ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 8th June 2018
A pig farm next door to Camposol, an opening date for Corvera and a new Spanish government
While the headlines in Spain have focussed almost exclusively on Pedro Sánchez’s first week as Prime Minister and the naming of his cabinet ministers, in Murcia the topics attracting most attention have been, once again, the new airport in Corvera and the marine environment of the Mar Menor.
At Corvera the first commercial flights will operate on Tuesday 15th January, according to Jaime García Legaz, the president of management company Aena, and although many dates have been specified in the past this time the timeframe seems far more credible, not least because airlines are already selling seats on flights to and from the airport.
Sr García Legaz, quoting Aena’s latest progress report, was careful to add the caveat “barring unforeseen circumstances”, but also states that in technical and administrative terms the airport will be ready to operate during December of this year, prior to the opening after the Christmas and New Year season. At the same time he provided more details of the progress being made: a “pre-agreement” is in place with the company’s 70 employees at San Javier airport by which they will be transferred to Corvera along with the flights, steps are being taken to enable all of the ancillary companies operating at San Javier to move to Corvera, agreements have already been reached with the Policía Nacional and the Guardia Civil regarding border control and security, and the airport is already declared a customs zone.
The impression given is that after years of doubt, changes of policy, setbacks, disagreements and unfulfilled promises, this time it’s for real: the airport at Corvera is on track to open in just over seven months’ time.
However, whether they are delighted at the opening of Corvera or disappointed to lose the airport of Murcia-San Javier, residents of Camposol, particularly in Sector A, are likely to be more interested in the news that Mazarrón Town Hall sources have confirmed to Murcia Today that it has been decided to grant a licence for the reactivation of a large piggery just 400 metres from some of the homes on the development.
The re-opening of this establishment was mooted three years ago, but after vociferous protests from residents the plans were shelved and the issue was quietly put to bed, until it reappeared on the agenda for the “Junta de Gobierno Local” meeting in Mazarrón on 6th April. This contained a proposal to grant the licence and another issue a works licence in order to restore the pig farm to operational condition, after which it could be used to house up to 11,990 small pigs at any given time.
A statement received from the Camposol Residents Association (CRA) laments the lack of communication with the Town Hall since 2016, but it can be assumed that in one way or another there will be some contact between the residents of the development and the local council in the near future…
Other airport and tourism news
Águilas vows to fight for its beaches as neighbouring Pulpí attempts to “steal” a beach: the Mayoress promises to resist the annexation attempt at Playa de los Cocedores.
New summer flights at San Javier link Prague with the Costa Cálida: Smartwings are operating twice-weekly services between San Javier and the Czech capital until the end of September.
Easyjet confirms flights at Corvera airport next January: the managing director of Easyjet confirmed in Luton that the airline will be operating at Corvera in January.
250 lifeguards and other staff in the Murcia government beach safety program this summer: partial coverage of the beaches of Murcia in June before the peak season in July and August.
The environmental problems in the Mar Menor: two controversial reports were published this week
The issues of algal proliferation in the Mar Menor was headline news again this week mainly due to the publication on Tuesday of the Ministry of the Environment’s report on the causes and possible solutions, the conclusion being that an investment of between 430 and 615 million euros will be needed over the next 10 years in order to rectify the situation.
Regarding the causes of the eutrophication of the lagoon, much of the blame is laid at the feet of the crop farmers who have relied more and more on irrigation over the last few decades, with other factors including livestock farming, residential development and the growth of tourism. But the most dramatic aspect of the report is the proposed solutions, among which are restrictions on crop farming which could, in the most drastic scenario, affect 35 per cent of the Campo de Cartagena.
Needless to say this has not been well received by the farmers, and the regional government also reports that it will be lodging official objections to “errors” in the report and to some of the 21 measures proposed.
Just two days after the Ministry’s report been published another publication was presented on Thursday in which one of the conclusions is that approximately 20 per cent of all irrigation in the crop fields of the Campo de Cartagena is illegal: according to data compiled by ANSE and WWF, of the 50,000 hectares of irrigation farmland in the area (ten times more than in 1977) over 12,000 are unauthorized, a figure which Miguel Ángel del Amor, the minister for Water, Agriculture, Cattle Farming and Fishing in the regional government of Murcia, described as “disproportionate”.
Meanwhile, the water quality continues to improve as jellyfish nets are laid, and beach cleaning intensified ready for the summer season
More news related to agriculture and the environment
It was World Environment Day on Tuesday, and there were plenty of events, presentations and activities to mark the occasion among the stories in the news this week…
Whale-killing plastic goes on display at the El Valle regional park visitors centre: efforts intensify to reduce plastic consumption and pollution of the Earth’s seas and oceans.
Seahorses and needlefish could be preserved in a Mar Menor Species bank: Murcia government and University collaborate on conservation scheme for endangered species.
Navy divers retrieve shopping trolleys and bicycles from the port of Cartagena: one of a series of activities by the navy and the Port Authority to raise awareness of marine pollution.
Murcia politicians sign “Water Pact” as Castilla-La Mancha attempts to close the supply canal: the Murcia PSOE leader places himself in direct opposition to his colleagues in Castilla-La Mancha as a multi-party pact is signed describing the Tajo-Segura water supply canal as “indispensable”, and the “Water War” is likely to remain headline news, with the new national government apparently sympathetic to demands for the canal to be closed.
Flooding in northern Murcia as June begins with heavy storms: a welcome boost to the water level in the reservoirs of the Segura basin with 100 millimetres of rain in parts of Moratalla on Saturday!
