el Periòdic NewsE N G L I S H E D I T I O N W E D 6

SUMMONS AT THE GENERAL COUNCIL

The ombudsman, Marc Vi-la, has already received 127 complaints about housing issues during 2019, a figure

that far exceeds the 79 registered last year without taking into acco-unt that there are still two months left till the end of the year which generate the most demand becau-se of the winter seasonal workers. «It is a matter that is of great con-cern but now we are much more aware”, said Vila during the sum-mons at the Legislative Commissi-on of Justice, Interior and Institu-tional Affairs to present the report of his work from 2018

The ombudsman emphasized that most complaints are motiva-ted by notable increases in the ren-tal price or sudden recaptures of the contract. In any case, Vila ex-plained that, since the regulation that extended the contracts by on-ly increasing the CPI entered into force, last March, it has begun to detect other «oddities» from the owners, such as raising the costs of heating or charging from in-voices from previous months. Sin-ce the consultations on housing continue without a breakdown, the ombudsman maintains the open-ended investigation that he launched a year ago and, as an-nounced, does not plan to finali-ze until the end of the year or even the next.

CONCLUSIONS / Conversely, the om-budsman wanted to share some conclusions of his study and to the effectiveness that he considers to be freezing of the rents, Villa main-tained that «it will remain while the structural measures that must be taken are not approved and will not begin to take effect”. «If might take one, two, three, four, five ye-ars, whatever is», insisted the om-budsman. As pointed out repea-tedly, Vila once again emphasized

Vila supports keeping the freeze of rents as long as the rest of the measures are not tangible

The institution has found that some owners seek to raise more money through invoices

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MARICEL BLANCH

33 Vila, presents the results of his work before the Legislative Commission of Justice, Interior and Institutional Affairs.

the need to build social flats and to have more data. «The communes have to be more willing, more so than before,» said the head of the institution, referring to the trans-fer of data and the impulse of hou-sing policies.

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE / On the ot-her hand, the ombudsman expres-sed his shock for the new announ-cement for housing grants, which maintains the same standards as last year despite having explicit-ly asked the minister in question to have them reconsidered. Alt-hough the requirement of the ma-ximum amount of the monthly rental income was set at 620 euros for households with one person, 650 for those with two members and 680 for those in which three members reside, Vila goes alone To request that «these tariffs be pro-moted or the subsidy be granted regardless of the rental price, sin-ce there are practically no apart-ments at 600 euros per month». «I have spoken to the minister and he has told me that he is studying it and that he is considering other complementary assistance to tho-se,» said the ombudsman with a certain amount of concern. H

Request for changes to the law of the “SAIG” to have more guarantees

The ombudsman has already be-gun to detect problems with the data of the SAIG since last year. Although he received a dozen vi-sits during 2018, for a total of 18 during this year. «This is already a substantial amount of complaints and will play an important part of the report for 2019, «Vila said. In

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fact, among the most recurring claims, there is a lack of guarante-es in the lean notices and the lack of proportionality in the with-held percentages. «I have detected somewhat rigid behaviors and I have also seen that many com-plaints are for the treatment and are concentrated mainly from one of the three SAIG that exist,» the ombudsman explained.

The ombudsman, has already received 127 complaints about housing issues this year

“[Housing] It is an issue that is of concern but now there is much more awareness of the gravity of the problem”

Marc VilaTHE OMBUDSMAN

Although he is confident that the same institution would be self-regulating, Vila explained that if it does not happen within a reasonable period of time, a re-form of the law will be necessary. «On the one hand, the require-ments must be established for a lean to be carried out and, on the other, to define a mechanism to ensure that the notifications are carried out correctly and that the damaged rents are not dis-proportionate such as» , empha-sized the ombudsman. H

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MARICEL BLANCH

TThe Royal Spanish Federati-on of Canoeing (RFEP) is lo-oking to contend the upco-ming trials of a long descent

of canoeing and kayaking on the Va-lira River in its section from Fonta-neda Bridge to the Hispano-Andor-ran border. Last September, the Seu d’Urgell hosted the World Cup of sla-lom and descent canoeing, but the long-running competitions had to be played in Sort, since the Parc del Segre did not have more than three kilometers long. It was then that the president of the Canoa-Kayak Andor-ran Federation (FACC), Toni Guer-ra, proposed that their Spanish co-unterparts make the descent for Va-lira. “Those responsible went up in Andorra and found it feasible. The only drawback is the flow, but if the competitions are held during the first fortnight of June, there will be enough water naturally. It would not be necessary to empty Engolasters La-ke”, explained Guerra, referring to the water transfer that FEDA autho-rized this summer to be able to raft during the main festival of Sant Julià.

