PP and Vox push to ban non-residents from buying homes

PalmThe PP and Vox parties have criticized the MÉS per Mallorca bill to prohibit non-residents and companies from buying homes. The right wing has rejected the initiative of the eco-sovereignists (supported by the PSIB, Més per Menorca, and Unides Podem), accusing them of trying to "deceive" voters with an unworkable proposal. The spokesperson for MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, defended the bill, citing jurisprudence from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and a response the European Commission sent to the PP in 2023, in which it admitted that imposing restrictions would be unworkable. This limitation was possible.

The regulation proposed by MÉS establishes that municipalities meeting certain criteria can restrict property purchases for residential use to non-residents, legal entities, or residents who already own a home. Between 2007 and 2024, 80,758 houses and apartments in the Balearic Islands were acquired by foreign nationals, as... ARA Baleares publishedThis figure represents 40% of the real estate properties in Palma, or the sum of all those existing in Inca, Manacor, Maó, and Ibiza. Following the vote against it by the right wing of the chamber, the bill was not admitted for processing and, therefore, will not even be debated.

President Marga Prohens has criticized MÁS for trying to "deceive the public to gain votes" with proposals like this one, which she described as "tall tales." During the government oversight session, she criticized the eco-sovereignists for not supporting measures such as tax cuts and for voting with Sumar in Congress in favor of raising the VAT on basic foodstuffs and against lowering this tax on first-time home purchases. During the debate on the law, Margalida Pocoví of the People's Party insisted that "it is legally unfeasible" and accused previous left-wing governments of not having implemented measures to expand the housing supply at the time.

Vox, through its spokesperson Manuela Cañadas, has rejected the law. "It doesn't protect Spanish citizens, but it does protect foreigners who have been registered residents for three years," she lamented. "Massive speculation by foreign capital isn't combated by prohibiting Spaniards from buying second homes," she argued. In this regard, she pointed to the law as promoting "structural interventionism" and not distinguishing by nationality. "They include all illegal residents; they don't protect Spaniards," she said. She advocated for tax cuts and construction projects to expand the housing supply. "They are racist towards the citizens of the Balearic Islands," she concluded. "Their homeland is speculation."

"If they vote no today, it's because they don't want to prioritize housing for people who want to live and build their lives here," Apesteguia reproached the PP and Vox parties: "Their homeland is speculation, and their compatriots are the speculators." "They won't have a flag big enough to hide their contradictions," he concluded. The eco-sovereignist reminded everyone that, of the 652,123 homes in the Balearic Islands, 105,434 are unoccupied, while 210,587 are second homes. "48.46% of homes in the Balearic Islands are not intended for family living, but this trend continues to grow," he lamented. Belgium, Denmark, Croatia, and Malta have implemented measures similar to the one proposed by MÁS.All had agreed to the exceptions before joining the common market, through accession treaties, while Spain did not.

PSIB deputy Carol Marquès lamented the Government's unwillingness to "open" a debate on the law. "We'll see which side the Government is on, its people's or the speculators'," she said. Despite expressing legal doubts about the legislation, the Socialists ultimately voted in favor. She also criticized the report presented by the Housing Department to justify its decision not to implement the rent control measures, which, as it goes explain the ARA BalearesThe bill contained calculation errors, and several experts questioned its methodology. Josep Castells, a member of parliament for Més per Menorca, insisted on the need to "find a balance between the right to property and the right to live," while José María García (EUIB) also defended the text, emphasizing the need to "remove the financial asset status that speculators have given to housing." In the same plenary session, García presented a bill proposing an increase in the property transfer tax for large property owners. The aim of the proposal is to distinguish between those who need a home to live in and those who use it as an "instrument of accumulation," in the words of the MP. However, the votes of the right also prevented this bill from being considered.