European citizen of the year crowned

Representatives from the European and Majorcan communities gathered together in Palma last night to celebrate Europe Day. While events were being carried out across the Balearics, the European communities gathered at a special ceremony organised by the Palma City Council and Ciudadanos Europeos in Palma. But, apart from celebrating Europe Day, in the presence of the Mayor of Palma, Joan Fageda and Councillor for Tourism, Joan Bauza, the council named its European Citizen of the Year. Euro MP Francisca Bennassar presented Olga Bestard with the illustrious award. Olga, wife of the United States Consular Agent Tumi Bestard, who also attended the celebrations, has spent the last 30 years working day-in, day-out in order to bring the European and Majorcan communities closer together. She said yesterday that she was “extremely happy” to have been chosen for the award, which she said she would dedicate to Majorca “which I love so much and am extremely happy to be here.” “I think I provide a model for how Europeans can integrate when they come here and people are always asking me for help and favours, everybody knows I am available 24 hours a day and I will always help when I can... it also makes me feel happy to know that I am needed and that I get home every day knowing that I have done something to help. “The Europeans are doing more and more now to help each other, but there is still work to be done on our relationship with the Majorcans. “They've got a warm heart, but sometimes we Europeans are a bit shy, of course there are the communication problems and it is important that we all try and learn the language. That brings us closer together to start with. “But we all get along fine, I organise as many events as possible in order to bring all the communities together so they can share their cultures, languages and traditions and most importantly have fun together,” Olga Bestard, who spent most the day helping to raise funds with a group of European residents, for the fight against cancer in Plaza Cort, said yesterday.