This Italian region now has Europe’s highest Tibetan bridge
It’s not for the faint-hearted
An interview with the Mayor of Onda, in Spain
Carmina Ballester has a degree in Law from the Jaume I University in Castellón and more than 20 years of experience in public law. She has worked as a technician in the Ministry of Finance and as a Notary Officer for 19 years. In 2019, after several councillorship positions, she became the first female mayor of the city of Onda.
Onda is an ancient city open to the Mediterranean, full of talent and culture. A healthy, sustainable city with the best quality of life. A city of solidarity, fairness and social and economic opportunities for all.
The ceramic industry is the main economic engine of our city, with thousands of direct and indirect jobs. However, we are working on economic policies to attract new investments and diversify the business fabric with other complementary sectors such as logistics or tourism.
Covid-19 has hit Onda, as it has the whole world, but we reacted quickly at the municipal government and activated aid plans for freelancers, merchants and companies for more than two million euros and, at the same time, we applied incentives and invested in improving infrastructures to add competitiveness to our companies. All this has contributed to the consolidation of jobs in Onda today, in the midst of the Covid crisis.
We have been working on the Onda Logistic plan for more than a year to attract investment and improve our industrial estates and encourage the generation of new jobs. That is why it is not by chance that until today we have granted 75 major construction licenses, registering a total investment of 60 million euros to expand and build new warehouses in the city. This figure doubles all the investments registered during the last four years.
Another key point is the tax incentives, bureaucratic agility and the competitiveness of our industrial areas, which has led international companies to focus on Onda in their expansion, which will lead to thousands of new jobs.
In this government, we believe that the role of the administration in the business milieu should be limited to being as useful as possible and making public resources and tools available. We would be wrong if we, in the public sector, insisted on competing with the private sector to see who generates the most jobs. A competitive and prosperous country is one that makes the administration slimmer, with fewer taxes and bureaucratic obstacles, and encourages entrepreneurship, as well as a culture of effort and talent.
The Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces has awarded Onda for our commitment to citizen participation in the drafting of the Municipality's Local Waste Management Plan, in which we have involved manufacturers, neighbours, educational centres, event organizers and local political groups to make contributions in the treatment of waste.
The results of this participatory process have served to create the basis of the Local Plan for Waste Management of Onda and will allow the municipality to achieve the objectives set by the new Comprehensive Waste Plan of the Valencian Community (PIRCVA 2019-2022).
Among the proposals made by the residents, the commitment to awareness and sensitization campaigns, the increase in the frequency of collection and the proposal to install machines for returning containers and glass stands out. This initiative shows that it is essential to maintain a policy of active listening to meet all the requests of the citizens and improve their quality of life.
Absolutely. Onda Smart City is a living project that has come to make everyday life easier for our neighbours and visitors, add efficiency to the City Council and bring the administration closer to the citizen. Now we are working on new smart mobility solutions and, for this, we have challenged the main technology companies in the country to come up with proposals.
My team and I work to leave the next generations a city of which they can feel prouder, a city which will be fairer, more pleasant for living and with more opportunities for all. And this will happen by putting into practice the UN Sustainable Development Goals that we are implementing with the Onda 2030 action plan.
What are the reasons for that and are there any possible solutions for that problem?
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
It’s not for the faint-hearted
Presenting the next chapter in the Dutch capital’s ‘Stay Away’ campaign aimed at rowdy tourists
The City says this has become a necessity due to the increasing number of incidents involving these vehicles
That way you can notify a canal lock keeper to open the gates so the animals can swim through
The organizers had been considering different Parisian spots, but always with the idea of the flame being visible to the people
Electricity production in that Eastern European country will not release direct CO2 emissions anymore
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
A smoke-free environment has been guaranteed for years, but now the local administration is looking into further improving public health habits
This initiative is not just about making books more accessible – it has larger ambitions in its sights
We owe the unusual cultural icon to this country in Europe
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team