Traffic jams on Palma's ring road, in the Genoa tunnel, and queues on Mallorca's main roads have become a common sight, especially during peak season. "Investing in Mallorca" was one of the major campaign promises of the President of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés. Halfway through his term, Galmés proclaimed that his government had fulfilled "more than 80% of its roadmap." But this major campaign promise has yet to be delivered, and the countdown to the next elections has begun.

Palma City Council has repeatedly stated that between 60% and 70% of residents of the old prison of Palma They are undocumented immigrants. The city council is thus refusing to assume responsibility for helping them and points out that the Spanish government is responsible for this problem. The first deputy mayor of Palma, Javier Bonet, asserted on Tuesday that the State "has full jurisdiction over people who are undocumented." "If it has been able to build a tent for all the immigrants arriving by boat, it should also be able to address this housing crisis," he emphasized. In contrast, the Spanish government delegation in the Balearic Islands, which is awaiting the City Council's proposal at a meeting of the Local Security Board, believes that the situation of the former prison "requires each institution to exercise its powers to offer a response" to the situation.

The eviction of the old prison of Palma It has already begun, as evidenced by a large tent set up by the Palma Local Police at the back entrance of the prison. Nearly 200 people, according to figures from the Palma City Council (Cort), will have to leave their homes in a few days, and the City Council has offered them "no housing solutions," according to everyone interviewed by ARA Baleares. "The only option they've given us is the street," laments a young man who prefers to remain anonymous.

The PP abstained from voting on the proposal to limit vehicle entry into Mallorca, presented by the PSOE at Tuesday's extraordinary plenary session of the Council of Mallorca – the PSIB had registered a bill in the Parliament. Interestingly, thethe socialists It consists of the same text that the president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, publicly presented on June 13, with the sole exception of a reference to the transfer of public transport powers, currently held by the Balearic Government, to the island institution. It also raises the possibility of financing sustainable mobility policies with an ecotax.

The Palma City Council has begun the eviction process offormer Palma prison And next week, the nearly 200 people who live there will be evicted. This was announced by the First Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Tourism, Culture, Sports, and Municipal Coordination, Javier Bonet. Starting this Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. and continuing until Friday, the Police Local authorities, in conjunction with social services, will begin monitoring access to the facilities to identify its residents and compile an updated census. Anyone who fails to identify themselves at the access checkpoint will not be listed as a resident of the former prison and, starting Friday, will not be allowed to re-enter. On February 27, those previously identified will be notified that they must vacate the premises and will be given five days to submit any objections. Once the objection period ends, they will be given four days to leave the premises. "In the event of resistance, we will seek authorization from the courts," Bonet emphasized.

The Memory of Mallorca Association has been working for years to demolish the Francoist monument of Feixina that honors those "fallen" on the cruiser BalearicsThe organization has exhausted all legal avenues in its fight, and in October 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of protecting the monolith and ordered the organization to pay €3,223.71 to cover legal costs. The Association must pay this amount soon but lacks the necessary funds. Therefore, it is appealing for help and has launched a fundraising campaign to solicit voluntary contributions and raise the money it owes. The organization expressed in a statement its "profound disagreement with the judicial protection of a fascist monument inaugurated by the dictator Franco, which continues to occupy a public and democratic space." The president of Memoria de Mallorca, Maria Antònia Oliver, stated that "it is a disgrace that a democratic society condemns an organization for trying to keep a space free of Francoist symbols."

The Consell will allocate €1.2 million to install 250 cameras in Mallorca (125 license plate readers and 125 surveillance cameras) with the aim of obtaining more data on the origin and type of cars before limiting the number of vehicles on the island. This comes after having already paid a load study which was presented in October 2024 and which states that almost 400,000 vehicles entered Mallorca in 2023. The island councilor for Territory, Mobility and Infrastructure, Fernando Rubio, has justified that the data extracted will allow "a much more detailed load study, with data, and will reassure the sector of It's expensive. who has requested it and it's understandable that they want more specific data."

