Between 2,000 and 3,000 homes: this was the figure of houses that the Lloguer Segur program was to provide solely in a first phase in the Balearic Islands, according to the Minister of Housing, Territory and Mobility, José Luis Mateo. The results at the end of April 2026 confirm the failure of this measure: the program has 76 homes in the Islands, a figure that, on average, represents 1.13 homes per municipality, 1,924 fewer apartments than the minimum of 2,000 that Mateo assured would be available.

The location from which the total solar eclipse of August 12 will be visible is beginning to be decided this week in the Balearic Islands. Between this Tuesday and Wednesday, citizens can check from which points they will have good visibility of the phenomenon in a test that will serve both to choose the observation site in advance and to create a map with recommended areas throughout the archipelago.

The location from which the total solar eclipse of August 12 can be seen is beginning to be decided this week in the Balearic Islands. Between this Tuesday and Wednesday, citizens can check from which points they will have good visibility of the phenomenon in a test that will serve both to choose the observation site in advance and to create a map with recommended areas throughout the archipelago.

The Balearic Government has increased the maximum property price threshold for eligibility for tax breaks under the Property Transfer Tax (ITP). With the publication this Tuesday in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands of the order issued by the First Vice President and Minister of Economy, Finance, and Innovation, Antoni Costa, the threshold of €270,151 has been raised by 40 percent in both Ibiza and Formentera, to €378,212, and by 14 percent in Mallorca. The change is retroactive to March 1st. The President of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens, announced this measure during the recent General Policy Debate, with the aim of facilitating access to first-time homeownership for those facing the greatest difficulties, as the Ministry recalled in a press release. Once the report from the Balearic Islands Housing Observatory on home purchase and sale values ​​in 2024 was completed, it was confirmed, using official and objective data, that these values ​​increased across a significant portion of the territory. To benefit a broader segment of the population, it was decided to increase the weighted values ​​by island, rather than by municipality, taking into account the transactions carried out in each municipality. This avoids situations of inequality between neighboring municipalities, as the average transaction value per municipality would have a smaller relative weight in the final result for each island.

The President of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens, warned this Saturday that population growth threatens the "identity" of the Islands, an assertion she made during the Balearic Islands Day celebrations, an institutional event where the Ramon Llull Awards and the community's gold medal were presented. "We have watched with nostalgia as the appearance of our cities and towns changed. As we have doubled our population during this time, a population growth that we have embraced as a challenge we cannot ignore, a pattern of unsustainable growth. Unsustainable for our territory, for our identity, and also for our people." But, several paragraphs later, Prohens affirmed that "the Balearic way of being" remains unchanged: "Today we also celebrate, precisely, that there is something that does not change, that there is something that remains unaltered. (...) Our way of being."

The Government approved on Friday the declaration of the expansion of the CEU Beato Luis Belda University, part of the San Pablo CEU University Foundation, as a Project of Special Strategic Interest (PEIE), with the incorporation of the plot located at 3 Son Serra Parera Street, known as the Son Serra Perera estate. This expansion, integrated into the university project that had already been declared a PEIE on September 25, 2025, is designed to complete the campus with new institutional spaces and facilities for teaching and research. The Son Serra Perera estate, acquired on February 5, 2026, by the San Pablo CEU University Foundation, will house administrative and faculty offices, a library, an exhibition and conference hall, and outdoor spaces for students, as explained at a press conference by the Government spokesperson. With the PEIE declaration and in accordance with Decree Law 8/2025, the primary use of the plot will automatically become educational.

The Government has once again extended an olive branch to Vox to advance initiatives in this new political year, which it faces with "absolute tranquility," despite having extended the budget. "Neither the Government nor the PP will obstruct negotiations with Vox," stressed the Executive spokesperson, Toni Costa, at the press conference following the Cabinet meeting, as reported by Europa Press. The Minister of Economy, Finance, and Innovation also noted that Vox is the PP's natural partner and that, consequently, negotiations with this group will continue. Costa also maintained that the budget extension does not imply any parliamentary gridlock and expressed his confidence in approving the upcoming initiatives in Parliament "with considerable consensus." Regarding the tax deduction that the Government announced to prevent rent increases, the spokesperson indicated that negotiations are underway with Vox on an amendment to include it in the draft law for accelerating strategic projects, which is expected to be processed in the second half of February.

Without access to the list of 540 proposals currently being considered by the Pact for Sustainability. This is the situation the PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) found itself in after requesting information from the Government through a written question to the Parliament. The Ministry of Labor, Public Administration, and Social Dialogue, headed by Catalina Cabrer (pictured accompanying this text), informed Socialist MP Llorenç Pou that he would not receive the initiatives submitted in this process, which the Executive has always emphasized as participatory. One of the arguments the Government uses to deny the information is that the PSIB "has been invited at all times" to participate in the Pact, of which it is not a member, and also justifies blocking the proposals based on data protection law. However, Pou only requested access to the proposals themselves, not authorship – which he did request in a previous question, for which he also received no response from the Government. The website for the Pact for Sustainability also provides no information on the initiatives – this page hasn't been updated for months – and, according to ARA Baleares, the entities that are part of the Pact for Sustainability also have no concrete proposals. The only explanation the Government has given is that, out of 540, 102 had already been addressed, without further details.

