silver anniversary
Last year, more people than ever made use of the Mijas Foreigners Department, which celebrates its silver anniversary in March
22.02.10 - 11:13 -
Dept. Katja Thirion, Anette Skou, Louisa Machen, Marta Rey
Next month the Mijas Foreigners Department celebrates its 25th anniversary. "There was no other municipal team like it in the whole of Spain, we were the first, so really we were pioneers," says Anette Skou, the department's coordinator since day one. "We're the link between the authorities and the foreign community who live in Mijas. We help with any kind of question, query or problem and try to find answers and solutions wherever possible," she adds. "We understand the mentality of the Spanish and that of other foreign nationals, as well as the bureaucratic procedures, which is critical when solving problems."
During the past quarter of a century, the Department has grown both in terms of personnel and the scope of work that it carries out. "We help people with information on tax payments and fees, registering themselves, building permits, social services, as well as informing them about the many activities and events organised by the different departments," said Skou. They even help fill out forms and answer questions about non-Town Hall affairs, including National Police matters, such as residency permits, and issues with the Traffic Department. "We know the kinds of problems foreigners may have, as we have been in the same situations as them."
The Foreigners Department, which is located at the Town Hall in Mijas Pueblo, now consists of four key staff that speak a total of seven languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian), although two and a half decades ago, things were a little different.
"At first it was just a translation service, but we quickly realised that I was having to do a lot more than just translate for people. Luckily, the Mayor at the time was forward thinking, and as a result, we have the department you see today," says Skou. "It was a time when more foreigners than ever were choosing to come and live here, so coincidentally, we set up at around the same time as SUR in English!"
When it comes to evaluating the role played by the Department, the figures speak for themselves. There are 125 different nationalities represented in Mijas and, according to the latest data, the 32,063 foreigners on the census account for 41.29 per cent of the municipality's population. "Every year we help more and more people," acknowledges Skou. "We attended to over 17,000 enquiries last year alone." The British are the ones who make most use of this municipal service, followed by Germans and Scandinavians. "We deal with E.U citizens and the centre in Las Lagunas handles immigrants from other countries."
When the doors were first opened back in 1985, the vast majority of enquiries were from foreign nationals who had decided to spend their retirement in Mijas. "Although that is still a core of our work, we've certainly seen a lot more younger people coming here over the last 15 years to work, set-up businesses, raise their families...Up to eight per cent of pupils in Mijas schools are now non-Spanish," says Skou.
Events
Throughout the year, the Foreigners Department organises a varied schedule of events designed to show the foreign community different cultural aspects of Andalucía. "These are not just tourist trips, but they help our foreign residents experience more of the area." The programme of activities for this year has recently been published and includes an excursion to the Mijas Wine Museum next month, plus trips to Seville and Granada in the summer. "We also hold informative days, such as the one on 30th April in La Cala, on subjects that concern foreign residents."
With other Town Halls visiting Mijas to see the work being done, Anette Skou is justifiably "proud" of the Foreigners Department's 25 year heritage.