"We must put restraint on the table. Now is the time to stop. It's time to set limits." These were the words of the president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, in May 2024 at the press conference where he announced that the island institution would reduce the number of tourist accommodations in Mallorca. The announcement made it clear that the Popular Party admitted the island was saturated and, moreover, it perfectly aligned with the flagship measure that the president still intends to implement, despite being stalled: limiting the entry of vehicles. "The goal is to feel visited, not invaded," proclaimed the former island councilor for Tourism, Marcial Rodríguez, to reinforce Galmés's idea. With just over a year left in his term, the president has still not implemented any measures against saturation. In fact, Galmés's strategy against saturation is clear: make grand announcements while opening new markets to attract more visitors to Mallorca. The Balearic Islands are projected to receive over 19 million tourists in 2025, 13.55 million of whom will visit Mallorca. In this context, the Consell (Island Council) has signed agreements for new routes with airlines such as Etihad, which will operate three weekly direct flights from Palma between Mallorca and Abu Dhabi starting in June. In fact, the capital of the United Arab Emirates is a crucial connection point to Asia. Currently, connecting the Balearic Islands with the Asian continent requires a layover in Frankfurt. "Some people prefer to pay for a direct flight," says Pedro Fiol, president of the Balearic Islands Business Association of Travel Agencies (Aviba).

The death of a man in Palma The incident of a man being subdued with a Taser has sparked debate about the health risks associated with these weapons and when they should be used. It also raises a question related to the same event: Can a Taser kill someone? "Yes, but it's extremely rare. Most exposures are not fatal, although they are never completely risk-free," says public health expert Juan Carlos March, explaining that a Taser "is designed for self-defense, not as a tool for killing." However, March warns that a Taser discharge can be "very dangerous and can even cause death" in people with heart conditions, low muscle mass, the influence of drugs, or who are pregnant.

The three shipping companies The companies that handle freight, passenger, and vehicle traffic in the Balearic Islands (Trasmed, Baleària, and GNV) believe that vehicle restrictions in Mallorca should be implemented "based on rigor, data, and dialogue," according to Baleària's president, Alfonso Utor, who spoke on Thursday after meeting with the Consell de Mallorca (Mallorca Council). He added that the three companies are fully and completely willing to collaborate with the island institution to "find solutions to the island's traffic congestion problems." "We are ready to collaborate with public officials in any way they request," he emphasized.

The future law of the Tramuntana mountain range The draft legislation, currently in the public consultation phase, will prioritize administrative simplification "to prevent protection from becoming an obstacle to land management" and will allow "the development of complementary activities compatible with conservation." This was announced by the island council's governing team at the presentation of the draft legislation on Wednesday. The president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, explained that the text "avoids prohibitions and is based on collaboration, administrative simplification, and sustainable economic development."

The veterinarians of the Balearic Islands They continue to demand changes to the new regulations governing prescription medications. Despite the modifications made by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, almost a year after the regulations came into effect, the Official College of Veterinarians of the Balearic Islands (COVIB) believes they are "not enough" and that "work must continue to fully adapt the law to the realities of clinical practice." Therefore, COVIB will support the demonstration called for this Wednesday in Madrid by the Veterinary Professional Organization (OCV) to highlight the ongoing discontent within the sector. Attendees will demand a real reduction in the bureaucratic burden of the system that controls veterinary antibiotic prescriptions (Presvet), greater flexibility in the use of antimicrobials based on clinical criteria, and a review of the medication transfer mechanism, among other demands.

Marga Prohens announced on Monday the Balearic Islands Marine Conservation Plan, committing to increase tenfold the area of ​​high protection in waters under regional jurisdiction, reaching 500 square kilometers by 2027, specifically within Cabrera National Park, and up to 600 square kilometers by 2030. The president noted that before the reformulation promoted by the central government, the area was known as the Toro and Les Malgrats Island Marine Reserves. The government reduced the total area of ​​the reserve but increased the previously planned high protection zone. "We lost in quantity, but gained in quality," acknowledged sources involved in drafting the Plan. They also consider Prohens' intention "good," although they admit that "the government's general policy has been to reduce marine protection."