Warmer in Oslo than in Madrid? What is going on with the weather? Relatively cool and unsettled conditions are set to remain in Spain for the next couple of weeks…
Free fruit for 68,000 Murcia schoolchildren this year: 1.2 million snacks promote healthy eating at primary schools in the Region in a scheme involving the farmers of Murcia.
170,000-euro weather buoy in place in the port of Cartagena: the buoy provides real-time information on wave heights and wind conditions.
Other items in the Murcia news this week
Spectacular salt carpet outside the church of San Javier for Corpus Christi: here today gone tomorrow, but a beautiful display by the Parrqouia de San Francisco Javier!
Unemployment down by over 83,000 in May: the Region of Murcia performed even better than the national average, but in terms of the year-on-year improvement the decrease is the least significant amount the Autonomous Communities.
Jumilla wineries awarded gold medals by the “United Nations of Fine Wines”: The Councours Mondial de Bruxelles gives prizes to Bodegas Bleda and the Casa de la Ermita in Jumilla.
122 infringements reported in Cartagena police pet clampdown week: the most common irregularities involved failures to register and microchip pets.
Murcia Guardia Civil auction off 603 firearms: most of the weapons are available due to ownership licences having expired.
Baroque sculpture stolen from El Palmar church during funeral mass: the figure of the Angel of San Roque, attributed to sculptor Marcos Laborda, went missing on Monday.
New Iberia Airbus 320 named after the Patrulla Águila: Spanish airline Iberia welcomed its first Airbus 320neo into its fleet of aircraft, and the decision has been made to name it “Patrulla Águila” after the Spanish air force’s aerobatics team which is based in San Javier.
Diego Conesa is the new central government delegate to Murcia: the regional PSOE leader will step down to contest next May’s regional election, and relinquishes the post of Mayor of Alhama with immediate effect. For the next few months he will in theory be collaborating with the regional president whom he hopes to oust from office next year!
Lorca police on the lookout for flower and shrub thieves: plants have gone missing from public spaces including the remodelled Avenida Juan Carlos I.
Two arrests after a spate of cemetery thefts in and around Murcia: aluminium gates and grills were removed and sold to scrap and recycling businesses.
Public holidays in the Region of Murcia 2019: check now to find the long weekends on the calendar for 2019!
Bejewelled cross returned to the patron of Murcia 41 years after being stolen: the cross of the Virgen de la Fuensanta and two centuries-old documents were among items stolen from Murcia Cathedral in 1977.
Murcia and Spanish property news
Three main statistical publications made the property news headlines in Spain this week, the first being Tinsa’s monthly price report in which it is stated that average property values have gone up by 4.2 per cent over the last year, including a 3 per cent rise in Mediterranean coastal areas.
Then it was the turn of the government’s central statistics office, who reported that first quarter housing prices this year were a healthy 6.2 per cent higher than in 2017, and have now risen by 20 per cent in the last four years. However, something of a slowdown was noted in regions such as Madrid, where prices have been risings fastest, offset by cases such as that of Murcia, where the recovery appears to be gathering momentum rather than losing steam.
During the first quarter the house price index in Murcia rose by 1.1 per cent, contributing to a year-on-year increase of 2.7 per cent (the highest reported in the last two years).
Finally, Spain’s notaries published their latest set of data, reporting an increase of 11.6 per cent in sales figures in April (no doubt due largely to Easter falling in March this year) but a minimal downward movement in terms of prices. This price statistic is a notoriously hard statistic to interpret, as a decrease in the average price of housing in Spain could easily be due to more properties being sold in less expensive areas rather than to an inherent drop in the value of residential property.
Spanish news round-up: the new Prime Minister names the most feminine Cabinet yet seen in Europe!
The week began in Spain with great uncertainty surrounding the new PSOE government, particularly with regard to the future of investments which were announced by the previous government in infrastructures, but as the week went on more and more attention was grabbed by the composition and swearing in of Pedro Sánchez’s first Cabinet.
When Sr Sánchez himself officially swore allegiance to the Crown and the Constitution in the presence of King Felipe VI on Saturday he broke with tradition by opting not to place his hand on the Bible and to dispense with the crucifix, taking advantage of a change in the rules established by the royal household in 2014, and also present, among others, was outgoing President Mariano Rajoy, who announced his resignation as leader of the PP after 14 years in the post on Tuesday.
But soon attention focussed on the new government team, which is a mixture of old and young and with a good deal of specialist professionals in charge of specific Ministries. One example of this is the naming of 55-year-old Pedro Duque as Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities: Sr Duque became Spain’s first astronaut when on a nine-day mission on the Discovery in 1998 and later took another trip on the Russian Soyuz in 2003, and in recent years he has been very critical of the last governments’ cutbacks in R&D spending.
Another clear indication of the new government’s policies emerged with the news that Teresa Ribera is to be the new Minister for the Environment, and that the new administration has already communicated to the EU that from now on Spain will be more proactive in combating the causes and effects of climate change.
Similarly, the new Minister for Justice, Dolores Delgado, worked for 25 years as a member of the prosecution service, and Nadia Calviño, who until now has been responsible for the EU budget, is the new Minister for the Economy.
Another interesting feature is that the new Cabinet can fairly be described as the most feminine in Europe, with women occupying 11 of the 17 ministerial posts, a percentage of 64.7 per cent which tops the 63 per cent which was reached in Finland in 2007!
Elsewhere there has been room for little else on the front pages of the national newspapers, although eye-catching items include a Mercadona bread factory being reduced to toast by a fire in Valencia: thankfully no casualties were reported and the company has guaranteed that no jobs will be lost as a result of the incident.(special offers on pan tostada unlikely !)
For more stories in the Spanish news lately scroll down below…
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