Pregnancy Shock

The Health Centre in Ibiza revealed it was currently distributing the morning-after pill to around 20-25 women every week. The doctor in charge of the centre, Cristina Molina, revealed that the situation had changed drastically over the last ten years. Whilst in 1998, the average age of women having their first sexual experience was around 16, this had now been reduced to just 14 years old. She said that although these teenagers were physically ready to have sex, the majority were not psychologically prepared, and a vast number did not use contraception, as they thought the chances of them getting pregnant after just one encounter were slim.   She added that there were still obstacles in place which prevented young women from seeking information about safe sex. In Ibiza the barrier remains the insular-nature of the island, and the fear of meeting a familiar face in the waiting room of the consultancy.   She continued that she rarely saw the same face twice, and the fright of having unprotected sex was usually enough to "educate" the teenagers into taking the appropriate measures in the future.   The number of unwanted pregnancies within the Balearics is the highest of all the autonomous regions, with Ibiza well above the national average.

Road Finally Complete

The highways minister at the Balearic Government, Jaume Carbonero, left the island in far better fettle on Tuesday, after confirming the work on all of the major roads on the island had almost come to an end. The minister visited the island three weeks ago and was said to be shocked by the delay to the construction. Before leaving he issued a warning to the constructers that they could face fines if things did not progress rapidly.   However, he was in a far better mood on Monday as he walked the roads with his counterpart at the Island Council, Albert Prats, and fines now seem unlikely. He confirmed the airport road was now fully operational, and only the garden separations in the centre were missing, which would be added in October once the tourist season had been completed.   He continued that the decision to keep the road down to one lane for the final part was the correct one, and would ensure traffic would drive more slowly and safer. The original project of the previous Island Council had planned a dual-carriageway up to the entrance to the airport.   He also said that the Ibiza-San Antonio road was also close to completion, and only the slip road from the second roundabout was missing, work which again would begin in October.

Promoter on the Brink

The magnitude of the construction crisis which has hit Spain during the last twelve months finally started to produce its first major casualties as the countries biggest property developer, Martinsa-Fadesa, declared itself insolvent.   The company had racked up a total of €5.4 billion worth of debt, supported by equity to the tune of just €1.7 bn. Bosses had earlier staved off bankruptcy by arranging a finance package with 45 banks. However, the institutions lent the money on the condition the company could find a further €150 million, which on Monday, it confirmed it had failed to do. Its last hope rested with Spain's official credit institute, an arm of the Finance Ministry. However, when they failed to strike a deal, the company was forced to declare insolvency.   A spokesman said the move would prevent its financial crisis from becoming "irreversible and from having grave repercussions on creditors and the interests of all shareholders".   Martinsa-Fadesa has now become the nation's first major casualty, with experts promising more are sure to follow.   The low interest rates during the late 90s, added to Spain's entry into the eurozone, caused a property boom between 1998-2005, which saw many investors buying second homes and families trading up in the property market. However, two years ago the first cracks began to appear and a worldwide credit crunch has caused a nationwide collapse of the property market.   The company currently has assets estimated to be worth €10.8 billion, and it employs 880 staff.   In Ibiza, Martinsa-Fadesa is currently promoting just one building - Bossa del Mar Residencial, in Playa den Bossa. The 129-apartment complex was due to be completed in 2009. Sources close to the project, which is being built by Ferrovial-Agroman, remained tight lipped about what would happen next, although people who had already bought an apartment were being advised to seek legal advice.   In other news the Spanish bank, Santander, yesterday launched a €1.7 billion takeover bid for Alliance & Leicester, which will make it the UK's biggest mortgage lender when A&L is combined with Abbey, already owned by the company.

Waiting Time Shortened

Can Misses has the lowest waiting list times of any hospital in the Balearics, according to new information released last week. On 30th June there were a total of 945 people waiting for an operation at the centre, of which 719 would not have to wait more than 90 days for their appointment, while just nine people would have to wait more than 151 days.   In the Balearics, as a whole, the waiting list has fallen over the last 12 months from 57.1 days to 55.7 days. This compares to a national average of 74 days.

Brit Power

The latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics showed that, once again, the British remained the most popular visitors to the islands of Ibiza and Formentera. In 2007 a total of 408,647 British people visited the islands, 2,500 up from the previous year.   However, it was not all good news as the national market bucked the recent trend of rises, with 25,000 less Spanish visiting last year, a total of 375,752 tourists. The Italians came in third (187,500), followed by the Germans (173,390) and French (27,534).   The latest figures from the Airport Authorities, (AENA), for 2008 showed a drop in the number of visitors to the island in June compared to last year. Whilst the Spanish market had increased slightly by 2.4 per cent, worryingly both the British and German markets fell by 6.5 per cent and 11.5 per cent respectively.   The credit crunch across the eurozone, as well as the European Championships, were said to be one of the main causes of the falls, with bizarrely a 22.4 per cent decrease in Austrian visitors, compensated for by a 29.2 per cent increase in the number of tourists from the Championship's other co-hosts, Switzerland.   The news came as it was revealed that the 4 and 5-star hotels on the island had suffered an 11 per cent reduction in their levels of occupancy compared to last year. The surprising statistic showed 14 of the most exclusive hotels on the island averaging 78 per cent, with the Ibiza Gran Hotel suffering the most with just 51 per cent of the hotel booked. At the other end of the scale, Atzaro, the boutique country hotel once again hung up the "No Vacancy" sign during the first half of July for the third year in a row.

Airline Slims Down

Spanair, Spain's second largest airline company, is to cut about a quarter of its workforce and fleet in an attempt to combat high fuel prices, fierce competition and a sharp downturn in its domestic market. On Wednesday the company, which is owned by the Scandinavian group, SAS, said it would shed 900 staff jobs as part of a "viability plan". The announcement comes after Iberia turned down the opportunity of buying the loss-making company several weeks ago. It is hoped the changes will save the company around €90 million in 2009. A spokesman for the Balearic Government said it was not thought Ibiza would be affected by the cuts, as the company only ran the profitable Ibiza-Barcelona route, although one of these five daily trips may be axed after 1st November.

TDT Prepared

It appears Ibiza will not be ready for the big switch off when it comes around on 30th June 2009. That is the date when the analogue signal will be turned off and all televisions on the island will have to receive their signal digitally. However, while the director general of technology and communications at the Balearic Government, Antonio Manchado, explained that 90 per cent of the population within the Balearics could already receive the signal, it was then revealed that Ibiza and Menorca were the two main problems. Currently it is estimated that just 30 per cent of the island is able to receive a signal, a situation which will need to change in the very near future.

Bolkestein Directive

On Tuesday the Balearic Government announced it planned to introduce new legislation to avoid the building of commercial shopping centres on the outskirts of town. However, it claimed it was powerless to prevent larger chains from setting up within town centres across the islands.   The Bolkestein Directive, which is to be introduced from next year, will ensure free trade across the EU. This will mean local laws previously in place on the island will become un-enforceable.   Pimeef, the association of small and medium sized businesses, has made its concerns known over a number of months since the directive first got the go ahead, fearing an invasion of the more popular department stores would lead to unfair competition for the smaller businesses who would be unable to compete.   The answer at the moment will be to prohibit out of town retail parks. A spokesmen for the association claimed they were trying to look on the bright side, as the introduction of Corte Ingles and the like in Mallorca had been a shot in the arm for several shopping districts in the town, which had now become far more popular.

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