Upon hearing the word 'mafias', Joana (a fictitious name), a woman who lives in the old prison of Palma For almost four years now, her face has been a mess. She gets nervous and says she knows nothing. "Here, to live well, you have to be like a monkey: see, hear, and keep quiet." She repeats it over and over: "My health isn't good, I never leave my house; I don't see anything and I don't know anything." She's afraid. In fact, she agrees to tell her story in a bar, far from the prison, so that no one will know—or sense—that she's talking about this with anyone.

The president of the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) stated in Thursday's plenary session of the Consell de Mallorca that "the vast majority of homeless They don't want IMAS services because they're not charity; things have changed, and compliance with regulations, schedules, and an individualized care plan is now required." Along the same lines, he emphasized that "IMAS isn't a hotel." Sánchez also referred to the Mobile Emergency Units (UME) that provide services to people living on the streets, saying they "have difficulty getting the homeless to leave the settlements because they don't want to comply with regulations." Furthermore, he pointed out that homelessness "isn't a reality unique to Palma; it occurs in all major European cities and is one of the great challenges of modern societies."

The Consell de Mallorca will not reduce the number of tourist accommodation places on Mallorca during this legislative term, as the island institution's governing team had repeatedly promised. "We do not consider a formal reduction of the capacity ceiling through the Tourist Area Intervention Plan (PIAT) to be urgent because the Government's containment decree prevents growth in accommodation places and orients the model towards quality and order," stated the Island Councillor for Tourism, Guillem Ginard. Thus, the promise made by the president of the island institution, Llorenç Galmés, in July 2024 – who assured that would reduce the number of tourist accommodations from 430,000 to 412,000 – would be unfulfilled.

To create part of Palma's future botanical garden, the PP in Palma City Council will have to remove the people who currently reside in the Parc de les ViesHowever, the Popular Party spokesperson in the Consell de Mallorca, Núria Riera, assured the island institution this Thursday during its plenary session that the residents of the area "will have their solution." The Consell approved this Thursday the free transfer of the 13,005-square-meter plot of land located between the Ma-20 road, the Inca-bound lane of the Ma-23 road, the Palma-Manacor railway line, and the Na Bàrbara stream to the Palma City Council for the development of the Ciutat Botanical Garden project, which is being completed. Retreat Houses of Bellver Castle, which will have 31,543 square meters.

"In five years there won't be a single one left dryland almond treeIn the Balearic Islands, according to the head of the Agricultural Service, Andreu Juan, in his appearance before the Parliament's Climate Change Commission on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries this Wednesday, only 7,000 remain, a figure that demonstrates that this crop is currently "in short supply." This tree was traditionally cultivated in the Balearic Islands because it withstood drought, the Mediterranean climate, and did not require high maintenance costs. However, more work and care of the land is needed to obtain results.XylellaA bacterium that clogs the vessels through which sap circulates. This prevents water and nutrients from reaching the leaves, leading to a loss of production and even the death of the tree.

Cort wants to evict approximately 170 people who live in They are a gift (El Molinar) some land near Son Bordoy, where Pryconsa is slated to build a 750-unit housing development, a project mired in controversy. The latest involves notices sent to families living in the area ordering them to vacate their homes. Residents of Son Regalo are not affected by the construction of the new development, nor by the roadworks the Palma City Council plans to undertake to access it. In Son Bordoy, which is currently owned by the development company, only about 30 people, including children, live there without legal status, according to sources familiar with the case who spoke to ARA Baleares.

The governing coalition of the Consell de Mallorca, made up of the PP and Vox parties, is beginning to take steps to fulfill one of its major electoral promises: to allow the hunt on public estates. This Tuesday, the island council conducted a pilot test on the Tossals Verds and Son Fortuny estates with the aim of "evaluating the recovery of hunting activity in these areas," as explained by the council in a statement. The island council assured that "no incidents related to the public use of the estates were detected, and it has been demonstrated that hunting is fully compatible with hiking and other recreational uses." For his part, the vice president of the island council and also the councilor for the Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports, Pedro Bestard, emphasized that the pilot test "seeks to reintegrate land management with activities that have been part of the rural reality of the estates." He insisted that the initiative "has reflected the successful coexistence between hunting and other recreational uses."