Sangüesa Town Council and the situation of the Muga Mine

Opinionarticle in the press by the mayoress of sangüesa.

In view of themany news items, events and vicissitudes that have been happening for some timenow on the subject of the Mina Muga project, I would like to express howunfortunate I find many of the publications that are being published.Statements that are not rigorous, that are intentionally far from reality andthat have, in my opinion, taken on an unhealthy inertia.

I wanted tostay away from all of them out of respect for the project. I think it isessential that it be procedurally impeccable. Is this not, after all, whatpublic administrations do? Carry out any procedure on the basis of a legalframework. Of course, the building permit from Sangüesa / Zangoza Town Councilis missing. This is what we have been explaining on the municipal website since8 March. And we also explain that the compatibility report of the 12 plots ofland catalogued as Monte de Utilidad Pública and which form part of the projectis missing, a procedure initiated on 28 February 2023 by the Government ofNavarre following a request for clarification about them made by this TownCouncil to the Government of Navarre as it was an unresolved issue. In additionto this, we explain that the expropriation of the 20 communal plots, owned bythe Town Council, is still pending. The latter are also in the expropriationphase by the Government of Navarre, and the date for the official record willbe 28 April, also encouraged by the Town Council.

Even so,Geoalcali's request to grant a partial licence was granted, asking them to passon the necessary documentation regarding the constructions that do not affectthe aforementioned plots. Part of this documentation was received on 28February. To date, the company has yet to submit the approved projects, withoutwhich the licence cannot be granted either.

Both theGovernment of Navarre and the company have been aware of these issues for along time.

These issueshave been discussed in joint meetings. Meetings in which we have all takenpart. In this publication on the City Council's website, we set out the lateststeps taken with details of the dates.

In this case,the only thing that Sangüesa / Zangoza Town Council defends is that the stepstaken should be ordered by everyone. They have not been taken until now becausethe Government of Navarre has ignored what we warned about in June 2022; theexistence of these plots catalogued as Monte de Utilidad Pública (PublicUtility Mountain). They have not been given because Geoalcali is requesting alicence to occupy plots that are not their property, and furthermore some ofthem are listed without even having the execution projects approved.

And we did notwant to publish every step taken because we understood that this was atechnical procedure. It was not in the project's interest to publicise eachstep, as we felt there was no need to do so. It was not done because of thecomplexity of the matter, leaving this communication for the right moment.

And, of course,we did not publish the pressure we are under. We are experiencing it unjustlybecause we want to protect the assets of the City Council, and therefore of itscitizens, under the current regulations.

Withoutinitiating it ourselves, we have reached the point today where the Mina Mugaproject has sadly become a political issue. The granting of a licence has beenpoliticised by the opposition, the company and all those agents who continue toclaim that the project depends on the will of the Sangüesa / Zangoza TownCouncil government team. This is a very serious assertion and accusation. It isnot in the will of the government team to grant or not to grant any licence.Neither in this case nor in any other.

They have ledus into a mistaken confrontation when what the eight-year journey of theSangüesa / Zangoza Town Council has shown is collaboration and coordination.And of course we have also defended the interests of our citizens in each ofthe meetings held. Something that the opposition cannot say, who, knowing allthe information at first hand, once again go along with the highest bidder,even though they know that the work has been impeccable.

That is whyreading, listening to and hearing speeches taken out of context, the praises ofsome and the defences of others, are annoying, to say the least, for those ofus who are behind each of the steps taken, who know about the project, itsroute, its comings and goings, its contradictions on the part of theopposition. Of its contradictions on the part of some, of its convenience onthe part of others, and it is we who have followed the same line from thebeginning until today.

I read,surprised, easy words from a former mayor of the city, and I hear orchestratedspeeches from the opposition. They want to make a profit that I neitherconsider, nor share, nor am I going to participate in.

For anex-mayor to question, in a letter to the newspaper, why the licence is notbeing granted in Sangüesa, going so far as to veiledly encourage people to takepaths which, I don't know about other times, but which are fortunatelyforbidden by law at present, to put it mildly, is, to say the least, unheardof. I would like to think that it is the result of ignorance and verbalincontinence caused by a misunderstood servility.

What is thepurpose of Javier Del Castillo. If he had even called me and taken an interestin the project during these nine years, he could now, perhaps, give me lessonsin institutional loyalty. He comes late and he comes without knowledge.

What purposedoes AISS serve by joining in without further analysis, giving voice exclusivelyto false statements, when they have all the information on the project. Theysow debates that they do not believe in with the sole purpose of making thismisguided profit.

The best wayto defend all people, institutions, public assets and the common good is tocomply with regulations and procedures in administrative processes. Abandoningthe defence of all the former, encouraging it without respecting the latter, ispure demagogy.

It remains tosay, although I also feel obliged to do so, that the City Council will continueto work along the same lines, the only one that corresponds to it, the one thatguarantees the common good, the rights of all the actors involved in theproject and, of course, the well-being and heritage of the citizens itrepresents. And this line is none other than the one set by the law, theregulations and the administrative procedure.

No matter howmuch a lie is repeated, it does not become the truth. I think we learned that along time ago.

The author ismayoress of Sangüesa. Lucía Echegoyen Ojer,
Sangüesa | 16-03-23 | 09:10