Prohens rules out limiting the purchase of second homes if it affects Balearic residents

PalmaThe President of the Government, Marga Prohens, ruled out this Tuesday the possibility of limiting the purchase of second homes if it affects Balearic citizens. This position means de facto closing the door to one of the main measures proposed by the European Commission to address the housing crisis.

In response to a parliamentary question from the leader of MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, Prohens has rejected that the measures approved by the European Union should "fall upon the backs of the families of the Islands." "What you are telling us is that you do not want a Mallorcan to be able to buy a home to leave to their children," she retorted to the eco-sovereigntist: "This is what the EU is studying, there is no decision made."

Prohens has assured that the Government will "analyze" the Commission's proposal, which must begin the processing in the European institutions. But although the Government hinted last Friday that it would be willing to limit the purchase of second homes by people of other nationalities, this option is currently difficult to apply in the EU, because one of its foundational principles is that no distinctions should be made between Europeans.

Apesteguia has warned that he will re-submit his bill to limit the purchase of homes, which last February failed in Parliament due to the vote against it by the PP and Vox. He believes that these measures are gaining strength because they are "endorsed by the European Commission," and has requested speed in their implementation. For his part, the deputy of Més per Menorca, Josep Castells, has defended that the limitation "is perfectly viable": "If they vote against it, it is because they do not want to establish this regulation."

The PSIB spokesperson, Iago Negueruela, has accused the Government of deceiving the citizenry by saying it will study the proposal when it already knows it does not agree with it. In his view, the Government does not apply measures "due to ideology." In the same vein, he recalled that the MEP Borja Giménez Larraz already showed himself to be against the European Commission's proposal: he considered it "a disappointment."

Claim priority for residents in public housing

Apesteguia has assured that, according to data from the National Statistics Institute, he explained that out of the stock of 540,000 homes in the Islands, 215,000 are second homes. He also recalled that in March 2023, the European Commissioner for Housing responded to a question from the Majorcan PP MEP Rosa Estaràs, stating that it was feasible to restrict the acquisition of real estate by non-resident Europeans "for overriding reasons of general interest".

Prohens replied that the Government is processing "10,000 affordable homes and 1,500 new public homes" and, furthermore, is restricting public housing units to citizens who can prove between 7 and 18 years of residence in the Islands, depending on the municipality.

The PP demands the resignation of Pedro Sánchez

The plenary session of the Parliament also approved an initiative by the PP to support Ceuta. During the debate on the initiative, the popular Cristina Gil demanded the resignation of the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and that elections be called. "He must assume the political consequences," she argued. The text urges Spain to advocate in Europe for the Balearic Islands to be taken into account in the planning and allocation of resources destined for border surveillance, the prevention of irregular immigration, and human trafficking networks. However, the PP was unable to add changes to demand clarity from the Spanish government regarding the alerts and decisions of the National Intelligence Center (CNI) and the security forces and bodies prior to July 30: doing so would have substantially modified the wording and required unanimity among the groups, but the PSIB opposed it.

Rejection of the proposal for the Audit Office to review the Tirme invoice

On the other hand, the PP and Vox have rejected an initiative by the PSIB to demand that the Court of Audit review the Tirme rate, the concessionaire for urban waste of the Council of Mallorca. The proposal is based on the fact that in the month of July, the intervention of the island institution published a critical report on the concession.