March 2014 News Headlines

Calls to create a Municipal archive

March 30th
Xàbia is the only town of 20,000 people not to have a municipal archive. There is no space, no staff, and apparently, no will. All documentation before 1936 has been lost, and subsequent files are scattered in various municipal offices. At a recent meeting of the Consultative Committee on Culture, the Mayor pledged to put aside 800m2 of the new municipal building . All material will be stored in this space and ".. for the first time and there will be a space dedicated to the research and study of the historical documentation of Javea." …though the problem of staffing remains. From XAD: El Consell....

Xàbia receives €35,434 subsidy for extra expenditure generated by tourists

March 30th
Xàbia Town hall has received a grant of €35,434 to cover extra costs incurred by being a tourist town. This comprises some 3.44% of the actual expenditure incurred in areas such as street cleaning, police, tourist information etc. and is same as the 2011 figure. From XAD: Xàbia quantifica...

Xàbia to ask for permission for stormwater discharge into la Grava

March 30th
The town hall has asked Costas' for permission for rainwater from the San Antoni gulley to be discharged into the sea at the La Grava beach. The work has been outstanding since the construction of a block of buildings stopped after the builder went bankrupt. The Ayuntamiento has been trying to get the project finished for the past two years but needs the necessary authorisation before doing so. The first phase of the work would involve the diversion of stormwater drains in Calle Caleta and Calle Pedro IV to provide a discharge of rainwater at the beach with the second phase involving the widening of the road and the completion of the urbanisation. If the necessary permits are received, the work would begin in September after the fiestas of Loreto and will take about a month to complete. for full story see: Javeamigos

Xàbia closes 2013 accounts with budget surplus of €4.28 million

March 26th
Jávea has closed the 2013 municipal accounts for 2013 with a positive balance of 4,28 million euros, a better than expected figure which has been attributed to a combination of good municipal management and a "windfall" in income from unanticipated sources. Councillor Oscar Antón (Finance) said that the figure of 4,285,145 euros was thanks to higher than expected income from such areas as the collection of IBI on properties that had not been previously taxed, which accounted for some 1.8 million euros, capital gains ('plusvalía') taxes on property sales (1.6 million euros, 600,000 euros more than forecast), building licences and fees (450,000 euros, up 64% on 2012), certificates of occupancy (98,000 euros, 46% more than expected), income from recycling companies (150,000 euros more than 2012) and also an increase in Central Government contributions which rose by 344,000 euros compared to 2012, a rise attributed mainly to an increase in registered population which has dropped in the majority of other municipalities. For full story see: Javeamigos

Xàbia and Denia team up on oil exploration issue

March 26th
Mayor Jose Chulvi of Xabia has met up with Anna Kringe, Denia mayor, to organise a regional response to the project to explore for oil in the Gulf of Valencia. They will be setting up a committee composed of one representative from each of the political parties represented in the Marina Alta region, hopefully involving Jose Ciscar, Vice president of the Valencian Government and representatives of the Ministry of Energy and the Environment. The mayors have also agreed to coordinate joint actions between their municipalities to express their opposition to drilling, kicking off at Easter, which sees an influx of visitors. from XAD: La Xarxa...

20 new rules to remember for Spanish road users

March 25th
Government’s recently passed reforms will mean heftier fines for violators - Alcohol tests for pedestrians and a ban on speed camera detectors among the new measures.
Congress on Thursday passed new traffic legislation that will affect how motorists and cyclists use Spain’s roads. While the law will not come into effect for some months – and some of the reforms still need to be specified by a new regulation code slated for approval in June – these are some of the biggest changes to keep in mind when driving or pedaling along Spanish roads in the future. For full list of 20 measures in English see: El País in English

Museum receives donation of Raisin processing machine

March 23rd
A reminder of Jávea's heritage as a major producer of raisins has been donated to the 'Museo Arqueológico y Etnográfico Municipal Soler Blasco de Xàbia' - the municipal museum - in the form of an old machine which was used to select raisins. Constructed from wood and iron and standing almost three metres in height, the machine is an interesting piece of history and one of the latest to be preserved in the region. It has been donated to the museum by Agro Gata SL which was created from the old 'Cooperativas Agrícolas Sindicales (CAS)' established in 1960. After cleaning and renovation, the machine will become part of the exhibition at the Riurau d'Arnauda in the Parque Montaner in the trees above the Plaza de la Continue in Jávea. For full story see: Javeamigos

