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 rejected that the measures approved by the European Union should "fall on 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 snapped at the eco-sovereigntist: "This is what the EU is studying, there is no decision made."

Prohens assured that the Government will "analyze" the Commission's proposal, which must begin the processing in the European institutions. But although the Government suggested 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 be made between Europeans.

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

The spokesperson for the PSIB, Iago Negueruela, 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 MEP Borja Giménez Larraz had already shown 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, there are 215,000 that are second residences. He also recalled that in March 2023, the European Commissioner for Housing responded to a question from the Mallorcan PP MEP Rosa Estaràs, stating that it was feasible to restrict the acquisition of real estate by non-resident Europeans "for compelling 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 seven and 18 years of residence in the islands, depending on the municipality.

The PP demands the resignation of Pedro Sánchez

The Parliament plenary session has also approved an initiative by the PP to support Ceuta. During the debate on the initiative, the popular Cristina Gil called for the resignation of the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, and for elections to 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 intended 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 Centre (CNI) and the security forces and bodies prior to July 30: doing so would have substantially modified the wording and required unanimity from the groups, but the PSIB opposed it.

Rejection of the Sindicatura de Comptes reviewing the Tirme invoice

On the other hand, the PP and Vox have rejected an initiative from the PSIB to demand that the Audit Office review the Tirme rate, the concessionaire for urban waste of the Council of Mallorca. The proposal is based on the fact that last July the island institution's internal audit published a critical report on the concession.