Formentera hails passing of legislation for island's environmental and financial sustainability

parlament 2018Jaume Ferrer, Bartomeu Escandell, Rafael González and Daisee Aguilera (the Formentera Council's chair, deputy chair, mobility councillor and environment councillor, respectively) attended the regional parliament's plenary assembly, where the political parties and MPs of the chamber voted unanimously to pass a law for Formentera's environmental and financial sustainability.

“Today is a very important day for Formentera. Parlament voted to give the island a tool to decide how many vehicles we want on the island”, explained President Ferrer, who noted the origins of the project could be traced “back to September 2014 with the Consell d'Entitats”. “Make no mistake”, said the CiF chief, “the authority that legislators have handed us today will be used wisely and we will remain ever mindful of that original spirit at the Consell d'Entitats”.

Ferrer indicated the rollout effort would began tomorrow. “This is an authority we have been unable to exercise until now. Obviously, there's been work behind the scenes to ensure this didn't catch anybody by surprise, but much remains to be done, and we'll see real discussion about how it will be applied in the coming days”.

“Let's take today to show appreciation for this new mechanism and the progress it means for Formentera”, said the CiF chair, adding “we hope regulated vehicle entry doesn't step on anyone's toes. The idea is to create an environment in which everyone who visits Formentera can enjoy it for what people expect it to be: a tranquil setting of stunning natural beauty”.

“For five years there's been consensus among islanders that a glut of vehicles could threaten the image we show tourists and on which our livelihood depends. This legislation will make it possible for us to continue as a tranquil island that tourists want to visit and where residents want to live”.