Afters Row Continues
The controversial row over opening hours continued through the week as the mayor of San Antonio, Jose Sala, confirmed he would not be supporting the new regulations. His statement came as San Jose, Santa Eulalia and Ibiza Town all approved the new legislation which is set to ensure clubs and bars with a café-concierto licence are unable to open until 4.30p.m.
The measures were put in place to stop the after-hour clubs and discos from opening during the morning, to ensure revellers were unable to continue partying 24-hours a day. The Consell Insular thought the lax legislation which had been in place until now was damaging the image of the island, and forcing family tourism to other destinations. The president, Xico Tarres, therefore decided to introduce legislation which would force the big clubs to close their doors from 6a.m. through until 4.30pm. They hope that this will ensure clubbers have no other option than to return to their hotel or relax on the beach.
While most people are initially in agreement with the idea, the problem comes in the classification of these discos and smaller clubs. At present they are all classified as café-conciertos, and so the new law will also affect all bars with live music, ensuring they will be unable to open until 4.30p.m. This will inevitably cause a problem on days when there are major sporting events during the morning, and would seriously damage family tourism in places like San Antonio, the Bay and Santa Eulalia.
The mayor of San Antonio, Jose Sala, was the first to see the potential problem with after-hour bars and clubs, introducing tough new measures last year. He is, however, also the first to see the stumbling blocks with the potential new legislation. He fears the new law will negatively affect all the pubs and bars with café-concierto licences, which regularly open at midday to serve an expectant public. Fearing a risk to over 60 bars with such a licence, he has backed out of the moves, and promised to keep a similar legislation to that already in place. However he did announce on Thursday he would be introducing a new regulation which would ensure discos with a capacity for over 1,500 people would be forced to close between 6a.m. and 4.30p.m. This would affect the four major clubs within the municipality, and hopefully eradicate the threat of after-hour clubbers partying the day away within San Antonio.
Unfortunately his lead has not been followed by any of the municipalities on the island. San Jose passed legislation on Monday which will ensure discos and bars classified as café-conciertos will be forced to close between 6a.m. and 4.30p.m. This caused panic amongst local businessmen who confirmed the new regulations would have a negative effect on the tourism industry in the area.
The Town Hall of Santa Eulalia has also agreed the new legislation, the first of its kind within the municipality.
Ibiza Town was the next to vote with the Councillor for Tourism, Vicent Ferrer, criticising the stance of San Antonio, saying they would now be the centre of all after-hour activities. He revealed that the initial proposal of the Consell Insular had been to extend closing times until 6p.m, but they had lowered it after fierce disapproval from San Antonio. He found it astonishing that Jose Sala and his administration were now pulling out of the agreement altogether.
The Councillor for Tourism for San Juan, Jaume Mari, said although the agreement had not yet been approved in his constituency, they were behind the new proposals. He continued that while they did not themselves have any after-hour bars, they thought a united front by all mayors was the most appropriate way to fight the threat, and said a similar stand against illegal parties would help eradicate problems they had faced in Benirras and other areas of San Juan.

AROUND THE ISLAND

Strike Action Called
The medical union called an indefinite strike for the end of this month after talks with the Local Health Authority, Ib-Salut, broke down yet again. The main sticking point continues to be the hourly payment for doctors, with Ib-Salut unwilling to meet the higher demands. The unions claim the health authority is trying to raise the hourly rate while taking away basic agreements previously approved by the two groups. They continued by adding that the situation was now untenable and the only solution now appeared to be an all-out strike. No firm date has yet been set, but it could start as soon as the last week in April.
Medical staff at all the public hospitals and clinics across the Balearics have so far observed three one-day strikes, all of which took place in March. Over the three days thousands of appointments were cancelled and hundreds of operations postponed. This backlog is still being felt within the larger hospitals, including Can Misses, and could take months to clear.

