News from Andalucia & Costa del Sol
In association with
Week February 5th to February 11th 2004.
COSTA HOSPITALS UNDER PRESSURE
Growing demands of foreign residents overwhelm facilities
By Oliver McIntyre
THE LARGE AND UNREGISTERED FOREIGN-RESIDENT POPULATION ON THE COSTA
DEL SOL IS PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE REGIONS HEALTHCARE FACILITIES,
CURRENTLY STRETCHED TO THE LIMIT.
At Marbellas Hospital Costa del Sol, 20 per cent of all visits
last year were by non-Spanish patients. In the city of Málaga,
the Hospital Clínico Universitarios volunteer staff
works with an average of 50 foreign patients a day, in 10 different
languages. Foreigners accounted for 1,800 of the centres operations
and 18,600 emergency treatments last year.
NOT
ON THE CENSUS
Hospital officials and regional Health Department heads explained
that the problem does not arise due to the large number of foreign
patients in itself, but from the fact that so many foreign residents
on the Costa do not figure on the official census (padrón).
The health officials say this situation means that, as a region,
Andalucía does not receive the appropriate allocation of
central government funds for healthcare. Likewise, regional governments
Health Department chief, Jose Luis Marcos pointed out that central
government was not able to request as much money from the foreign
residents countries of origin, as agreed on international
healthcare accords.
CONSULS
ADDRESS THE ISSUE
The regional Health Department confirmed that late last year it
held a meeting with the representatives from foreign consulates
in the province of Málaga, in an effort to seek as much information
as possible on the number of their citizens residing on the Costa.
It also asked the consulates to encourage the foreign residents
to register in their local towns. In exchange, it promised that
it would run advertisements in multiple languages in the local press
in order to inform foreign residents of the medical services available
to them.
Bruce McIntyre, the British Consul in Málaga, told Costa
del Sol News: It is very, very important, he stressed,
noting that he makes a point of addressing the issue in his public
speaking engagements. In order to ensure adequate services
and infrastructure in all areas, not just in healthcare
an accurate population count is fundamental, he concluded.
COSTA TO BENEFIT FROM LANGUAGE-TOURISM ACCORD
By Oliver McIntyre
TURESPAÑA, THE TOURISM-PROMOTION AGENCY OF SPAINS TOURISM
MINISTRY, LAST WEEK SIGNED A THREE-YEAR CO-OPERATION AGREEMENT WITH
THE CERVANTES INSTITUTE AND THE FEDERATION OF SPANISH-FOR-FOREIGNERS
SCHOOLS (FEDELE), WITH THE GOAL OF PROMOTING LANGUAGE TOURISM TO
THE COUNTRY.
The Costa del Sol region is expected to benefit greatly from the
promotional effort, with the province of Málaga currently
second behind only Salamanca in attracting foreigners to come and
study Spanish.
The promotion strategy will include print advertisements (within
Turespañas Spain Marks campaign) highlighting
language tourism and circulated in target countries like the UK,
France, Germany and the United States. Plans also call for printing
60,000 copies, in a variety of languages, of a 70-page catalogue
compiling a wide array of destinations, schools and course offerings.
The catalogues are to be distributed at universities, airline offices,
travel agencies and other locations. The agreement also includes
plans for market studies and student surveys to assess expectations
and level of satisfaction.
150,000
VISITORS PER YEAR
According to Fedeles president, Francisco Pérez, the
language-tourism market in Spain annually attracts 150,000 visitors,
whom he says tend to stay in the country an average of four weeks
(compared to four days for regular tourists), during which time
they are converted into the greatest ambassadors for Spanish
culture. In addition, they tend to be people with relatively
high expendable incomes, he says.
There are currently 45 Spanish-for-foreigners schools in Spain accredited
by the Cervantes Institute, and 35 more in the accreditation process.
Málaga receives about 20 per cent of all foreigners who come
to the country to study Spanish.
RINGLEADER IN BRITISH TIMESHARE FRAUD ARRESTED
By David Eade
Officers of the Fraud Squad belonging to the Specialised and Violent
Crime Unit of the National Police have arrested a South African
citizen who stands accused of cheating thousands of Britons in a
timeshare scam.
The man identified only as 56-year-old Willem M P is alleged to
have run the fraudulent operation for a number of years principally
from the Edificio Terminal in Fuengirola and nearby locations.