In this regard, the president of the FACC also pointed out that in case FE-DA had to intervene again it would be «for an official sports competition and not for a fun activity». In additi-on, in no case, Guerra assured, would affect the allowed trout fishing in the area, although yes it would be neces-sary to do the cleaning of the river be-cause the canoe boat of is longer than the raftingone.

“COUNTRY PROJECT” / Thus, the next descent trials of the Spanish Cano-eing Cup could have a stint in Andor-ra. At this time, however, the Spanish federation is still evaluating the sec-

33 A moment of the inauguration of rafting for the festa major of Sant Julià de Lòria.

The Spanish federation studies how to bring the canoeing cup to the ValiraAndorra proposes to use the same stretch of the river that was used for rafting during the Sant Julià festa major

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STUDY OF WATERS

MARICEL BLANCH

33 The cònsul major of Sant Julià de Lòria, Josep Miquel Vila.

Vila does not show up because «with three lists, there is already enough»

The current cònsul of Sant Julià de Lòria, Josep Miquel Vila, explained yesterday that he has decided not to present himself at the next com-munal elections because «with the current three candidatures there is enough. A fourth would be un-necessary. ‘’ In spite of having his

candidature prepared, according to Vila, the presentation of the th-ree final lists shows that there is a «will to take on and move forward» the parish. However, he was convin-ced that the policy is «temporary» and that «behind another cònsul. comes another», despite admitting that «sometimes the projects that others have begun,» obviously in re-ference to the zip line and the raf-ting project.

DEBT AND NATURLANDIA / With it all, the cònsul from Sant Julià said he

was satisfied with the work done in recent years at the comú, especially with debt reduction: «When we arri-ved, it was 23 million euros and now it is 13 », Villa congratulated. He al-so recalled how then Camp Rabassa «was losing pennies» and, with his intervention, he was «in a good posi-tion» to begin a new phase, with the Naturlandia slogan in the forefront , which allowed «to give life to Sant Julià.» «In my opinion, without the first stage, it would not be possible to consolidate another one success-fully,» the cònsul declared. H

The cònsul hopes that his successor will continue some of his projects

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tion of the river and it will not be un-til the end of the month that it will make its decision public.

Asked about the possibility that the corporation that will come about from the elections of next December 15 will not want to get involved in the competition - since the current cònsol major and main driver of the proposal, Josep Miquel Vila, will not take on this position again - , Guerra said that «from the FACC we will con-tinue to propose Valira as a good op-tion, because we truly believe that it

is a country project.»

TWO HOURS OF PUMPING / All in all, Vi-lla’s statements came out yesterday morning at the inauguration of Na-turland’s High Performance Cen-ter. The consul left the decision in the hands of the new government te-am, noting that «two hours» of wa-ter pumping by FEDA would already be «sufficient». He also pointed out that the canoeing and kayaking tri-als would be held for a few days and at different times of the year, so that there would be no concentration of spending as was the case for the festa major. «The amount of water in the river depends on snow and rain» and, therefore, the demand will vary «de-pending on the needs» at all times, Vi-la stated. H

33The cònsul of Sant Julià de Lòria, Josep Miquel Vila, ack-nowledged yesterday that it will be the decision of his replace-ment to move forward, or not, with the project of the zip line. «We un-derstand that it would help Natur-landia and would place it as a le-ader in the activities of the Pyre-nees,» Vila said, that «the most important» is that the plan alre-ady has the Government’s per-mits, which includes the approval of the cable transportation, envi-ronmental impact, security, ge-ological hazards and accessibi-lity. In any case, the cònsul assu-red that «the decision will be taken into account» by the one that ta-kes his place.

The project of the zip line, in the hands of the next cònsul

“[Even if another consul is in power] we will continue to propose the Valira because we believe that it is a country project”

“Two hours of pumping by FEDA would be enough because they would be for just a few days and at different times”

TONI GUERRA JOSEP MIQUEL VILA ANDORRAN FED. CANOE-KAYAK CÓNSOL MAJOR OF SANT JULIÁ

17el Periòdic d’AndorraWEDNESDAY, 6 NOVEMBER 2019 el Periòdic News www.elperiodic.ad 17

FEDA

33 From left to right: Jan Aramburu and Jordi Travé, signing the contract.

Andorra la Vella will have four buildings connected to the FEDA heating network

The FEDA Ecoterm heat network of Andorra la Vella already has the first private client. The director of hou-sing developer The White Angel An-dorra, Jan Aramburu, and the mana-ger of FEDA Ecoterm, Jordi Travé, sig-ned a commercial contract yesterday to connect the future construction of

the center of Andorra la Vella, which will have four buildings and 160 ho-mes, in their heating network that starts from the Waste Treatment Cen-ter. According to FEDA, through a sta-tement, the objective is to improve pa-rish air service and quality based on a more sustainable heating and hot wa-ter system.