The Balearic PP has praised the tourism containment and deseasonalization strategy, which has achieved "a change in trend" regarding tourist arrivals to the Islands. PP deputy María Salomé Cabrera highlighted that tourist arrivals increased by 0.7% in peak season, while in the mid and low seasons they increased by 7.1%. However, Cabrera failed to mention that the Islands have once again shattered the visitor record in 2025, with almost 19 million tourists – the total for 2024 was reached in November. "The policies promoted by the PP government, with zero growth in hotel capacity and the positioning of the Islands as a cultural tourism destination, are succeeding in containing the influx during the summer months, redirecting peak periods towards the mid and low season months, and lengthening and deseasonalizing the season," Cabrera emphasized. "Faced with those who spoke of degrowth but authorized 115,000 new tourist accommodation places and allowed the illegal supply to grow unchecked, the Government has changed the course of tourism to our islands towards restraint, reducing seasonality, and a more sustainable tourism model that respects residents," he added.

The Balearic Islands' institutional representatives have arrived at the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) in Madrid with the mission of demonstrating that the Islands are a sustainable destination and that the shift in the tourism model is already a reality, despite the fact that the record for all of 2024, with 18.7 million visitors, had already been reached in November 2025 – a figure not yet reached. "Prohens reaffirms at Fitur the change in the tourism model promoted by the Government, based on containing tourist flows, social and economic sustainability, innovation, and reducing seasonality": this is the headline of the press release published by the Government this Wednesday, following President Marga Prohens's speech at the Balearic Islands stand. Prohens indicated that the beach occupancy monitoring application will be launched in the second quarter of this year – the system will also report water temperature and the flag flying on the coast. Beyond providing information, the app will not impose any real capacity limits on beaches, other than residents and tourists deciding whether or not to go. Prohens explained that sensors will be installed on "hundreds of beaches" and the information will be made public on a web platform, according to Europa Press. This is the second time the Government has announced beach monitoring, after assuring in April 2024 that a pilot program would be launched. The cost of this system will be four million euros over two years.

The Balearic Islands have not received any of the 803 unaccompanied migrant children who have been transferred from the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla to other autonomous communities in the last seven months, since the reform of the Immigration Law. Although the Spanish government included The Islands are among the regions likely to receive migrant children. of the Canary Islands and the autonomous cities, The Executive refused, He appealed to the courts and argued that his guardianship capacity had been exceeded. Sources from the Balearic Government and the Council of Mallorca have indicated to the EFE news agency that none of the displaced minors have arrived in the Balearic Islands.

The Ministry of Business, Self-Employment, and Energy has informed the Governing Council of the voluntary resignation of the managing director of the Balearic Energy Institute (IBE), Hernando Rayo. Government spokesperson Antoni Costa explained at the press conference following the Governing Council meeting that the resignation follows the IBE's Board of Directors' agreement of January 2nd, proposed by the organization's president, and is in response to Rayo's voluntary resignation. According to current regulations, the appointment and dismissal of the managing director is the responsibility of the IBE's Board of Directors.

The Son Tous center has already been declared a project of special strategic interest by the Regional Government Council and is preparing to receive 64 unaccompanied migrant children, whose arrival date is still unknown. Government spokesperson Antoni Costa explained that a first-reception residential center will be established for vulnerable individuals, especially minors. The space, which will be transferred to the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS), will have four units for 16 minors, a care unit, and a nursing station to conduct the initial health assessment of the children and adolescents. The project affects an area of 1,835 square meters (building 26), with approximately 4,700 square meters of outdoor areas at the former Son Tous barracks. a property that the Ministry of Defense It was transferred to the Autonomous Community. The declaration of special strategic interest for the Autonomous Community was made to address the urgent need for adequate infrastructure to care for unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents arriving in Mallorca in vulnerable situations, Costa emphasized. This responsibility falls to the Council of Mallorca, through the IMAS (Mallorca Institute of Social Affairs).