Investigations started in October 2001 after documentation was found
in some offices in Fuengirola linking the arrested man to the recruitment
of personnel for suspected timeshare fraud companies.
The modus operandi was to approach British owners of timeshare properties
on the Costa del Sol with an offer to resell them at a very good
price. The owners were asked to make an initial payment of 1,200
euros to the resale company but once the money was paid the timeshare
owners never heard from them again.
Company change of name
The scam would be repeated on an on-going basis as the fraudsters
kept changing the companies names. According to the National
Police the businesses operated as Arana Beach Marbella, Fortuna
Properties and Trend Properties.
The police estimate that tens of thousands of people in Europe have
been the victims of this type of fraud. Their investigations have
shown the scam was designed, organised and carried out by groups
of British criminals resident on the Costa del Sol. Any readers
who have been conned by these groups should report their case to
the National Police Comisaría in Málaga.
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT WARNS AGAINST MOORAGE AUCTION
By Oliver McIntyre
Following protests by a group of moorage renters at the Benalmádena
marina (CDSN, Jan. 22 28), the Junta de Andalucías
Port Authority last week urged the Town Hall to pull the plug on
its plan to auction off 200 moorage spaces at the marina.
The Coastal Authoritys written request, a copy of which was
sent to the legal representative of the boat owners who currently
rent the moorage spaces that are to put up for sale, indicates that
the auction plan does not conform entirely with the Andalucía
Ports Law. It goes on to state that the rental contract
for the moorage space can only be broken by the renter.
However, the renters representative, Augusto Taillefer, recognises
that the Junta does not have legal authority to prohibit the auction
plan, and that it ultimately is a matter to be settled between the
marina management and the boat owners.
When the period for bidding to purchase one of the 200 moorage spaces
expired last week, the marina had only received 40 offers, not counting
mail-in offers that may not yet have arrived. The town councillor
responsible for the marina, José Nieto, has indicated that
current renters will be given the opportunity to purchase their
moorage without having to enter the auction, and as the dialogue
between the Town Hall and the renters association continues,
changes to the plan are still a possibility.
BRITISH & SPANISH POLICEMEN STABBED IN FUENGIROLA
NEWS Staff Reporter
Two police officers, one British and one Spanish, were stabbed while
walking out of a restaurant on Fuengirola's Paseo Marítimo
on Monday night. According to police reports, the two officers were
leaving the restaurant, where they had dined together, when they
were attacked from behind and stabbed in the back by two men who
appeared to be of North African origin. The British officer suffered
serious wounds, while the Spanish policeman was treated for minor
injuries. A third officer, also British, was uninjured in the attack.
The assault occurred at around 21.30 in the Plaza San Rafael. Witnesses
said the attackers stabbed the officers without uttering a word,
then ran off after a brief struggle. A Guardia Civil agent who was
inside the restaurant ran out and chased the two men, but was unable
to catch them. Police say they have no known motive for the crime.
At the time CDSN went to press, the attackers were still at large.
AGREEMENT ENDS QUARRY-WORKERS STRIKE
Thirteen-day strike halted hundreds of Costa construction projects
By Oliver McIntyre
AFTER TWO MARATHON MEETINGS, EACH LASTING OVER FIVE HOURS, THE VARIOUS
PARTIES INVOLVED IN THE DISPUTE OVER THE ALHAURÍN DE LA TORRE
QUARRYING OPERATIONS REACHED AN AGREEMENT MONDAY, ENDING THE STRIKE
THAT HAD HALTED EXTRACTION WORK AT THE QUARRIES SINCE JANUARY 14
AND HAD AFFECTED SOME 700 CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS FOR LACK OF MATERIALS.
Representatives from the Junta de Andalucía, Alhaurín
de la Torre Town Hall, the trade unions, the quarrying companies
and the construction industry were all present at the meeting and
unanimously sign-off on the agreement. According to the Town Hall,
the accord guarantees the workers' job security and addresses environmental
and regulatory issues surrounding the quarrying operations.
The quarry workers, fearing for their employment security, went
on strike to demand that the various administrations and agencies
involved in regulating the industry come to an agreement that would
'regularise' the situation of the long-controversial quarrying operations
in Alhaurín. The quarries have been the subject of numerous
legal battles and protests by some Alhaurín residents and
organisations, in particular the Platform in Defence of Alhaurín's
Mountains and Health (PDSS).
