

Formentera begins regulating vehicle entry

inici-regulacio-formenteraIn a press conference held today, the Formentera Council's president and councillor of mobility, Alejandra Ferrer and Rafael González, announced details about a system to regulate how motorists bring vehicles to the island—plus how they drive and park once they are here—which will be in place from 1 July to 31 August.

Marking the launch of a programme which is the first of its kind in Spain, President Ferrer called it “a historic day”. “Our future and sustainability are inextricably intwined”, she said, “so we've taken this bold step to make the island sustainable financially, environmentally and socially, too”.

Ferrer reminded islanders of the twists and turns that have occurred since 2014, when residents asked authorities to regulate vehicle entry on the island as a way to reduce congestion on roads during the central months of summer. Legislation for Formentera's environmental and economic sustainability passed on 29 January, laying the groundwork for the Formentera Council to take the reins on capping the vehicles being driven on local roads in summer.

1 July is the first day of “regulated entry”. Companies that transport vehicles to Formentera collaborate by reminding motorists that special permission will now be required to drive. According to Councillor González, passengers will also be informed that “if they haven't gotten it yet, space is still available and authorisation can be requested on formentera.eco during the trip from Eivissa to Formentera”. Several weeks back, ferry companies began announcing on their websites that special accreditation would be required to operate a vehicle on the island in July and August.

The summer driving permit is free for all residents of the Balearic islands. Non-resident tourists must pay €1/day to operate a car and €0.50/day for scooters. Fines for motorists caught driving without the permit range from €1,000 to €10,000, though Councillor González said the priority now would be to educate drivers, and that fines would only be issued as a last resort. A camera installed at the only point of vehicle ingress and exit on the island—at carrer Almadrava in la Savina—will automatically check entering vehicles' plate number against the master list of authorised vehicles, and unauthorised vehicles will trigger an alert.

The mobility councillor pointed out that, on average, roughly twenty thousand vehicles—cars or scooters—can be on the road on any given day of the implementation period. Last summer, the total number of vehicles on the island peaked at twenty-two thousand. González explained that authorities used last year's maximum to set this summer's cap, ensuring that “for the first time ever, Formentera is on track to buck the trend of ever-increasing vehicles on our roads”.

The initiative will be reappraised before next summer to see to it necessary upgrades are performed and, in the words of González, to “make sure we hit our sustainability mark—to be a place that tourists want to visit and where we islanders want to live, now and in the years ahead”.

Educational campaign

The Formentera Council is also behind an information push that includes handing out six thousand pamphlets across ticket counters at the Eivissa and Formentera ferry docks and tourist information points. The outreach initiative's architects have put together a video for distribution on CiF social media accounts and viewing on ferry journeys. Translated in Catalan, Castilian Spanish, English and Italian, the initiative is aimed at reviewing the measure and linking it with the goal of local sustainability.

Complete details on the regulating scheme are also available on the formentera.eco reservation portal.

1 July 2019
Office of Communication
Formentera Council

Between summer school and sports camp, 313 children turn out this week for seasonal activities

foto campus estiu 2019 2The Formentera Council Office of Youth Services reports that this week 170 girls and boys began activities at the Escola d'Estiu (Summer School) 2019. Activities are held Monday to Friday until 31 August at the primary schools in Sant Francesc, Sant Ferran and la Mola.

Designed for children aged 3 to 14, the programmes run 9.00am to 2.00pm and offer an early-start option from 8.00am. Kids will learn about caring for the environment and recycling as part of this year's activities, which were conceived under the catchphrase “Respira l'illa” (Breathe the island) and include the collaboration of Plastic Free Formentera, Cleanwave and the Council's own environmental educator. The wide-ranging line-up of activities covers everything from arts and crafts, physical fitness and games to music, dance and everything in between. Field trips—like outings to the beach and pool, to name only two destinations—are also in the works.

Sports camps

The Formentera Council's department of sport is itself organising two summer programmes—the Aquatic and Motor Acitivities camp and “Amusing Athletics” (Atletisme Divertit), both of which are scheduled for the Antoni Blanc fitness centre and municipal pool—in an effort to create leisure options for the summer months.

A total of 80 children came out on Monday for the start of the Aquatic and Motor Activities camp, which extends through 13 September. The daily programme goes from Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 2.00pm/2.30pm (with an early-start programme available from 7.45am).

Activities run the gamut from swimming, waterpolo, artistic swimming and first aid to “pre-sport” games, body and movement, fine motor skills, acrosport and dance.

Mothers and fathers of participants in the Aquatic/Motor programme are invited to a family day in the swimming pool at 7.30pm on 27 July. An exhibit in the cinema is additionally being planned from 8.00pm on 31 August.

The Council is organising the Amusing Athletics programme as well, and 63 local kids 3 to 7 years old have already started attending. Children do activities tuned to developing age-appropriate motor skills, plus they play teamwork-building games and spend time in the water to build their aquatic skills and coordination. The camp started on Monday and will conclude 31 August.

3 July 2019
Office of Communication
Formentera Council

On 1 July, La Mola lighthouse reboots as full-service museum

visita-far-de-la-mola1Earlier today the president and culture chief of the Consell de Formentera, Alejandra Ferrer and Susana Labrador, respectively, visited the cultural and educational spaces of the newly retooled lighthouse in La Mola. President Ferrer announced the building's public opening was scheduled for 5.00pm to 9.00pm on Monday 1 July, coinciding with a world holiday promoting assistance for maritime navigation. Entry will be free on Monday and all through the week—a way to celebrate, according to Ferrer, “the rebranding as a cultural space of this important symbol of our maritime heritage”.

La Mola lighthouse
A monument to civil engineering, La Mola's lighthouse was designed by Emili Pou Bonet and completed in 1861. Today the building houses a space which is devoted to culture and to showcasing the island's maritime heritage. It is divided into two clearly distinct exhibition spaces. The permanent exhibition explores its main focus —the sea— from multiple angles: the marine environment, natural resources management, navigation and light signals. A second space is dedicated to temporary art exhibits.

Consellera Labrador hailed the launch of a space “where islanders and visitors alike can appreciate the depths of the maritime heritage of an island like Formentera, and get a sense of the history of its lighthouses”. Now through October, the building will open 11.00am to 2.00pm Tuesdays to Sundays (plus Wednesday and Sunday evenings from 5.00pm to 9.00pm), and will be closed on Mondays but for the 1 July kickoff. General admission is €4.50, though Formentera residents, youth under 18 and unemployed individuals enter free (pensioners and students get in at a reduced rate of €2.50).

Museum collection
Visitors to the site come upon the first displays outside; information covers about the island, salt, Formentera's coastline and local history. At the entry there are panels giving insight into the undersea-scape, nature and posidonia seagrass. Farther along in the exhibit, visitors learn about the history of lighthouses and La Mola lighthouse's Jules Verne connection. The tour continues with explanatory texts about Formentera's relationship with the sea, sundry watercraft, naval constructions, a model llaüt rowboat and fishing tackle. Video displays retrace the stories of figures involved in navigating. There's also a place at the museum for gastronomy. Tours conclude with a display that urges reflection about our lighthouse and maritime heritage and the importance of conservation.

28 June 2019
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

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