EU guidance in campaign against Oil exploration

Get involved in the Public Consultation phase

March 19th
Nigel Smith, head of the marine unit of the Directorate General for the Environment informed Jávea delegates that although the authorization for exploratory marine soundings is a strictly national affair, Europe also has a say because it is responsible for ensuring that all environmental regulations are met with and that all phases of the Environmental Impact Assessment are observed. Smith highlighted the stage of public consultation, which is where "most irregularities occur." This procedure, in addition to the environmental impact study, has to assess the social and economic impact of actions, respond to concerns and take them into into consideration in formulating the final decision. The environmental consultant recommended Javea to actively participate in this public consultation. All surveys in Spain, their environmental effects and effects on marine habitats are subject to a sensitive and rigorous analysis by the European Commission on the Environment. From Press Release. See: File on Oil Prospecting controversy

Comunidad Valenciana targets Russian tourists at Moscow trade fair

March 19th
The Comunidad Valenciana is wooing Russian tourists at the Moscow Tourism fair, though Alberto Fabra, President of the Generalitat has cancelled his planned official visit to Moscow in light of the Crimea crisis. He noted that "The Russian tourist is one of the great hopes for the Region and remain at the forefront of the increase in foreign tourists" and that the Regional secretary of Tourism and staff from the Valencian Government would be present. From Las Provincias: Fabra suspende...

Diving Club organises Sea bed clean up day

March 19th
The Cabo de la Nao diving club is organising a sea bed clean up day on Sunday March 23rd. They'll be focusing their efforts on the Cala Blanca or Caleta bay. The Town hall will be providing a skip for the rubbish they expect to collect. This initiative is part of the ""Dive against Debris" International campaign which encourages all divers to help clean up the environment as they dive. Those interested should contact the dive centre by phone [phone] or email moc.oanalobac|oecub#moc.oanalobac|oecub From: XAD - El Club de buceo...

Nasa-funded study: industrial civilisation headed for 'irreversible collapse'?

March 17th
A new study sponsored by Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center has highlighted the prospect that global industrial civilisation could collapse in coming decades due to unsustainable resource exploitation and increasingly unequal wealth distribution. Noting that warnings of 'collapse' are often seen to be fringe or controversial, the study attempts to make sense of compelling historical data showing that "the process of rise-and-collapse is actually a recurrent cycle found throughout history." Cases of severe civilisational disruption due to "precipitous collapse - often lasting centuries - have been quite common." For full story see: The Guardian

Xàbia appeals to the European Parliament to stop oil exploration

March 17th
Xàbia’s Councillor for Tourism , Antonio Miragall and myor José Chulvi, will meet tomorrow in Brussels with a group of MEPs , to express concern at the planned oil exploration project in the Mediterranean Sea, just over 20 kilometers from the coast of Xàbia. The meeting was arranged by the Valencian MEP Andres Perello, a member of the Parliamentary Committee for the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Chulvi and Miragall have ​​an appointment with Andres Perello himself, the president of this Commission, the German national Matthias Groote, its British coordinator, Linda McAvan and the Spanish MEP Teresa Riera, who is a member of the Committee for Industry, Research and Energy, who has already warned of the "potentially harmful” effects of oil exploration in marine and coastal environments. Xàbia Town Hall hopes that the mediation of the European Parliament, as has occurred in the past, will result in curbing this project. With its high risk of damage to the environment and the economic sectors linked to tourism and fisheries it has generated major opposition on the part of our citizens. From Press Release. For fulltext see: File on Oil Prospecting controversy

President of Valencian Government states the Oil prospecting impact study must have environmental gurantees

March 17th
The President of the Generalitat, Alberto Fabra, explained that he was personally dealing with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Miguel Arias Cañete, on the issue of oil exploration and has said he was "as concerned as any of you and Of course, we guarantee that, unless the Environmental impact study includes absolute guarantees of sustainability and maintenance of current environmental conditions, oil prospecting will not occur. " He indicated that it is "a must" because "we are defending a way of life of 3,500 workers in the Comunidad and tens of thousands in the whole Mediterranean coast of Spain." From XAD : Fabra asegura...