AGREEMENT
DETAILS
Among the points agreed upon in Monday's accord is the closure of
one of the two Alhaurín quarry sites, known as Arroyo Blanquillo,
with the companies that were working there agreeing to move their
operations to a 38-hectare zone within the other existing quarry
site, Arroyo Pinar. Also, it was confirmed that a proposed new quarry
site (Jarapalos 6048) will not be opened, with the denial of both
Junta and Town Hall permits and licensing.
The agreement also outlines measures for restoration work at the
Arroyo Blanquillo quarry site, to be carried out by the companies
that have been working there, and the subsequent handing over of
the site to the Town Hall for public use. In addition, it calls
for a study on ways to improve trucking routes from the quarry,
the creation of improved dust management and other environmental
controls, and the creation of a Technical Monitoring Commission
to guarantee that all the measures of the agreement are carried
out in full.
POLITICAL PRESSURE OVER VELEZ' TRANVIA
By Dave Jamieson
The political flak continues to fly in Vélez-Málaga,
with the opposition Partido Popular criticising the Town Hall's
stance on the new tranvía light-transport link. PP councillors
say that the town should compensate the bus company Alsina Graells,
which presently operates the interurban service between Vélez
and Torre del Mar. They say that an economic study carried out by
the Junta de Andalucía last October shows that when the tranvía
begins running in the middle of next year, Alsina will lose business
and should therefore be paid 2.5 million euros in compensation.
The town's ruling Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE)
council rejected the suggestion, however, saying that any losses
incurred by the bus company on the Vélez-to-Torre route should
be made up by new urban services, and not by the Town Hall.
The PP councillors have also criticised Vélez's mayor, Antonio
Souviron, who they say is failing fully to integrate the municipality.
They claim that while Torre del Mar will benefit from the new tranvía,
other communities, including Lagos, Mezquitilla, Triana, Trapiche,
Cajiz and Chilches, have been relegated to a "second division."
LINE 3 OF THE METRO WILL BE UNDERGROUND
Taxi drivers foresee major losses when Málaga system begins
By Dave Jamieson and Oliver McIntyre
THE THIRD LINE OF MÁLAGAS NEW METRO SYSTEM WILL BE
TOTALLY UNDERGROUND. THE JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA HAS NOW LICENSED
THE BASIC PROJECT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FIRST LEG OF THE NEW
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM TO COVER THE EAST OF THE CITY, RUNNING 6.9
KILOMETRES FROM GUADALMEDINA TO EL PALO, AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF
178 MILLION EUROS.
Six of the stations will be exclusive to the third line, while interchanges
with Lines 1 and 2 will be possible at Malagueta, Plaza de la Marina
and Guadalmedina. 92,000 people will be served by the new line with
3.7 million journeys per year anticipated. The journey time from
terminus to terminus is expected to be about 11 minutes.
Importantly, there are plans to integrate the line with the proposed
new railway service for the eastern Costa del Sol, which would see
trains running between Málaga and Nerja.
The Junta has also announced that an investigation will begin in
the summer into the effects of underground construction work on
800 buildings within 50 metres of the planned routes of Lines 1
and 2 of the metro.
WORRIED
TAXI DRIVERS
Meanwhile, taxi drivers in Málaga are already bracing themselves
for a drop in business when the metro opens in 2007. Ángel
de Mula, president of AUMAT, their trade association, says that
an excessive number of cabs already on the streets has seen drivers
revenues drop by around nine per cent, and foresees an alarming
decline in their income when the metro goes into service.
Taxi operators place the blame mainly on Málaga Town Hall
which issued 63 new licences last year and expects to issue a further
70 this year. At present, the average driver takes 100 euros a day
in fares, but has to work up to 14 hours to achieve it, a duration
not recommended for those who are driving.
Mijas requests third stop on coastal railway
Mijas Town Hall last week submitted to the Junta de Andalucía
a request that the proposed route of the planned Estepona-to-Nerja
railway be slightly changed to accommodate a third stop in the municipality,
at Las Lagunas. The original proposal already includes two other
stops in the town, at La Cala and Calahonda.