More Roundabouts
The Minister for Transport, Albert Prats, announced last week there would be a total of two roundabouts built on the new airport road. Although the exact locations have already been decided, Prats confirmed the sizes and format had yet to be finalised following complaints from local businesses.
Construction of the new road will mean several forced expropriations in the area, most from local businesses. However the minister, who rallied fiercely against such action as part of the anti-road protesters, said the seizures would be kept to a minimum and, in most cases, would only mean a few metres.
The first roundabout will be installed just outside the airport, in front of the bar La Ponderosa. At present there is an indirect roundabout in place, which has always confused those visitors to the island not used to this system. In its place the Consell are to build a standard roundabout, which they also hope will alleviate queues from the San Jose-Airport road.
The second installation will be built between the bar La Ponderosa and Can Fonoll, exactly outside the warehouses of the food and beverage distributor, Exclusivas Miró. This is the roundabout which has caused most controversy, although Prats assured worried businesses that nothing would be done without consultation with them. This attitude was confirmed by the general manager of Exclusivas Miró, Manuel Martin, who confirmed he had already had several meetings with the minister, and was happy with the way he was handling the situation. He explained that the current project would mean the loss of the car park outside the companys supermarket beside their warehouse.
Later in the week representatives from both the Govern Balear and Consell Insular, joined business owners on-site to try and come up with a solution. Prats confirmed from the area, that the two closest businesses to the planned roundabout, a car-hire company and Exclusivas Miro, with their supermarket, ensured a huge flow of traffic from too many directions, which made current plans for the roundabout far too dangerous.

Rubbish Problems
The Consell Insular announced measures last week to try and increase the percentage of waste being recycled on the island. The current waste disposal tip in Ca na Putxa is reaching its limit and according to the minister, Albert Prats, may only be of use for the next 20 years. After that point another site will have to be found.
Several recent surveys have criticised the recycling process on the island, with a severe shortage of bins ensuring just 5% of waste is currently being reprocessed. To curb these startling figures the Consell has announced a series of steps which will include increasing the number of containers, and launching a publicity campaign across the island. However the latest measure put forward by the administration will involve seven green spots being set up around the island where residents can take their unwanted recyclable garbage, including cooking oils, batteries, domestic appliances and old furniture.
There will be two such areas set up in San Antonio, Santa Eulalia and San Jose, with just one in Ibiza Town, although it will be by far the biggest. At the moment there will not be any in San Juan as a suitable piece of land could not be found. The only administration to so far reveal the whereabouts of the green spots is Jose Sala at San Antonio, who said one would be located at the industrial estate in Montecristo, with the other close to the water purifier.
The Consell also announced they would be setting up an automated recovery system of recyclable material at the waste tip, which would have some success in separating the rubbish which had not been put into the recycle bins by the public. Prats repeated that the problem was grave and needed to be addressed immediately.

Space Verdict
Jose Rosello, the owner of Space, has spoken about the controversial new legislation which is set to ensure discotheques within San Jose are forced to close between 6a.m. and 4.30pm. Space gained its reputation by organising many of its most popular sessions in the early hours of the morning, as most of the other clubs were closing their doors. However, Rosello said he does not think the controls will necessarily have a negative effect on the island and adds that, if controlled, could be a positive image boost for the island. However, he does continue by saying that the moves are against the grain of the current global trend, which is opening up the possibilities for the tourist, not reducing them.
He says the key will lie in ensuring the illegal parties, recently so common on the island, do not take over from clubs like Space. He says most are now well organised and publicised events, with up to 500 people gathering on waste ground.
He adds that the police should not continue to use the excuse that the parties are occurring on private property and they are unable to intervene. The comments come just a week after Madrids representative to the island confirmed she was looking for loopholes in the current laws to ensure the police will be able to act against such activities this year.
Rosello finished off by saying that they will have to wait until the end of the season to see if the new legislation has had the desired effect.

