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Issue 81 @RTNNewspaper RTN Benidorm
16 - 3-9 22 may Jan 2014
Protests against Corvera airport
THE STILL non-functioning Covera Airport is becoming a political football in the run up to the EU elections. by Keith Nicol
Clowning around
Clowning around on May Day
HELP Murcia Mar Menor volunteers dressed as clowns to provide an afternoon of fun for local children on 1st May at their May Day Carnival. Read the full story on page 20.
See page 66
This week José María Ortega and María Marín, IU-Greens candidates to the European Parliament, participated in a rally called for by their united front to protest against what they see as the folly of Corvera airport. They were accompanied by more than fifty people, including the coordinator of IU-Greens in the region, José Antonio Pujante; several municipal councillors from the area, members of the regional Presidency and the Political Council, plus members and supporters. According to Ortega, their target audience of voters see the airport as “nonsense” and “injustice” which is, in his view, the “undemocratic planning of works and megalomaniac projects” that are not in the interest of the public but just to cater to the “particular interests of companies often related to the PP. “ The candidate denounced “the tremendous slab of
concrete left at Corvera airport as nothing more than 180 million Euros of debt” and the “nonsense of a president,” a reference to Ramón Luis Valcárcel, “who instead of giving explanations, flees to Brussels and also refuses to participate in a debate.” Meanwhile, the new President of Murcia, Alberto Garre remains bullish that the airport will be open in 2015 and will compete for about 40% of passengers presently using Alicante. However a quick show of hands among 150 local association members in Torrevieja last week did not have one person showing a desire to use Corvera over San Javier or Alicante. Garre added that; “The reason for launching Corvera is that it will be advantageous to the tourism sector.” However, he said that they are still waiting for the EU: “to authorize the participating loan of 180 million to cover the guarantee that the Community provided, and if Brussels is positive, hopefully the airport could launch between September and December 2014.”