The Ministry of Defence will maintain the Pyrenees’ military academy of Talarn open

Talarn (CNA).- The Spanish Government confirmed that this Non-commissioned officer (NCO) centre will keep offering military training, after few months of uncertainty in which two entities, the Platform for the Pyrenees University and the platform Acadèmia Sí, appeared for debating the future of these facilities: converting them into a civilian academic centre or fighting to maintain their current military use. Although the second option succeeded, the Ministry of Defence pointed that the activity of the centre will be reduced.

The NCO’s Basic General Academy of Talarn –about 90km north from Lleida, located in the Pyrenees– will finally continue its activity, at least during the next academic year. The decision was taken after months of doubts around the future of this training centre, which was expected to finish its activity as a military academy in June. The Spanish Government recognised in March that a viability report had been demanded to assess if it was possible to keep the academy opened in the current context of huge economic cutbacks, also in the Ministry of Defence.

After this announcement, the entity Plataforma Acadèmia Sí was created to defend the continuity of the military academy, as it has an essential place in the local economy. The platform, formed by some city councils and groups of companies from the area, collected more than 5,000 signatures for the maintenance of the centre. This entity was especially worried for the 800 jobs that this centre generates both directly and indirectly and that would have disappeared with its closure.

At the same time, the Platform for the Pyrenees University appeared with the goal of transforming the military facilities into a new civilian centre with academic uses. Some of the Platform’s proposals were to establish professional academies for the Catalan police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, and for the firemen of the Catalan Fire Department; playing host to meetings, seminars and summer schools and even holding different university studies in collaboration with other universities.

The current facilities have 700 hectares with 60 buildings to host about 2,000 people, among which there are classrooms, residences for students, dining rooms, kitchens, sports facilities and even a museum.