The Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, held an online workshop on the Urban Agenda in Councils, Chapters and Island Councils on 18 May, aimed at representatives of the Local Administration, with the aim of sharing the different experiences that are being developed for the implementation of the Urban Agenda at supra-municipal level, as well as to inform smaller municipalities about the support they can find in Provincial Councils, Chapters and Island Councils to develop their own Action Plans and implement their Agendas.

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Menorca, a benchmark in the Urban Agenda

The workshop, which was moderated by the Deputy Assistant Director of Urban Policies of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA), Sonia Hernández, counted with the outstanding participation of the Consell Insular de Menorca. Mayca González, Economist Special Administration Technician, presented the approach and initiatives adopted by Menorca in the implementation of the Urban Agenda.

“If we talk about singular Agendas, the one of the Consell de Menorca is, without a doubt, one of them”. – Deputy Director General of Urban Policies of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA),Ángela de la Cruz.

The Consell Insular de Menorca has stood out as a key player in the Urban Agenda Development Group, an innovative project that places the island at the forefront of sustainable development. Menorca not only has the will to advance towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but has also established pioneering legislation with the implementation of the Biosphere Reserve Law. This has turned the premises established by the Urban Agenda into a tangible reality and ensures the island’s sustainable model.

In her speech, Mayca González highlighted the uniqueness of Menorca’s Urban Agenda, given its status as a Biosphere Reserve. She explained how Menorca has been transitioning from the Biosphere Reserve Plan to the Menorca Urban Agenda Action Plan, recognising the potential that the Urban Agenda offers for the island.

The Menorca Urban Agenda Action Plan is primarily a strategic document, and with its inclusion in the Biosphere Reserve Law, it becomes a normative document that must be complied with by all stakeholders on the island of Menorca. Thus, Menorca has managed to go beyond the aspirations of the Urban Agenda, turning it into a concrete and lasting reality.

He also highlighted the collaboration and joint work with MITMA and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) in the development and implementation of the Urban Agenda. He also counted on the active and key participation of the Fons Menorquí de Cooperació and the OBSAM. This joint work has enabled the alliance between urban policies and environmental sustainability, as well as the promotion of citizen participation, housing, employment and other relevant aspects for the community.

Approved unanimously in the plenary session of the CIM, an attempt is being made to involve the opposition in the plan, as is the case of Ciutadans, which proposed the line of action for the water cycle and the removal of asbestos.

The Consell Insular de Menorca, together with other local institutions and actors, works in a coordinated manner to achieve the objectives of the Urban Agenda and create a more sustainable and equitable society. The island is an example of how sustainable policies can transform a community and contribute to the well-being of people and the conservation of the environment.

Currently, Menorca’s Urban Agenda Action Plan is already being implemented, having added two lines in the Local Cooperation Plan dedicated to the Urban Agenda, increasing from a budget of €2.5 million to €9.125 million.

In the PIREP (Integral Plan for the Rehabilitation of Public Buildings) it is valued to have a Local Action Plan for the Urban Agenda. It is compulsory to include it in the documentation and to comply with it if you have one, and if you do not have one, you must justify it with a declaration (that you do not have an Urban Agenda Plan).

To end the session, the representative of the Consell Insular recalls this quote from Lord Kelvin, which perfectly represents the regenerative spirit of the Urban Agenda:
“What is not defined cannot be measured. What is not measured cannot be improved. What is not improved is always degraded”.

• Lord Kelvin. Physicist and mathematician

For more information about the Urban Agenda of Menorca and its initiatives, visit the official website of the Consell Insular de Menorca: here