Working Risks
According to a worrying new study carried out by the University of Liverpool John Moores, an increasing number of British workers who come to the island to work a summer season are having unprotected sex at some point during their stay. Four of every five unattached workers who descend on the island will have sexual intercourse whilst here, 65.5 per cent of them without protection.
The authors of the study revealed that this high percentage had placed the summer workers on the island into the high risk group for the transfer of sexually transmitted diseases. According to the results 23 per cent of those questioned had sexual relations with six or more people during the summer, 34 per cent with between two and five and 21.9 per cent with just one person. The study was described as alarming, and calls were made for more publicity about the risks of having unprotected sex.

Damning Letter Sent
A variety of associations representing immigrants on the island have sent a letter to El Defensor del Pueblo, the Spanish version of the Ombudsman. This commission sets out to defend the rights and freedom of the general public against any actions of the varying Administrations across the country. The letter has been signed by the associations representing the communities of Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Romania, Mauritania and Morocco, and also has the support of the various workers unions in Ibiza.
Their main complaints focus on a lack of information available to the newly arrived immigrant on the island, and the disrespectful service they are given when they go to certain public offices. The letter is detailed in its content and makes specific accusations, in some cases even naming the culprits. Those to receive criticism include the National Police and the Civil Register.
Although the 11-page document never uses the word racism, the tone is clear. They use specific examples of the contempt and arrogance shown by some civil servants with examples including the phrases You Paraguayans only come to Ibiza to have your children, It seems everyone now wants to be Spanish and Why have you found a Brazilian boyfriend when there are so many Spanish men available here.
The group has called for an improved service and just one centre where all the necessary paperwork of the immigrant can be processed.
The Central Governments representative on the island, Sofia Hernandez, claimed she was unaware of any specific cases, but immediately called an urgent meeting with the head of the National Police department on the island to investigate the accusations. Later in the week she met with some members of the various associations affected, in order to hear at first hand some of the problems they had experienced, and promised improved relations in the future.

Don Pedro Committee
The first meeting of the committee which is to decide the future of the ship Don Pedro, which sank while leaving the port of Ibiza last July, met on Wednesday afternoon. The committee is made up of members of all the administrations connected with the area, including the Govern Balear, the Consell, the Town Halls of Ibiza and Santa Eulalia, and also the Department for the Environment at national level. The meeting was described as productive but it will be left until September, at least, until anything concrete is decided with regards to re-floating the vessel.
The Interior Minister at the Govern Balear, Maria Angeles Lecinena, said the initial report showed there had been no long term affects from the leakage. She said that they had continued to monitor the area, especially after the major winter storms, and that no more leaks had been detected. She added the risk of more discharges this summer were minimal, although the Govern would keep an eye on the area to ensure the general safety of the public.
She said the study carried out by IOE, the Oceanographic Institute in Spain, merely dealt with the aftereffects of the sinking and did not delve into the pros and cons of re-floating the boat. A representative from the Environmental Department at Central Government, Antonio Serrano, said that an internationally renowned private company would be hired to carry out the study into what is the best course of action for the immediate future. He asked for people to keep an open mind and criticised the Transport Minister, Albert Prats, who revealed the Consell would prefer to re-float the vessel.
He added that money would not be the deciding factor and it could prove more costly, in economic terms, to leave the boat where it was. He said it was up to the courts to decide who would eventually foot the bill, although it was his opinion that who contaminates, pays.
The environmental protection group, GEN, said they were pleased with the meeting and the fact a decision was not being rushed into. Meanwhile a spokesman for the various scuba diving schools on the island reiterated the dangers of trying to re-float the vessel.
It appears a decision is still months, if not years, away but at least those with businesses in the area can look forward to a summer free from contamination.

