From setbacks to Catalan to pigeon shooting: the Omnibus Law approved amidst parliamentary chaos

PalmaThe Parliament approved the Omnibus Law this Tuesday after an accident-prone process in Parliament that has put the left in a state of war and has even provoked complaints from the legal advisors. The norm began to be processed as a law for strategic projects but, in a plot twist, the PP modified its title to introduce about seventy of its own amendments on unrelated issues and, incidentally, to comply with the pacts with Vox pending officialization. The opposition in bloc has denounced the "chaos", but while MÉS per Mallorca and Més per Menorca have refused to participate, the PSIB has indeed agreed on some amendments with the PP on the taxi sector and the integration of the Tax Agency (ATIB). The legislative chaos continued until the last minute, when the deputies did not understand the voting blocks and the president of the Parliament, Gabriel Le Senne, had to take a recess to clarify things and, finally, a roll-call vote had to be resorted to.

The scope of the Omnibus Law, built with a sum of amendments on top of the bill to accelerate strategic projects, affects about fifty laws in various fields. From recovering pigeon shooting to reserving Local Police positions for ex-military personnel; passing through the elimination of the Catalan requirement for certain teachers, leaving newcomers out of certain public aid (such as the Guaranteed Social Income) and facilitating the transfer of tons of waste from Ibiza to Mallorca. The law touches on so many topics that the spokesperson for MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, has denounced that not even the deputies of PP and Vox knew what they were voting on in the parliamentary commission.

"It has been a constant violation of the Parliament's right," he said, and announced that they will appeal the law to the Constitutional Court both for the parliamentary procedure and for the measures that are approved and that "cut rights" from citizens. "If they see this video at the TC, they will not only give us reason, but a big hug," he said, referring to the recording of the parliamentary session. Meanwhile, the Menorcan Josep Castells, who will also challenge the law, has accused the PP of repeating the "mess" that already occurred during the processing of the Law of administrative simplification. "The norm has been to twist, denature, pervert the legislative procedure provided for in the regulations," he criticized, in addition to insisting that there has been "no dialogue" with the parliamentary groups: "The dialogue will have taken place in the office." The non-attached deputy (ex-Vox) Agustín Buades has also denounced an "absurd" processing of the norm: "There were about a hundred amendments, it was three absurd hours." During the votes, both Buades and the also non-attached Idoia Ribas asked for the articles to be voted on separately, but Le Senne refused, considering that this would excessively prolong the plenary session.

The PSIB deputy, Amanda Fernández, has aligned herself with MÉS per Mallorca and Més per Menorca and has denounced the modification of laws that "have nothing to do" with the object of the norm. She has especially denounced setbacks in linguistic matters and the modification of the regulations of the School Council of the Balearic Islands to favor "a strategic project" of a private university. However, the socialist has been accused by the eco-sovereignists of contributing to the normative chaos by agreeing to some amendments with the PP, which Fernández has defended by arguing the "urgency" of the measures.

Costa says that the Administration is being "modernized"

The First Vice-President and Minister of Economy, Finance and Innovation, Antoni Costa, defended the text, initially intended to speed up administrative procedures for citizen and business initiatives. Costa insisted that the norm will allow strategic projects to be accelerated and the regional administration to be "modernized", bureaucracy to be reduced and investments and infrastructures to be streamlined. In fact, one of the PP's amendments is so extensive that it almost represents an entire law: the second law of administrative simplification. As ARA Balears explained, the Government, aware that it would not have time to finish it before the end of the legislature, has introduced it in an amendment that has 43 articles and an additional provision. It has also presented three more amendments to modify the first Law of Simplification.

The vice-president also defended the amendments that have been approved to comply with the agreements with Vox in exchange for the approval of the 2025 budgets. Although the requirement of Catalan for teachers in places of very difficult coverage is eliminated (who will be able to obtain a civil servant position) and also in certain public service positions, Costa has assured that "the Law of Linguistic Normalization is not modified." However, jurists consulted by ARA Balears consider that the norm is indeed affected by these amendments. jurists consulted by ARA Balears consider that the norm is indeed affected by these amendments.. The first vice-president also defended the requirement of three years of legal residence to access certain guaranteed income social benefits (a requirement from Vox to exclude newly arrived immigrants), the application of a moratorium for new solar parks on rural land until a new territorial planning is approved, and the reinforcement of water infrastructure.

In housing matters, the first vice-president announced preferential processing for protected housing, the expansion of strategic residential projects until 2027, and new possibilities for building public housing on tourist developable land. He also defended tax aids for birth and adoption (proposed by Vox), reductions in the property transfer tax and on documented legal acts for young people and vulnerable groups, in addition to incentives for owners who freeze rental prices.

Vox boasts of its achievements

The spokesperson for Vox, Manuela Cañadas, has boasted about the measures she has managed to approve with the support of the PP, especially regarding language and the creation of an Anti-Occupation office. However, Cañadas has thrown a dart at the PP for "having run to the PSIB" to approve some amendments that Vox did not want to support, such as those that implement the Government's anti-crisis decree, those related to ATIB and those that regulate the taxi sector in the face of VTCs, in addition to an amendment to toughen sanctions against illegal tourist offerings.