Dénia Agenda21 promotes "Marina Alta Peaks"

March 16th
The Dénia Agenda21 has launched an idea to promote the mountains of the Marina Alta as a tourist resource, through a "Cims de la Marina" - (Peaks of the Marina) - i.e. a network of peaks to be climbed suing a special passport which would be validated by participating companies. It is hoped this could help to encourage off-season tourism. From Las Provincias: La Agenda21....

El País launches portal focusing on sustainable global development

March 14th
Planeta futuro, a project that is being launched with the collaboration of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is aimed at bolstering the coverage in EL PAÍS of issues relating to sustainable human development, and helping to enrich the political and social debate regarding these challenges. The Foundation already counts on similar agreements with other international organizations, such as the British daily The Guardian and the US TV network NBC….The birth of this new portal coincides with the launch of Migrados, a blog that will offer a portrayal of Spain “in the eyes of those who have arrived here” From: El Pais in English

First steps to renovation of the Central Cinema

March 12th
The Town hall has issued a number of contracts in preparation for the renovation of the Central Cinema building. Project execution will be the responsibility of the Valencia based architectural firm José Luis y Rafael Almazán Asociados (€21,780);the analysis of the current building and new structural design to Asproy Ingenieros SL for €9,474 and an acoustic consultancy by Acústica y Telecomunicaciones S.L for €4114. Archaeological surveys of the building's foundations will start shortly. From Las Provincias: Xàbia adjudica....

AMJASA to revamp Adsubia / Tosalet water supply network

March 12th
Amjasa will be investing some €125,000 in restructuring the distribution network beyond the Adsubia-Cabanes pumping station to improve the efficiency of the water supply and improve energy savings from this zone to the tanks of Tosalet and La Guardia. This area suffers many breakdowns in secondary pipework which often run under private properties. Specifically, it is proposed to renew the network in areas of Calles Lliri de Mar - Hedra - Pomera, the area of Calle Camile Pissaro and Carrer Jonc, and finally between Calle Salvador Dali and Calle Francisco de Goya. The works will divided into three projects to be carried out by Amjasa staff and apprentices with local contrcators. For full story see: Javeamigos

U2’s Bono asks for Europe-wide campaign for Spain

March 10th
Some of the most powerful people in Europe were there. But neither Angela Merkel, José Manuel Durão Barroso, Herman Van Rompuy or Mariano Rajoy was the star of the European People’s Party congress in Dublin. That honor went to Irish rock musician Bono, who had been invited to speak and used the occasion to make the longest, most applauded speech of the day….Bono argued that Europe still had much more to do to get out of the crisis, not just in economic terms, but also in terms of its feelings of unity. .. “Where is our Europe-wide campaign to spotlight Spain, to encourage others to take their holidays there, to buy Spanish goods, listen to Spanish music?” From El Pais in English

Brain Drain from the Comunidad Valenciana

March 10th
A report on science and research by the Valencian Consell de Cultura states that the Comunidad has lost some 45,000 highly qualified people since the crisis began. (between 20,000 and 70,000 according to various statistics). The Prince Felipe Research Centre, the flagship of Valencia science, has closed 12 of its 26 lines of investigation and dismissed 114 of its 244 researchers. The Valencian technological institutes, bastions of scientific papers, are burdened with debts of 65 million. "And the long-term consequences may be dire." Many of the best brains have found research work abroad in countries such as the US, UK, Germany, South America and the far East. From Las Provincias: Neuronas en el ..

Xàbia promotes diving at Madrid "Dive Travel Show"

March 10th
Xàbia Town Hall has re-issued its guide to underwater diving routes and, in collaboration with the town's dive clubs and businesses promoted itself as a choice diving destination at the 6th "Dive Travel Show" tourism fair in Madrid. Two guides have been re-issued, one concerning the dive routes and the other promoting all coastal resources: coves and beaches,coastal trails and lookouts, marine reserves, fishing, archaeological sites relating to the sea, best areas for snorkeling etc. Xàbia has particularly good dinving dues to its rocky coast and varied topography. From XAD: Xàbia re-editar

Xàbia teams up with Marina Salud to facilitate getting a SIP card

March 3rd
Newcomers who go to the Citizen's attention office to sign up on the Padrón willl be able to start registering for their SIP card right away, and in their own language. For more details see: Javeamigos also from Las Provincias