The CCOO union in the Balearic Islands joined the criticism of the Balearic Government's Pact for Sustainability, lamenting the lack of "concrete objectives and pace," as highlighted by the union's general secretary in the Islands, José Luis García, and reported by Europa Press. In fact, the lack of objectives and plans for implementing measures have been two of the main reasons why civil society organizations no longer participate in the Pact. The Civil Society Forum, GOB, the Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Palma, EAPN, and OCB have all withdrawn from this initiative, which they also accuse of lacking transparency in its operation. CCOO has demanded that the Government begin acting "right now" with transformative policies. "We need the Pact to be real. CCOO will not play the role of a mere follower of any government," García warned in an appearance to assess the situation in 2025. The general secretary pointed out that the union perceives a lack of progress because "there are no clear objectives" to guide government action. Furthermore, García lamented that public policies are not aimed at solving citizens' problems. He also asserted that the union "will not be able to continue working" if "people's real problems are not addressed." Despite positive labor market figures, CCOO points out that "they are not enough to generate well-being" for the working class in the Balearic Islands. One of García's demands is that housing be placed at the heart of public policies and that efforts be made to address the gap between wages and purchasing power. After a 2025 without substantial answers to the problems faced by citizens, the general secretary predicts that precarious employment will persist in broad sectors of society in 2026. In addition to expanding the public housing stock, the union is calling for a crackdown on real estate speculation and a housing pact for the Canary Islands.

Although the reduction of the spending cap and the extension of the government's budget do not affect citizens' daily lives, political consequences do arise. At this point, Marga Prohens' minority government finds itself more isolated than ever: without the support of Vox, its preferred partner (as PP representatives have stated on numerous occasions), and without the possibility of negotiating with left-wing parties. The repercussions of the situation in the Canary Islands are being felt in Madrid, weeks before the snap elections in Extremadura (December 21), which the PP's María Guardiola called precisely because of the impossibility of passing the budget in her region.

The plenary session of the Catalan Parliament ended without surprises and rejected the government's spending cap, despite recent attempts to reach an agreement with Vox and despite the so-called in extremis The Minister of Economy, Antoni Costa, appealed to the "responsibility" of the members of parliament from all parties, ultimately accusing them of failing to help ensure that citizens "have the budget they deserve." With this setback from all groups in the Parliament, including the investiture partner, the Executive will be forced to extend the 2025 budget, a situation the PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) has described as a "blockade." In fact, the Socialist spokesperson, Iago Negueruela, demanded during the question period that President Marga Prohens call early elections. The plenary session served to once again stage the utter chaos between the PP (People's Party) and Vox, with constant recriminations and cross-accusations of "liars," to the point that at the end of the session, Manuel Cañadas displayed an image of Pinocchio during the speech by the PP's parliamentary spokesperson, Sebastià Sagre.

"The more we know, the better." This was the response of the Minister of the Presidency, Antònia Estarellas, to the demand from Vox's deputy spokesperson, Sergio Rodríguez, to know the nationality of those who commit crimes in the Balearic Islands. "We are in favor of transparency. The more data we have, the better we can redirect our lines of action," she added, also criticizing the Spanish government for the lack of information on the origin and circumstances of migrants arriving in the Islands. Rodríguez asserted that "a foreigner rapes five times more often than a Spaniard" and criticized the other parties in Parliament for wanting to address the situation "by lighting candles," referring to the event held on November 25th in memory of the victims of gender violence. The IBDona study

In this regard, the President of the Government of Navarre, Marga Prohens, announced that the IBDona (Institute for Gender Violence in Navarre) has been conducting a study—since March—on sexual assaults, collecting data on the age, nationality, place of residence, immigration and employment status, income, criminal record, and prior relationships with the victims of the perpetrators. Prohens was responding to a question from the Vox spokesperson, Manuela Cañadas, regarding the profile of sex offenders.

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The lack of a spending cap and budget was one of the main topics of discussion during Tuesday's parliamentary question time. The PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) criticized the government's deadlock, arguing that it will not pass the budget, despite Pedro Sánchez's administration not having approved a single budget this term and instead extending the previous one due to a lack of support from its coalition partners in Congress. The Socialist spokesperson, Iago Negueruela, called on the President of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens, to call early elections given this situation, while the President reminded the Parliament that Sánchez has no intention of doing so in Madrid. "The legislature will be blocked from today onward," Negueruela emphasized, adding that "social dialogue is stalled, 640 million euros [from the 2025 budget] remain unspent, announcements are being made to cover up the incompetence of the Housing Minister, and there will be no more budgets." The Socialist spokesperson criticized the fact that "major reforms" will enter into "an institutional deadlock" without the budget being passed, and reproached Prohens for "no longer having the will to negotiate" and for attending a Unified Police Union congress in Toledo just when the spending cap is due to be voted on in Parliament. "She has no ambition to govern, call elections, Ms. Prohens," he concluded.

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The Balearic Islands have faced a new threat in recent months that could add a deluge of industrial facilities, iron, and concrete to the already damaged rural landscape. To the haphazard development of villas and the solar farms that have been disfiguring the islands in recent years, another concept has now been added: lithium battery storage facilities that various developers, mainly investment funds and energy sector companies, are pushing across the region. According to data confirmed to ARA Baleares by the Balearic Government, 34 projects are already being processed, 18 of which are specifically planned for rural land, while the rest are planned for industrial or urban areas.

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