EU to foot the bill for Majorca´s waste

Brussels could find itself having to foot the bill for as much as 85 per cent of the costs of treating Majorca's waste at the “green industrial” site which is to be set up in the shadow of the highly controversial incinerator at Son Reus. The Balearic Ministry for the Environment made it clear yesterday that, for the time being, it intends to go ahead with the construction of the “green industrial” estate surrounding the incinerator. According to the Ministry, establishing all the waste treatment and recycling plants together in one place is the most ecological and environmentally friendly solution. The Balearic Minister for the Environment, Margalida Rosselló, and the director general of Waste and Renewable Energy, Nicolau Barcel yesterday returned from Brussels and talks with representatives from the European Commission's Environment department. It was during the trip to Brussels, that the European Commission was presented with Majorca's Waste Plan and an application for EU funding, which could cover as much as 85 per cent of the costs. Nevertheless, Rosselló said yesterday that if the European Union fail to provide enough funding, “we will have to look to other forms of funding either from taxes or from the government.”