THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 1417 21 - 27 September 2023
Coastal cleanup
Credit: Caib.es
IN August, the Ministry of the Sea and the Water Cy cle’s coastal cleaning ser vice removed an impres sive 8,215.51 kilos of waste from the Balearic coasts. This effort is part of a campaign targeting the sanitation of bathing wa ters on the archipelago’s beaches and coves. Since its commencement in June, the campaign has successfully retrieved over 22.5 tons of waste. Throughout the sum mer, 22 boats have been deployed across the Balearic Islands. Seven teen of these are ‘beach’ boats, collecting 6,626 ki los, while the five ‘coastal’ boats accounted for 1,589 kilos. Mallorca leads with 10 boats, followed by Menorca and Ibiza with five each, and Formentera with two. These vessels do more than just collect floating debris. In Mallorca, rem nants of a sunken boat and a damaged tyre were extracted. Meanwhile, Menorca’s haul included a log and a deceased goat. Plastic dominated the waste and comprised 43.40 per cent. By island, Mallorca reported 4,790 kilos, Menorca 2,327, Ibiza 882, and Formentera 215 kilos.
Cleaning campaign.
MALLORCA • EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
AVIATION FUEL EXEMPTION
Credit: Lukas Wunderlich/Shutterstock.com
Issue No. 1994
PALMA AIRPORT: The islands heavily rely on air transport.
THE Government of the Balearic Islands is set to make a formal request to the Cen tral Executive for an exemp tion from the new European Regulation on sustainable aviation fuels. Their plea ex tends to all the islands, and it aims to secure this exemp tion until the year 2030. The rationale behind this request is to ensure equal treatment for all island terri tories, in recognition of the Balearic’s unique challenges. The islands heavily rely on air transport for their residents’ mobility, a reliance that sig nificantly impacts air ticket prices. The European Parliament’s approved text acknowledges the importance of safeguard ing less connected European
regions, including islands and outermost regions, from dis proportionate burdens re sulting from the Regulation. It emphasises the need to guarantee these regions’ ac cess to essential goods and services. The Balearic Islands’ Min istry of Housing, Territory, and Mobility highlights the vi tal role of air transport in the archipelago’s mobility and its commitment to decarbonisa tion. While the Government welcomes the progressive use of sustainable fuels from 2025 as a step towards avia tion decarbonisation, they deem it imperative to secure an exemption until 2030, aligning with the provisions for outermost regions such as the Canary Islands.
The Government asserts that the treatment of insular ityrelated issues, regardless of outermost region status, should be uniform. Their in tention is to convey this stance to the government of Spain. The compensation for in sularity challenges should en compass all aspects affecting the Balearic Islands. Notably, the current high cost of biofu el, estimated to be between three and six times higher than conventional fuel ac cording to the Airline Associa tion (ALA), forecasts potential increases in air ticket prices. Such increases could im pact the mobility of island residents and the competi tiveness of businesses estab lished within the archipelago.
FREE • GRATIS
Cut-price parking GOOD news for drivers in Mallorca! The Societat Munic ipal d’Aparcaments SA (SMAP) has announced a major price drop for three popular car parks. Starting on Mon day, September 18, parking at Carrer Manacor, sa Riera, and Santa Pagesa will only cost €5 for the whole day. That’s a huge drop from the previous €15. This change isn’t just about saving money. It’s also about encouraging people to leave their cars and ex plore Palma’s city centre by walking, cycling, or taking the bus. Even better, if you park for more than four hours, you’ll only pay for the first four hours. After that, it'’s free for the day! This move is great for residents and helps reduce traffic in the heart of Palma.