The Mijas request came as the first suggested change during the
projects public comment period, which lasts until February
26. The regional governments ambitious 2.3-billion-euro coastal
railway plan calls for 53 kilometres of track, 80 per cent of it
underground, and a travel time between Nerja and Estepona of roughly
an hour and a half. The Junta has indicated that it is committed
to putting the first stages of construction to tender by 2005, and
expects that by 2010 the new line will carry 30 million passengers
a year.
900.000 ANDALUCES LIVE IN ABJECT POVERTY
By David Eade
AWAY FROM THE APPARENT WEALTH OF THE COSTA DEL SOL A TOTAL OF 900,000
PEOPLE IN ANDALUCÍA SURVIVE ON AN INCOME OF LESS THAN HALF
THE AVERAGE FOR THE REGION.
These are the findings produced by a study by the Andalucía
Institute of Social Studies (IESA) that has set the average annual
income for the region at 9,700 euros. However, 12.4 per cent of
the population receive less than 4,850 euros each year.
The IESA report has established three types of poverty. The least
severe being those who receive less than 4,850 euros. The more serious
cases form 35 per cent of the total and receive 3,395 or less euros
per year whilst the most severely affected group, 25 per cent of
the total, have an annual income of less than 2,425 euros. In the
case of the severest affected group IESA says it involves 130,000
people and 36,000 households.
CADIZ,
REGIONS POOREST PROVINCE
The province of Cádiz has the highest percent of poor people
in Andalucía with 16.3 per cent living in poverty. Next is
Sevilla with 15.1 percent followed by Jaén (13.1), Granada
(12.8), Córdoba (12.1), Huelva (11), Almería (8.8)
and finally Málaga on 8.1 per cent.
The one glimmer of hope for the impoverished people of the region
is that the numbers of people living on very low incomes in slowly
dropping. In a similar survey in 1991 the total number of Andaluces
earning less than half the regional average was 14.8 per cent compared
with 12.4 per cent in the latest study.
AFTERMATH OF NERJA OIL POLLUTION
Ecologists call for lower speed limits through park
By Dave Jamieson
Work has been continuing to clean up the oil spillage in the natural
park of Maro Cerro Gordo. On Monday of last week, a 28-year-old
driver died after his lorry left the N340 coast road on the border
of Málaga and Granada provinces. It fell 75 metres, completely
destroying the vehicle and releasing 20,000 litres of used lubrication
oil, considered to be toxic and dangerous. The accident near El
Cañuelo beach was the second and more serious such incident
in the area within a week. The first involved an overturned tanker
carrying 32,000 litres of agricultural oil, but in that case, only
9,000 litres escaped and was contained. Neither incident threatened
beach areas, but the second led to a major clean-up operation in
the park with experts called in to clear the mix of oil used in
boat engines mixed with hydrocarbons and sea water. It has been
a painstaking operation, carried out mainly by hand, across the
800 square metres affected, but the provincial environment agency
in Málaga said that the ecosystem of the park would not suffer
long-term damage.
The Town Hall at Nerja, in whose municipality the accident happened,
offered any help necessary, and expressed its concern for the death
of the lorry driver. The recent accidents have prompted the ecology
association GENA to call for reduced speed limits for traffic on
the N340 through the park. They say that the fact that no major
damage will result from the spillages does not detract from their
seriousness, and suggests that speed humps could be employed to
force vehicles to travel more slowly.
THE FUTURE OF THE LYNX DEPENDS ON 'GARFIO'
News Staff Reporter
The Ministry of the Environment and the regional governments
environment department have announced that the first male Iberian
Lynx is now being held at the Doñana National Park breeding
centre.
His name is Garfio and he is currently being held in
the isolation unit at the parks El Acebuche centre.
He will be kept there until the experts deem it is safe for him
to be released amongst the captive females.
The announcement of Garfios arrival was made during
the visit to Doñanas Iberian Lynx breeding centre by
the Minister for the Environment, Elvira Rodríguez, her regional
government counterpart, Fuensanta Coves, who were both accompanied
by the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Margot Wallström.
The male lynx was captured on December 10 in the Sierra de Andújar
and weighs 15 kilos. After his capture he was transferred to the
regional governments centre at Los Villares in Córdoba
where he underwent three weeks of tests in sanitary conditions.
The first reports stated that Garfio is in good health
so he was transferred to El Acebuche to continue his
quarantine period and undergo further tests. If all goes to plan
he will soon be introduced to the breeding centres female
residents who go by the names of Aura, Sally,
Esperanza and Morena.