Strike Comes to an End
The civil servant strike, which began its eighth week on Monday, looked to finally be coming to an end after a seven-hour meeting over the weekend finally ended with agreements being reached between the two sides. The strike, which should officially be called off later this week, follows two months of action which has left the judicial system across the country in chaos.
Civil servants had originally voted categorically earlier in the week not to accept the proposed pay increases from their bosses, and to continue with the strike. It is supported by a total of seven autonomous regions, including the Balearics.
Voting took place on Tuesday throughout the country to decide whether to accept the pay increases suggested by the committee. The vote was eventually annulled in the Balearics due to the fact that several people who had not observed the strike voted, a practice not permitted. However voting in other areas took place with a total of 88 per cent of the 9,500 workers currently on strike rejecting the offer of an increase of 140 per month, rising to 180 in 2009. They are holding out for an increase of 200.
The voting in Ibiza was not so defiant, with a reduced 69.5 per cent of the 65 workers currently on strike, rejecting the new offer. The action has caused chaos in the courts on the island with a total of 408 cases being suspended, and experts reckoning it could take months to clear up the backlog once the staff are back at work, which looked as though it could happen this week..

April Fools
The Ibiza Sun team were not the only ones to enjoy a joke at their readers expense last April 1st. Jokes amongst the media have become common place, but this year included the following story on the popular American travel website www.gadling.com.
About half a million, blue-green colour jellyfish are expected to hoard in this summer along the coast of Ibiza, Spain's most popular Balearic Island. The blue-green colour of the jellyfish is owed to their consumption of sea algae, resulting in them being almost invisible to the naked eye. These jellyfish are a rare breed that only surface (if at all) in leap years.
For travellers planning a trip to Ibiza this summer, not to worry, the jellyfish are not poisonous and do not bite. In fact, it is known to be pleasurable swimming with them as you feel them subtly tingle against your body.
Also, these are probably the only type of jellyfish in the world that are edible and have aphrodisiac properties. Sweet and acidic in taste, they are served with ice-cream as a rare dessert delicacy of the islands.

IBIZA TOWN

Building Progress
The deputy mayor of Ibiza Town, Santiago Pizarro, confirmed last week he hoped the new bus station and municipal offices would be in operation by next summer. The project, which is being constructed in sa Colomina on the outskirts of town close to the National Police station, should have been completed by the end of 2006, but has suffered a series of delays.
The bus station is by far the most advanced of the projects, and it is expected to be completed by the end of the year. This new installation will mean the bus station currently in avenida Isidor Macabich being disbanded, a move which according to Pizarro will take a considerable traffic problem away from the city centre. The bus station will contain several ticket offices, a cafeteria and a newspaper shop.
In the building above the station, the Town Hall will occupy a total of 5000 m2, with Pizarro confirming the idea was to transfer all of the municipal services currently dotted around the capital into one place. The local police department will be moved to the building from its offices in Ignacio Wallis, as well as all the public departments currently in calle Catsilla and Ignacio Wallis. The aim is to ensure that all of the services used daily by the public are available under one roof.
The company in charge of the project, Cetis, were given the land and the right to manage the commercial and office space by the Town Hall on condition they built the installations free of charge. They also had to hand over 2,000 m2 of office space to the Town hall, although Pizarro confirmed his administration had already reached an agreement to rent another 3,000 m2 to ensure they had sufficient space for all of the new public services on offer.
The rest of the upper part of the building will be turned into a business centre, with the shops on the ground floor rented out to a wide variety of businesses. The final part of the project will include building an underground car park with space for 700 vehicles, a considerable number of which will be taken by the Town Hall.

Poker Tournament in the Capital
The port of Ibiza will be the final destination for the poker tournament, Avalanche, in which prize money to a total of 1 million will be up for grabs. The tournament is being organised by Everest Poker, with the winner receiving a total of 220,000. The qualifying rounds will begin over the internet, with the final stages taking place aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Navigator of the Seas. The cruise will begin on 29th May in Barcelona, pass through Nice and end five days later in the capital. The tournament will be run using the Texas Hold em method, and is open to professionals and amateurs alike.

