Dealing with the Authorities in the New Normal Has Become a Red Tape Nightmare
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FREE COPY MARBELLA THE NEWSPAPER FOR BABY TURTLES SOUTHERN SPAIN NEW LIFE ON Official market leader Audited by PGD/OJD THE BEACH September 25th to October 1st 2020 The first 38 of more than News . 2 Comment . 20 70 eggs, laid on Los Lifestyle . 22 Boliches beach and being What to do . 29 Health&Beauty . 32 looked after in Cabopino, Food&Drink . 36 hatched this week P8 in English Sport . 38 Dealing with the authorities in the new normal has become a red tape nightmare No one answers the phone, The coronavirus crisis has made no appointments are administrative procedures with the Spanish authorities even more available, there’s only a of a nightmare than usual. Un- security guard to talk to... derstaffed departments have be- and people have more come bogged down with thou- questions than ever for the sands of extra claims and online overwhelmed civil servants processes have not been ready when needed. P6 Their businesses are part of the solution, not the problem, said protesters. SALVADOR SALAS COVID CRISIS Bars, restaurants and nightclubs demand a rescue plan Around 500 business owners joined a protest march in Malaga this week, calling for more help for the hospitality industry P3 2 September 25th to October 1st 2020 NEWS SUR IN ENGLISH EU fine for the lack of proper sewage treatment rises to 10.6 million euros in two years Failure to comply with process. It is the fourth largest mu- 12 million euros, plus another the first 6.1 million euros, although will not be ready before 2024. Un- requirements for waste nicipality in Malaga with no sew- 10.35 million for every six months it is demanding that the Junta de til then, an extra 634,320.36 euros treatment in Nerja, Coín age treatment, but the sentence of failure to comply after being no- Andalucía pays for the part for will be due every six months. So was for failing to comply with the tified of the sentence. The State which it is to blame. According to far, since the initial fine, the amount and Alhaurín el Grande EU regulation which made 2001 has now paid 32.7 million euros a decision in parliament on 10 has built up to 2.8 million euros. has added 4.4 million the deadline for populations greater to the European Commission (the March, Andalucía will have to pay The Junta de Andalucía says it euros a year than 15,000 to treat their waste. initial fine, plus the period between three million euros: 1.53 for Al- plans to go to the Supreme Court At that time, Cártama had 13,400 July 2018 and July 2019) to which haurín and 1.47 for Coín, and the to overturn the government’s de- inhabitants, which is half of its pre- another 20.6 million will have to sum will keep increasing until the cision to make it pay three million sent population. be added for the second half of treatment plant for the Malaga met- euros of the fine for the lack of FRANCISCO 2019 and the first of 2020. ropolitan area comes into opera- sewage treatment in Alhaurín el JIMÉNEZ The meter is still ticking away As far as Malaga province is con- tion. It will treat the waste from Al- Grande and Coín, but has not re- For Spain as a whole, the fine was cerned, the government has paid haurín el Grande and Cártama, but leased any further details. NERJA ALHAURÍN EL GRANDE MALAGA. The lack of action or even the historic laziness of the public administrations in providing ade- quate sewage treatment facilities has not only a high environmental cost but also an economic one. And it is very sizeable. In Malaga prov- ince alone the authorities - and therefore the taxpayers - are pay- ing 4.46 million euros a year to- wards the fine imposed by the EU on Spain in July 2018 for three places which were still failing to treat their waste: Coín, Alhaurín el Grande and Nerja. The historic The treatment plant is Sewage is released into the court decision that highlighted the practically ready. E. CABEZAS Guadalhorce river. SUR shameful situation in a total of 17 areas of the country dates back to Only town on the coast A black spot until 2024 2011, although the fine came seven with no sewage plant 4.37 2.8 years later, when the European Sewage from Alhaurín el Commission got tired of waiting million euros is the cost so far Grande, and that of Cártama million euros of accumulated for Spain to make progress. Work on the treatment plant for the lack of sewage treat- (which was not included in the fines correspond to the lack of Estepona and part of Marbella which is being built by the gov- ment in Nerja. 