Prohens responds to the historical protest against mass tourism: "The Government's policies are in line with what is being asked"

PalmaThe President of the Government, Marga Prohens, has taken advantage of the meeting with the Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, to place the debate on the limits of the tourism model at the center of the Balearic agenda. The meeting comes after the historic demonstration against tourist overcrowding held in Palma, a mobilization that organizers estimated at 70,000 people, and which has reinforced the discussion on the Balearic Islands' capacity to cope with the current volume of visitors. After the meeting, Prohens defended that the policies promoted by her Executive respond to the demands expressed in the streets. "The policies that this Government is promoting are precisely in line with what is being asked for," she stated.

The president assured that the Government is aware of the social unrest generated by tourist pressure and claimed that the Executive has not ignored this debate. "Not only have we not shied away from it, but we are taking charge of it," she said. Among the measures that Prohens has put on the table are the limitation of tourist places, zero growth, the prohibition of new tourist apartments, and the limitation of vehicles on all the Islands "which will be in force this legislature". The president defended that these decisions are part of a change of model that, according to her, cannot be executed immediately. "An economic model is not transformed in three years," she assured.

In this regard, he recalled that the Government has defended since the beginning of the legislature that the tourism model could not maintain the same pace of expansion as it had until now. "We have said that the model could not continue to grow in the same way and that the growth rate it had until now had to reach its peak," he stated.

The president explained that the Government identifies the main focuses of citizen discontent as illegal tourist offerings, illegal tourist apartments, saturation of public transport, pressure on services, and the impact of cruise passengers. She also advocated for the roadmap developed with social, tourism, and environmental organizations, which the Government considers "the basis for moving towards a transformation of the model".

Among the measures she has highlighted is the elimination of 60,000 tourist places which, she has assured, were being marketed illegally. Regarding the prohibition of existing tourist flats, Prohens has admitted that there is a debate about legal certainty and recalled that other territories have faced significant economic claims for similar decisions. “It takes time, it takes more forcefulness and I can admit that,” stated the president, who has defended that the Government will continue listening to social demands.

One of the main points of disagreement that Prohens has conveyed to Sánchez is the role of airports. The president has assured that there are areas where the Balearic Islands cannot act because they depend on the State and has placed airport policy as one of the main examples. As she explained, while in the Balearic Islands a debate is opening about the need to set limits on tourism growth, Aena maintains forecasts of increasing airport capacity. “It cannot be that while all administrations, economic sectors, social agents and a large part of society are aligned in the need to talk about limits, Aena continues to forecast increasing the number of passengers from the current 31 million to 36 million by the year 2031,” she stated.

Prohens has also criticized that, after the expansion of Palma airport, an expansion of Ibiza is now being considered. The president has especially rejected proposals that have emerged linked to new uses of airport space. "All this is not presentable," she said. She also questioned that the Government should learn some of Aena's intentions through the media.

Regarding the airport co-management law approved in Parliament, Prohens explained that Sánchez does not see a problem with expanding the participation of the Balearic Islands in the airports' decision-making bodies, but defended that this participation should not be limited to the Government and should also include the island councils.

Explanations for police raids

The president also assessed the images of the police charges that occurred during the demonstration. Prohens assured that it is an episode that has caused her concern. “They are shocking images that I never thought could happen in Palma,” she stated. She lamented the events and argued that a protest of these characteristics should not have ended like this: “A demonstration should not have ended this way.” Prohens pointed to the Spanish government delegate, Alfonso Rodríguez, as the person who must offer explanations because he is the one with the powers over the police operation. However, she avoided attributing direct political responsibilities beyond demanding clarifications and yielding the burden of requesting his resignation to Rodríguez's superiors.

Beyond tourism, the president assured that the meeting with Sánchez served to convey the main demands of the Balearic Islands, although she lamented that not enough progress had been made. This was the third bilateral meeting between Prohens and Sánchez. If the meeting held in October 2024 and the two Conferences of Presidents are added, they amount to six.

Prohens positively valued the dialogue between administrations, but criticized the lack of results on issues that depend on the State. The president handed the head of the Spanish executive a document with the demands and defended that these are issues that have a direct impact on the citizens of the Archipelago.

Prohens demands more involvement in migration issues

The migratory emergency has been another of the major issues of the meeting. Prohens has defined the situation as a "humanitarian drama" and has assured that she has conveyed to Sánchez the concern that exists on the four islands. “I have conveyed to him the cry for help that comes from the four islands and from the citizens of the Balearic Islands,” she stated. The president assured that during the last year nearly 11,000 people have arrived in 606 makeshift boats and that seven bodies have been found on the Balearic coasts. She also warned that unaccompanied minor migrants continue to arrive while the island councils have exceeded the ordinary capacity provided for by the Ministry of Childhood. Prohens has questioned that, after Minister Sira Rego visited the Archipelago and considered that it made no sense to continue sending minors in a situation of overcapacity exceeding 1,000%, transfer proposals continue to arrive.

The Government, he said, maintains its judicial strategy against state decrees that impose these transfers. Prohens insisted that the debate is not only economic, but also about the real capacity of the protection system. “We are not talking about capacity, nor about solidarity between territories, nor about solidarity of political parties. We are talking about the real capacity that our protection system has today and about the best interests of minors,” he affirmed. The president also called for strengthening border protection, acting against mafias, intervening in countries of origin, and permanently activating Frontex on the Balearic route with Algeria.Balearic route with Algeria.

Housing, financing (and Catalonia)

Regarding housing, Prohens has explained to Sánchez that the Government is promoting the construction of 10,000 housing units at a limited price and has introduced residency criteria and prioritization of residents to access them. The president has argued that this is the largest public housing promotion promoted in the community in more than forty years of democracy. As for regional financing, Prohens has conveyed the Government's rejection of the proposal put forward by the State as it has been presented and negotiated. According to her explanation, the model does not take into account criteria that the Balearic Islands consider essential, such as population growth, floating population, and the island nature. Along the same lines, she criticized that the principle of ordinality "is only taken into account in the case of Catalonia". This principle requires that a region that contributes more taxes to the State does not end up with fewer resources per inhabitant than those that contribute less.

He also called for resuming negotiations to renew the Special Regime for the Balearic Islands, which expires in 2028, and has advocated for an expanded special regime in areas such as research, innovation, and affordable housing. In infrastructure, Prohens has called for unblocking the railway and road agreements. He has defended projects such as the Llucmajor train, the Alcúdia train, the Son Espases metro, and the Artà-Capdepera connection, provided they have state funding.

The meeting also addressed emergency management, especially after the fires affecting the Peninsula. Prohens thanked the State's collaboration during the dana that affected Ibiza and highlighted the rapid action of the Military Emergencies Unit. Nevertheless, he has called for the Balearic Islands to have a permanent detachment of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME), a request he has also linked to the increase in temperature and the effects of climate change in a particularly vulnerable archipelago.