Vox torpedoes the PP's car restrictions on Mallorca: "No Spaniard should pay a fee to enter the island."

PalmAlthough the plans of the president of the Consell, Llorenç Galmés, were to have the bill approved this autumn to try to control the influx of vehicles to Mallorca and send it to the Parliament, the text still does not have sufficient political support in the Consell de Mallorca. The party that most opposes it is Vox, to the point that for the moment it makes it unthinkable that the PP can count on its votes. "We cannot accept in any way that a fee is imposed on Spanish citizens to enter Mallorca with their car. No Spaniard should pay a fee to enter the island," explained the spokesperson for the party to the island institution, Toni Gili, on ARA Baleares.

Galmés expected to approve the law by Parliament in early 2026 to be able to implement it next year, but this timeframe is unclear because Vox is not facilitating the approval of the text and the left has not yet "come into line," according to several sources familiar with the negotiations.

The basis of the proposal by the Island Directorate of Roads – responsible for the text – is the imposition of a deterrent tax on non-resident vehicles, as has already been implemented in Ibiza (2025) and Formentera (2019). Residents, essential services, freight transport, and official vehicles would be exempt, but Vox wants all vehicles belonging to Spanish citizens to be excluded. "We do not accept that there are first- and second-class Spaniards," said Gili.

The Council's legal services are aware that this political position does not fit with the European legal system, which establishes the free movement of people and goods between member states. Thus, taxes can only be imposed if all EU citizens are treated equally. "We are aware that, as happened with the Sóller train, if a different restriction is imposed on Spaniards than on other Europeans, the courts would overturn it. We did not propose this formula. It is the government team that must find a proposal that does not go against our principles," Gili stated.

Discreet negotiations

This summer, there have been discreet negotiations between the PP (People's Party) in the Consell (Mallorca) and the left-wing parties, which are essential, as Vox doesn't seem willing to budge. "The PI (People's Party) has expressed its support, but it's not enough. We need the left-wing parties to get involved," explained a source in the Consell (Mallorca). Along the same lines, sources close to the negotiations admitted that "for the moment, we haven't been able to secure the support of either the PSIB (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) or MÉS (Mexican Workers' Party) for Mallorca."

In the case of the eco-sovereignty party, its spokespersons have stated on several occasions that "bold and real measures" are necessary and have conditioned their vote on withdrawing the appeal on BUS-VAO and activating the transfer of powers.

When it comes to demanding the involvement of the left, the PP argues that "there is a social majority that demands reducing the pressure on vehicles." "In the case of the proposal that came from the Ibiza Council, which was very similar, the PSIB and MÉS for Mallorca voted in favor in Parliament, which made its approval possible," they recalled.

Vehicle roof

The PP's proposal is based on a vehicle load study that sets a maximum of between 834,263 and 863,061 vehicles. This means that there are between 93,000 and 122,000 surplus cars compared to the number currently circulating in Mallorca. The draft text that Galmés presented to the island's political parties explains that the full Council will decide each year on the maximum number of vehicles allowed to circulate on the island, always based on a technical report. Furthermore, cars entering the island by sea will require prior authorization from the Council, linked to the payment of a fee.

Ibiza has approved the law.

The Ibiza Council promoted a bill to control the influx of vehicles on the island during the high season and submitted it to Parliament on May 13, 2024. The Plenary Session of October 29, 2024, definitively approved its text. The law was published as Law 5/2024, of November 11, and empowers the Council to set a vehicle quota, exemptions, and a penalty regime.

For the summer of 2025, the Council has set a maximum quota of 20,168 non-resident vehicles per day (excluding residents), from June 1 to September 30. The distribution includes 16,000 takes expensive4,048 tourist vehicles and 120 for Formentera residents who access by vehicle. A daily fee and prior registration and authorization are required for entry and circulation.

For its part, Formentera has implemented regulations on access for wheeled vehicles since 2019, since at the end of 2018 it passed the Land Transport and Sustainable Mobility Law, which gave legal cover to the Formentera Council to limit the entry, circulation, and parking of vehicles. Since then, each high season (from June 1 to September 30), a maximum vehicle number and a fee and prior authorization system are established. Formentera residents can circulate freely, but visitors and residents from other islands or the Peninsula require authorization and must pay a daily fee.