Balearic Agriculture Minister resigns

By Lois Jones MINISTER for Agriculture and Fisheries in the Balearics, Tomás Cortés, talked yesterday about his resignation which was accepted at the end of last week by the Government leader, Jaume Matas. Chiefly due to a heart condition, the decision to step down as head of the deparment was also made, said Cortés out of the sense of “duty” he felt towards the agricultural sector and personally, to Jaume Matas. In terms of assessment of the short time he spent as Balearic minister, Cortés declared: “in three months, we have achieved more in our department than the previous government did during the entire period of office”. The Balearic president meanwhile, yesterday named Margalida Moner Tugores as successor to the Agriculture sector's most senior position. The new minister who will take over officially this coming Tuesday, announced her intention “to getting talks started with the whole of the sector to reach a better understanding”. Moner confessed to having been taken by surprise at her appointment. Although she had never held a similar position, she hoped to be able to perform “as well as Mr. Cortés”. She went on to confirm that she will continue to follow “the line” taken by her predecessor. Moner wants to keep the same support team within the department so that she can be given a thorough grounding on key issues. Moner has been a member of Andratx Town Council between 1991 and 2003 and was mayor of the locality for eight years. She is currently a member of the Council of Majorca's island government, representing the Popular Party.