420,055 euros fine because in 2001 it had treatment in Alhaurín el were also on the black list, but by ernment began in 2014 but has is the fine imposed in July fewer than 15,000 inhabitants) Grande, of which 269,332 was the time the fine was imposed the suffered several delays. It is al- 2018 and the rest is the will be treated by the future the initial fine and the remain- Guadalmansa plant and the col- most ready now, as it only 989,298 euros which have to Malaga Norte plant, being built der consists of 634,320 euros lectors at San Pedro Alcántara had needs an electricity connection be paid for every six months of by the Junta. It won’t be com- for every six months of failure come into operation. That meant before it can start operating. delay. plete until 2024. to comply. there was no sanction for delay, but there was still the original sum of 738,290.98 euros to be paid. Between the four cases, the ac- COÍN ESTEPONA cumulated amount so far has risen to 10.61 million euros, of which 5.11 correspond to the two pro- jects which are the responsibility of the State (Estepona and Nerja) and the remaining 5.49 million for the Junta de Andalucía’s projects in Coín and Alhaurín el Grande. It could be worse, because Cártama was not included in this judicial Sewage being released The Guadalmansa plant, in Coín. SUR in Estepona. SUR Waiting for damaged In operation since the pipes to be replaced 2.68 middle of 2017 0.73 million euros is the cost of million euros for the lack of Since April 2019 the waste from the black spot of Coín. This The enlargement of the Gua- sewage treatment in parts of Coín should have been treated amount consists of 257,936 dalmansa plant, paid for by Estepona and San Pedro. This is at the Bajo Guadalhorce station for the initial fine which was the State, was finished in 2017 the fine imposed for the time which was built by the Junta, imposed by the EU in July and serves Estepona, some between the European Court but a storm in 2018 destroyed 2018 and an additional parts of Marbella (San Pedro sentence in April 2011 and the the pipes. They will have been 607,481 euros for every six and Nueva Andalucía), Istán end of 2016, by which time the replaced by this autumn. months of delay. and Benahavís. works had been completed. September 25th to October 1st 2020 NEWS 3 SUR IN ENGLISH Hotels reach end Bar, restaurant and club workers take to of a disastrous summer with no the streets to call for a rescue plan Covid outbreaks Around five hundred P. MARTINEZ hospitality business owners demonstrated in MALAGA. The president of the Costa del Sol hoteliers associa- Malaga city centre tion, Luis Callejón Suñé, has demanding more help to marked the end of the summer survive the drop in season by praising the efforts revenue and restrictions made by establishments to guar- antee safety in these unusual on night life Covid conditions. Despite the “dramatic results” JUAN SOTO of a season when less than 80% of hotels opened in July and MALAGA. Bar, restaurant and August and their occupancy rate nightclub owners from Malaga was only 35%, “they have made and the Costa took to the streets the necessary investments to on Tuesday to call for a rescue take care of their guests and plan to save the entire sector. their staff”, he said. Around five hundred people He added that proof of their joined the protest march that commitment to health and made its way from the city hall to Criticism for the Junta de Andalucía’s restrictions at the protest in Malaga city on Tuesday morning. S. SALAS safety was that not one outbreak the regional government offices. of Covid-19 at a hotel has been After the march the business ticipants respected social dis- problem” in this crisis. up their shutters again. reported on the Costa del Sol owners read a manifesto calling tancing, forming lines of four peo- At the beginning of the march, The vice-president of the as- this season. for direct help to be able to sur- ple. Some of their placards car- the president of the association sociation Andalucía de Noche, Business owners had met the vive for the duration of the re- ried slogans referring to the in- Mahos, Javier Frutos, explained Juan Rambla, stressed that for challenge to make guests feel strictions, for the IVA (value added crease of cases of contagion de- that the situation is very complex the nightclub and disco-bar sec- as safe as they do at home, Cal- tax) to be reduced to four per cent spite the closing down of night- for the sector and that without tor the restrictions are much lejón Suñé said, taking all the for the sector and for their life; or complaining of “unfair re- help many businesses could close greater.