Consell de Formentera (CiF) president Jaume Ferrer and Paco Pérez, president of the Associació Cultural Audiovisual de Formentera (ACAF), have put their signatures on a joint action plan on content production at the island's public radio station, Ràdio Illa. The signing took place today at 12 midday in the plenary hall of the local administration.

President Ferrer said he was glad to be renewing the joint agreement, which this year provides a more substantial grant —40,000 euros compared to 33,000 last year—«so that Ràdio Illa can continue growing into its role and carry on providing more and better content». Ferrer congratulated Ràdio Illa on its work over the years, a quality service he says is appreciated by the Council and the people of Formentera alike.

The ACAF president gave special thanks to the CiF for trusting the group's ability to deliver results. Pérez also thanked Ràdio Illa listeners and the workers at the station that make daily operations possible. He noted, finally, that 2016 is a year of anniversaries: this year ACAF will turn 10 and the station will turn 30. He mused, «Ràdio Illa has become our island's go-to station, and we want to keep it that way». As for ACAF's biggest targets for 2016: «ever-increasing news reports and the creation a news portal».

The Formentera Council, by way of the administration's office of the presidency, extends its congratulations to Formentera-native Francesc Marí Mayans—Xicu des Capri—who is slated to receive the Govern Balear's Ramón Llull award on Monday 29 February. CiF president Jaume Ferrer expressed his delight seeing the formenterer snare such an important distinction.

According to the Balearic Islands government's website: «The award is conceived as a way to recognise and honour persons — both legal and physical — who have made a notable contribution to the region in terms of culture, sports, law, trade, civics, humanitarian work, research, education or linguistics».

Tourism and tradition

Organisers chose to grant this year's honours to Xicu—a pioneering entrepreneur in Formentera's tourism sector—for fomenting the role of community associations and defending traditional art forms like llaüt (dinghy) based fishing. Xicu was born in 1938, and has come to be held as the paradigm for promotors and tradesmen in tourism. Not only did he disseminate the values of an older, more traditional Formentera through an unbroken commitment to professional fishing, but he would also remain an active figure in the local tourism business throughout his life.

Xicu promoted and ran numerous es Pujols businesses but, as the CiF president pointed out today, was always mindful of keeping the traditional family spirit of the island intact. He served his own catches to the patrons of his restaurants – a clever way to promote traditional fishing – and was the face of Formentera for countless tourists.

This morning, the grouping of local political party representatives known as the Junta de Portaveus gathered with Formentera Council president Jaume Ferrer to discuss last week's meeting of the Formentera Council of Entities. Wednesday, 17 February, members of the local business community and different island organisations convened an evening gathering to discuss the location of the new Formentera landing in the port of Eivissa. That evening, meeting attendees unanimously rejected the Balearic port authority's proposed relocation of the landing to Eivissa's commercial dock.

In a joint press conference, Ferrer announced the Junta's decision to request a meeting attended by Juan Gual de Torrella, president of the Balearic port authority, CiF president Ferrer, Formentera's party spokespeople and representatives of the two Eivissa administrations (the Council and the Ajuntament), «to open up new dialogue – with all the involved parties – on the relocation of the Formentera landing». In so doing, the Formentera representatives have taken up Gual de Torrella on an offer he extended at the Wednesday gathering to «meet with all the sectors affected by the relocation plans». After the meeting, Ferrer explained, «another gathering of the Council of Entities will be convened to report back».

All those present at the Junta gathering indicated their support for the decision, and reiterated their insistence on keeping the Formentera landing in its current home. If a move is ultimately unavoidable, party reps said they want their suggestions – which include calling for a maximum number of services and accommodation for Formentera residents – to be heard before the port authority.

Formentera Council president Jaume Ferrer and councillor of social welfare Vanessa Parellada met today with the newly-appointed Moroccan consul for the Balearic Islands, Hanane Saadi, in the presidential office of the CiF. Ferrer thanked the representative of Morocco, whose 434 countrymen on Formentera he said «form a very important part of the island». Ferrer offered an outstretched hand to the newly-appointed consul and declared: «This administration does everything it can to meet the needs of our island's Moroccan community».

Education and integration

For her part, the Moroccan consul gave thanks to Ferrer and Parellada for their welcome and used the opportunity to highlight the importance of education in assuring the proper integration of new generations of immigrants, who are Moroccan but also Spanish. «Not until a person knows his origins can he integrate in his new home, and that is what is most important for us: the integration of Moroccans living in Spain».

Travelling consul

The Consulate General of Morocco in Palma opened four years ago, explained Saadi. The Moroccan representative assured «the Consulate General's mobile office will travel to the Pitiüsas up to twice a year to provide Moroccan residents here access to consular services».