The Alianza Mar Blava marine protection foundation yesterday presented the new central government delegate to the Balearics, Rosario Sanchez, with a petition against oil and gas exploration in Balearic waters which had been signed by 15,000 people.
Since the organisation launched its campaign to protect Balearic waters from prospecting it has collected a total of 43,000 signatures of support from the public in Minorca, Ibiza and Majorca. Petitions were also handed in to the relevant authorities in Minorca and Ibiza yesterday.
Sanchez told the group who handed in the petition that central government is working on new legislation which will ban prospecting in the Mediterranean. It was the previous Partido Popular government which refused to ban prospecting in the Mediterranean, especially Balearic waters and initially granted a British oil company with permits to carry out explorations.
Those were eventually recinded in response to pressure from the Balearic government and a public outcry.