Restoration Begins
The Town Hall in Ibiza has begun the process of restoring the areas of sa Penya and la Marina in the heart of the city centre. New legislation introduced last year meant owners of properties in the older part of town could be legally forced to renovate their properties or face losing them. Councillor Marc Costa explained that the situation had spiralled out of control in recent years, and the state of disrepair of some of the outside walls of the properties, particularly in sa Penya, bordered on the dangerous. Eight homeowners have so far been contacted, with a further eight to be notified in the next few weeks.
The letter explains to the owners their obligation to repair the façade of their properties, and includes both a rough estimate of the costs, carried out by the quantity surveyor of the Town Hall, and the necessary permits to begin the work. This saves the owner any unnecessary paperwork, and ensures the work can get underway immediately.
Costa revealed that so far the estimates had added up to a total of around 213,000, with the highest single estimate being 58,000. He claimed if the work was not carried out within two years, the Town Hall would carry out the job itself and send the bill to the proprietors along with a fine. If this was not paid then they would seize the house and auction it off to recoup the money.

SAN ANTONIO

Cretu Loses Case
Michael Cretu, the Romanian music producer, has lost what appears to be the final round of his fight to save his house built on the mountainside in Santa Innes. It was declared illegal last year, the judge giving Cretu just 18 months to carry out the demolition process. The appeal was not supported by the Town Hall, which has finally resigned itself to the courts judgment.
Cretu, who by the year 2001 had sold over 100 million albums, was originally granted permission to build the property by the Town Hall. However, several environmental groups opposed the decision and took the Town Hall to court over the decision. It was eventually judged they had been incorrect to grant the permission in the first place, and the property would have to be destroyed. After several appeals the decision remained unchanged, and a final date was put in place. This latest appeal seems to be the last, and the inevitable now seems certain.
Although the Town Hall did not back Cretus appeal this time around, they have been staunch supporters of his case until now, concerned that the demolition will lead to a multi-million euro lawsuit they are certain to lose, having initially granted the permit. Recently Cretu confirmed he would be seeking damages from the Town Hall which would also include loss of earnings, as he has been unable to work for the last few years due to the psychological stress of the situation.

SAN JOSE

Increased Working Hours
There was anger amongst civil servants at San Jose Town Hall last week as working hours were increased. From this Tuesday staff will work one hour and a half longer, starting at 8a.m. and finishing at 3p.m. The decision was taken by the mayor to enable an increase in opening hours, and ensure a better service was made available to the public.
The secretary general of the workers union, UGT, revealed staff were unhappy at the decision, and would be calling a meeting with the mayor to make their feelings known.
However, sources at the Town Hall who had been involved in the decision claimed civil servants in San Jose had previously been working the shortest hours of any of the municipalities, and this new timetable would bring them into line with the rest of the island. He also revealed that the increased working hours would mean public opening times at the Town Hall would be increased from 8.30a.m. to 2.30p.m.

Waiting Times Reduced
The new government at the Town Hall of San Jose has managed to reduce the waiting time for building permits down to three months, after nearly a year of hard graft. When the new administration took charge in May, there was a severe backlog, with waiting time in the region of two years for some projects. This situation has been slowly rectified by the administration led by Councillor Josep Antoni Prats. He said an increase in staff numbers - there are currently two more architects working part-time - had helped, along with a general reorganisation of the process.

SANTA EULALIA

Improvement Loan
The Town Hall of Santa Eulalia has received a loan of 4 million from Central Government which is to be used to pay for several projects to help modernise tourist facilities within the municipality. The majority of the money will be spent helping to reform the old theatre/cinema building, el Teatro Espana, which Mayor Vicent Mari promised to rebuild during the election campaign. The rest will be used on tourist-based improvements, including a tourist information centre in Siesta, digital signs in strategic points across the municipality, and a jetty for the sailing school at sa Punta.
The loan will have to be paid back over 15 years with the first five years interest free, and the following ten at a rate of 0.5 per cent.