Aramburu framed the commer-

cial agreement with the values of the company that is very present in sustainability in all its projects. In this sense, The White Angel will co-llaborate with FEDA Ecoterm to of-fer sustainable housing.

The four projected buildings will have a different type of insulation on each facade in accordance with their orientation to achieve the maximum energy efficiency. The aim of this new construction project at La Borda Nova is to minimize the carbon footprint, offering the maximum comfort to the customers.

THE OPERATION OF THE NETWORK / FE-DA explains that the heat network, which starts from the Waste Treat-ment Center, will allow to offer a hot water system thanks to the residual heat that is extracted from the treat-ment of waste. According to the com-pany, the method is very efficient, sin-ce it uses a heat that until now was not recovered and at the same time con-tinuing to generate electricity. In ad-dition, the project contributes to im-proving the air quality of the area, allowing diesel boilers to be removed from close to 2,000 homes that are in the network. The forecast is to start the project by the end of the year. H

The White Angel Andorra becomes the first private client of the initiative

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

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FINANCIAL TIMES LIVE

33 Awards ceremony in London.

Crèdit Andorrà is again the best in private banking

Crèdit Andorrà has been distin-guished as the best bank in Andor-ra in private banking by The Ban-ker and PWM financial publicati-ons of the Financial Times group for the third consecutive year. Ac-cording to Crèdit Andorrà, th-rough a statement, the award re-cognizes the company’s strategy to consolidate a competitive, digital, innovative and responsible private banking model, especially focused on offering the best customer servi-ce and personalized attention.

The award highlights the credit plan of Crèdit Andorrà regarding corporate governance with the re-organization of the corporate struc-ture, the maintenance of leadership in the Andorran market and the fo-cused and efficient international growth strategy. It also highlights the digital transformation centered on the client and the extensive work of corporate social responsibility carried out by the group.

The Banker and PWM annually award this prize to the best interna-tional entities in private banking.

The director of the Andorran Ban-king Business area, Martí Alfonso, and the director of Corporate Com-munication, Marketing and Digital Transformation Clients of the Crè-dit Andorrà Financial Group, Joan Ramon Mas, attended the awards ce-remony, which was held in London.

OTHER AWARDS / The publication Glo-bal Banking & Finance Review has designated Crèdit Andorrà as the best bank in private banking for the seventh consecutive year and the best bank in CSR 2019 for the fifth ti-me, also consecutively. H

The title comes from the publications ‘The Banker’ and ‘PWM’

ECONOMY

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THE COMELLA FUGITIVE

The Minister of Justice and In-terior, Josep Maria Rossell, informed yesterday, within the framework of the sig-

ning of the protocol of judicial co-operation between the public pro-secutors of Andorra and Toulouse, that the will of the Government is to commission an external audit to finish the analysis all the elements that made it possible for the priso-ner of La Comella to escape from the prison center on Tuesday last week. On the other hand, Rossell expects the internal audit, which is already underway, to be completed during this week.

One of the latest developments in the case is that the 41-year-old fu-gitive who was in custody since Ju-ne in jail went to court on Thursday last week, police said. After being two days in detention, he returned to the penitentiary, thus complying with the orders given by the judge. Several sources suspect that one of the possible causes that favored the prisoner’s escape strategy was the alarm failure, although the investi-

The Government requests an external audit on the prisoner’s escapeThe objective is to finish the internal audit during this week

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gation is still ongoing and the aut-horities still do not give any details about it. The Minister of Justice and Interior explained yesterday that in the coming days the determination of the causes would be completed. The objective of this is to «put all the elements on the table and to make decisions», which would be aimed at debugging protocols and consi-dering whether changes in the in-frastructure of the prison are nee-ded, Rossell said. He added that «we are looking, within our possibiliti-es, to look for some type of external audit, trying to find the people who would be able to do it, to determi-ne what has failed, if something has failed, and what can be improved.’’ Both studies want to find all the key factors of the case.

Police issued yesterday the balan-ce of arrests made during last we-ek, including the case of the fugiti-ve who is of particular relevance to be the first time a prisoner manages to escape - although it was only th-ree hours and without leaving the country. The police report details that the fugitive was detained «as the alleged perpetrator of a crime against the Justice Administration».

‘BPA CASE ‘ / With reference to the appeal filed by lawyer Josep Anto-ni Silvestre to separate from the tri-al the BPA case to Attorney Gene-ral Alfons Alberca, the latter confes-sed yesterday that he had not talked again with Silvestre and valued that «we all do what is within our own reach «. Regarding the question of when the trial was resumed, Alberca said that «to take on the case again is the jurisdiction of the Tribunal de Courts, but I do not know». H

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ANDORRA AND TOULOUSE SIGN AN AGREEMENT FOR JUDICIAL COOPERATION

Andorra la Vella q Andorra la Vella q The Prosecutor General of the Principality, headed by prosecutor Alfons Alberca, and the Public Prosecutor of Toulouse, represented by the Attorney General Monique Olivier, signed a protocol of understanding in

matters of justice and security yesterday. The objective of the agreement is to cooperate to combat issues such as smuggling of tobacco, crimes against the environment or Islamist terrorism, the latter focusing on prevention work.

