An Agreement Signed in Opacity
On September 10, 2009, an official agreement was signed between the Town Hall of Pratdip and the Urban Conservation Entity (EUCC) of Planas del Rey. This document aimed to regulate the management of drinking water and household waste within the urbanisation.
But beyond its content, this agreement raises many questions, both about its legality and the opaque conditions under which it was signed.
An Agreement Contrary to Court Rulings
As early as January 2008, the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) had ruled clearly that the EUCC has no legal competence to provide essential public services, such as drinking water or waste collection. These services fall exclusively under the responsibility of the Town Hall, in accordance with Spanish law.
By signing this agreement in 2009, the Town Hall of Pratdip and the EUCC president at the time, Christian Peuman, acted against that court ruling. Instead of fully assuming its obligations, the Town Hall preferred to unofficially delegate the management of these services to the EUCC, even though the court had just reiterated the illegality of such delegation.
A Secret and Contested Signature
The most troubling aspect remains how this agreement was concluded. The president of the EUCC went alone to the Town Hall to sign the agreement, without informing or consulting the members of the management council, who are supposed to represent the interests of the property owners of Planas del Rey.
It was only five years later that the existence of this agreement was revealed to the council members and residents. Faced with this unilateral manoeuvre and the total disregard for the principles of transparency and shared governance, two members of the management council resigned, refusing to be complicit in this farce.
The Controversial Content of the Agreement
In essence, the agreement provided for:
- Billing for drinking water by the Town Hall, while keeping the responsibility for the installations with the EUCC.
- Household waste collection managed by the Town Hall, with direct billing to the property owners.
- Transmission of water meter readings by the EUCC, unless the meters were relocated outside the plots.
- Sharing of ordinary expenses among the property owners, while extraordinary expenses remained exclusively at the EUCC’s expense.
- A period of three months was given to property owners to relocate their water meters outside their properties, failing which a maximum flat rate could be applied.
A Sham Agreement to the Detriment of the Residents
This document, signed behind closed doors and in total contradiction with the ruling of the TSJC, only served to prolong legal confusion around Planas del Rey. Instead of assuming its responsibilities, the Town Hall of Pratdip maintained a situation in which the EUCC, without legal competence, continued to be called upon to manage services that, in fact, fell under the Town Hall’s responsibility.
This agreement is a blatant example of the opaque and irregular practices that have long harmed the residents of Planas del Rey, depriving them of both their rights and decent public services.
– Read also : Case “Fenouillet”: Two court rulings that the Pratdip Town Hall chose to ignore
– Read also : Contract between the Baix Camp, the City hall of Pratdip and the Comaigua company
