Prohens attacks the PSIB over the controversy with Aena: "They see our airports as a cash register"

PalmaPresident Marga Prohens has sought a direct confrontation with the PSIB in the first plenary session of the political year. During the control session for the Executive, she dodged criticism from the left regarding her tourism containment policies. Thus, she dug into the Spanish government's change of criteria regarding the Balearic law on airport co-management and the complaints from Aena, which has warned that it will try to stop it if it is approved in the Congress of Deputies. "They see our airports as a cash register," she retorted.

The Spanish government opted this Monday to lift the veto on the processing of the airport co-management bill. The PSIB has defended that it was the President of Congress, Francina Armengol, who achieved this change of criteria, and Sumar and MÉS per Mallorca have asserted that it was their deputy, Vicenç Vidal, who convinced Minister Fèlix Bolaños. But in this Tuesday's plenary session, Prohens claimed the credit: she stated that Armengol decided to remove the item from the Bureau's agenda for fear that the PP would join forces with Sumar and lift the veto at the Congressional Bureau, the only body that has the power to do so. "They saw that they would lose shamefully thanks to the PP's votes," she said.

In this way, the president avoided responding to the questions from the PSIB spokesperson in Parliament, Iago Negueruela, who demanded "real and effective legislation" against overcrowding, and accused the presidents of the island councils of acting as "salespeople" for the tourism market. "You see planes, but you don't see more tourists, more hotels, and more traffic jams," the socialist rebuked her: "You have the authority to do something."

Also, the leader of MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, attacked the PP. "The only luck you've had is that there were inept people with batons at the July 26th demonstration – in relation to the National Police charges that are currently under investigation – and that Aena has defended further overcrowding these Islands," he said. "Your containment policies are working out poorly," insisted the sovereignist, who criticized the Government's discourse on containment as a "tune" and a "mantra".

Prohens responded by assuring that there is a "change in trend" on the Islands and that the increase in visitors "is concentrated mainly in the mid and low season months, and contributes to lengthening the season and deseasonalization." Thus, she highlighted that tourism growth last July was "only 0.22%," and fell by 0.5% in Mallorca, while spending per tourist continues to increase. But Apesteguia reminded her of this year's record figures, with 9.16 million international tourists up to July, 1.8% more than last year.

Distances herself from Vox

This Tuesday's plenary session has also evidenced a distancing between the PP and Vox. Prohens has defended the Government's contribution of 25 million euros to Ceuta to care for unaccompanied migrant minors after Vox spokesperson Manuela Cañadas demanded that she withdraw them. "These resources are for the people of Ceuta," she asserted.

For his part, the first vice-president and minister of Economy, Antoni Costa, has detected a plot twist in the narrative of Santiago Abascal's party. The spokesperson was surprised by the request of Vox deputy Sergio Rodríguez, who demanded that he "break relations" with the PSOE. "Throughout the legislature, the left has asked for a sanitary cordon around Vox, and we have never agreed to that pretension," he asserted: "It is curious that now it is you who are asking for a sanitary cordon".

Costa has warned the far-right that the Government will not stop dialoguing and reaching agreements with the rest of the parties, including the left. "It must defend the interests of the citizens of the Islands before the Spanish government, whoever governs," he continued. For this reason, he insisted, it is necessary to "maintain contacts, dialogue, negotiate and many times demand and ask". The PP has maintained this position throughout the entire legislature on the Islands. Although other popular barons, such as Madrid president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, have called to snub the Spanish government and not show up to the presidents' conferences, the fiscal and financial policy councils, and avoid meetings with Spanish president Pedro Sánchez, the head of the Balearic Executive, Marga Prohens, has maintained her institutional agenda.

For his part, Rodríguez has defended that the Government has had "stability" this term "thanks to the support of Vox". He has also attacked Sánchez over the Ceuta crisis, and has considered that the situation "is so serious" that the PP should not reach an agreement with the socialists.