WEDNESDAY, 6 NOVEMBER 2019 el Periòdic News18 www.elperiodic.ad el Periòdic News

The High Performance Cen-ter at the 2000 level of Na-turlandia is already a rea-lity. Yesterday, it opened

its doors and, as of this weekend, it will be fully operational. As ex-plained by the cònsul major of Sant Julià de Lòria, Josep Miquel Vila, it was built «to search for hig-her performance» and it will allow the cross-country skiers Carola Vi-la and Irineu Esteve «to have an op-portunity to improve,» in additi-on «It will be an opportunity for other teams and federations to co-me.» In fact, this new infrastruc-ture, in addition to the support of the Comú of Andorra la Vella, An-dorran Ski Federation (FAE) and Andbank, also has that of the An-dorran Olympic Committee (COA), already which has requested finan-cing with Solidaridad Olímpica, which would allow for an expan-sion of the installation in the fu-ture. However, as explained by the president of the COA, Jaume Mar-tí, «we must see how the federati-

COMÚ DE SANT JULIÀ DE LÒRIA / XAVIER PUJOL

33 Yesterday, skiers and members of the FAE visit the new facilities of Naturlandia

The Naturlandia High Performance Center is already a realityThe COA requests funding for Solidaridad Olímpica in order to make an expansion of the infrastructure

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CROSS 3 COUNTRY SKIING

“We have reformed the refuge to allow for a better performance, this is a great opportunity for Esteve and Vila to improve»

«We’re all gaining benefits because some days we even get to train all morning and afternoon. We are able to train and eat better»

«It’s something we wanted for some time, it will be good for us not only for us but for all the federations»

«The results are amazing, we have very good facilities that will help us out tremendously during the summer and winter seasons»

JOSEP MIQUEL VILA IRINEU ESTEVE

JOAN EROLA CAROLA VILA

CÒNSUL MAJOR CROSS-COUNTRY SKIER

FAE TRAINER CROSS-COUNTRY SKIER

ons of the country respond». As an example, the Andorran Cycling Fe-deration (FAC) has shown an inte-rest in being able to organize a me-et at the infrastructure.

CAPACITY FOR SEVEN PEOPLE / The high-performance shelter of 150 square meters has a capacity for up to seven people and has a couple of bedrooms, a living room with kitchen, a bathroom and a gym to train in height. It should be re-membered that the comú restored a building that already existed and needed a budget of 50,000 euros, while the COA, the FAE and And-bank took over the interior of the installation. «The building has on-ly had to be recycled, it has not be-en that costly, everyone is satisfi-ed,»’ declared Vila.

A RESOURCE FOR THE COUNTRY / FAE co-ach, Joan Erola, explained that «we are happy and were enthusiastic,» «it was something we had been pursuing for a long time, it would be good not only for us ,» he empha-sized and reiterated that «We ha-ve a head start, it would be a very important resource for us and for other federations that want to co-me and train here.» «I do not think that this has been done just for Iri-neu and Carola, but thanks to the results they have done, everybody will benefit from it,’» he said.

Although officially the infras-tructure will be 100% operational in a month, «we will already start using it already with the cross-co-untry skiers, we will stay this wee-kend three or four days to train he-re.» «Next we will see how the FAE, the common and the COA are com-bined, as we do with the demand, I leave it in their hands,’’ he reca-lled and emphasized that “it can be used».

Also, with regard to the next sea-son, he said that «this will continue its course given that we do all the ra-ces away from home». «This can help us in the preseason, during the sum-mer and in the fall, or even during the winter periods we spend betwe-en six and eight days in the country, since, above all, they have to make a long journey by car to come to ski, «added and reiterated that» this will help them rest and recuperate well, not to lose as many hours as they currently have done.» «Maybe a fe-deration might be willing to come

and train here, but mostly, people can come to France or Spain and the Catalan Pyrenees, we have not done anything more than extrapolate so-mething that is already being done outside the country» he remarked.

BETTER FOR RESTING/ Carola Vila said that «it has been very good, we have very good facilities that can give us a very important plus for the sum-mer and during the winter, we hope to inaugurate the facility already.» «We have always complained that we lose an hour and a half per day between going up and down and this will allow us to rest more and to train even more, at our level, this is very important,’’ he clarified. In the same line of thought, Esteve com-mented that «we are having loads of benefits because there are days that we train mornings and afternoons». «We have it all here, this will make us train and eat better, we will see if the results of all this are positive,» he concluded. H

The refuge will allow national and international federations to sleep over at high altitude