Greener Municipal
The mayor of Santa Eulalia, Vicent Mari, last week announced measures which he hoped would increase the amount of recycled material within the municipality. A study revealed late last year that Santa Eulalia was the worst placed of any of the municipalities on the island, and had an alarming shortage of recycling bins. In the aftermath of the report Mari promised to take immediate measures, a pledge he has kept.
The moves come as the concession for the collection of the recycled material comes up for renewal at a cost of 3.6 million (a 20 per cent increase). He said that with the new contract they hoped to increase the collection of recycled material by 300 per cent over a four year period. As part of the plan, which it is hoped can be introduced by next summer, 350 new containers are to be distributed across the municipality, with a door to door service being offered to those companies disposing of vast amounts of recyclable material.
Normal rubbish disposal will also be improved, with larger bins being installed. These will be capable of holding 2,000 litres of rubbish, double the current amount. The new measures will also include an addition to the municipal website which will inform residents of the closest facilities available to them.
The Councillor for Tourism, Carmen Ferrer, also announced an improved beach cleaning service for the municipality. She said the programme would be doubled and special services carried out after major storms, particularly in August and September.

FORMENTERA

Beach Cleaning
The Govern announced on Wednesday that their cleaning of the beaches on Formentera during the first three months of the year had collected a total of 4 tonnes of rubbish. Of this total, 2.76 tonnes, (approximately 63 per cent), was made up of packaging for food and drink products. Twenty-five per cent was made of other non-specified material, with the remaining 12 per cent made up of wood and other organic material. The Environment Minister on the island, Silvia Tur, said it was clear the majority of the rubbish collected had been dumped by humans, a habit which needed to change. However, she added that the project was proving a success and the beaches would be clean for the first summer tourists of the year.

CRIME & INCIDENTS

Daylight Robbery
At approximately 4.30p.m. on Friday a man stumbled into the BP petrol station in Avenida Ignacio Wallis and threatened the cashier with a large kitchen knife. He then pushed her to one side and grabbed 350 from the till. There was no one else in the station at the time. He then made the woman lock herself in an adjoining room before making his escape on foot. Police were quickly on the scene, but had no luck in locating the man. He was described as being short with a normal complexion, the only details released by police due to the lack of witnesses. As he entered the shop he covered his face with the sweatshirt he was wearing, ensuring the cashier could not give an accurate description of the man.

Motorcyclist Dies
A 61 year old man was killed on Tuesday after his motorcycle collided with a car in Formentera. The accident occurred at 5p.m. on the la Savina-la Mola main road which crosses the island. Investigators claim the motorcyclist entered the main road without giving way, and was hit by a Seat Leon being driven at around 70 kmph. The driver of the car did not have time to react, and could do nothing to avoid the crash. The motorcyclist hit his head against the windscreen and was thrown over the vehicle, landing on the asphalt. He suffered huge head injuries and was rushed to Formentera hospital where medical staff tried in vain to save his life. He died as a helicopter was being prepared to take him to Ibiza. Police said it was unlikely he had the strap of his helmet properly fastened, as it was found fifteen metres away from the incident.
This section is one of the most dangerous on the island. As well as having many exits and secondary roads entering onto the main lanes, it is also a straight part of the road which ensures high speeds.
The man becomes the fifth victim of the year in the Pitiusas (Ibiza and Formentera).

Cars Destroyed in Fire
Three vehicles were set on fire in Santa Eulalia on Monday night in the rural ground behind the Hotel Tres Torres. Two of the vehicles had been abandoned several months ago, although the third had been left just recently. Fire crews were called to the scene and quickly had the situation under control. Investigators said they were, at the moment, unsure of how the fire began but human involvement was said to be the most likely cause.

FINANCIAL NEWS

Merger in the Air
The low-cost airlines, Vueling and Clickair, which between them have eight routes to the island, have begun initial talks in what it is hoped by both could lead to a merger, according to a press release issued jointly by the two companies. Earlier this month, the head of Clickair, Alejandro Cruz, said he would not rule out a merger between the two airlines.
It is hoped that a fusion could help the pair better compete against rivals, Easyjet and Ryanair, in the competitive low-cost airline market. Both airlines use the same Airbus-320 planes and currently fly from Barcelona airport. In total they have eight flights to and from the island. Two are international (Paris and Milan), whilst the other routes include Alicante, Bilbao, Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia and Barcelona - the only route on which they overlap.

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