MÁS raises the cost of Palma's failed bid for European Capital of Culture to almost 100,000 euros

PalmMÁS per Palma accuses the City Council of a lack of transparency regarding the cost of Palma's failed bid to become European Capital of Culture 2031, asserting that expenses have already reached €98,000, exceeding the €80,000 announced by the Councilor for Culture, Javier Bonet. According to MÉS per Palma councilor Miquel Àngel Contreras, the party will submit a formal request for information to obtain a detailed breakdown of the project's associated costs. "There are public contracts, salaries, and other expenses that have not been included," he warned.

Expenses that already exceed the official figure

MÁS por Palma asserts that just four items confirmed through official channels already exceed the amount announced by the City Council. Specifically, they detail that preparing the dossier cost €6,000; an advertising contract with a radio station, €33,000; a merchandising contract, €14,000; and the salary of the Director General of Cultural Projects—appointed a year ago to promote the candidacy—amounts to €46,000 annually. These items total €98,000, a figure that, according to the party, already exceeds the €80,000 reported by the councilor. Doubts remain about other costs.

The party also pointed out that the City Council has not detailed other expenses related to the candidacy, such as institutional advertising, brand creation and development, website design, social media management, the opening of a dedicated office, or the production of promotional materials. MÁS por Palma also questions why the costs of official trips to present the candidacy to cities like Madrid, London, San Sebastián, Berlin, and Brussels, including per diems, accommodations, and flights, were not included. "It's impossible that all of this adds up to only 80,000 euros. Either the accounts are incorrect or information is being hidden, and in either case, it's very serious," stated Contreras. The eco-sovereignist party also attributed the candidacy's failure to the management of the Councilor for Culture, whose project, they allege, was based on "whitewashing mass tourism" and lacked the necessary social and political consensus. In this regard, Contreras criticized the fact that, while the municipal government was promoting this initiative, there are cultural facilities that are closed or disused, such as neighborhood libraries, Can Ribas, or spaces like the Catalina Valls theater. "That is Bonet's real cultural policy, and that is what UNESCO has seen," he concluded.