The announced reform of the Island Territorial Plan (PTI) will mark the first months of the year in Menorca, which faces 2026 with a dozen very important challenges and investments.

The regulations governing vehicle access to Formentera for next summer remain undefined. The Council of Entities concluded its meeting without reaching an agreement on the Formentera.eco project, after the majority of associations abstained from voting on the two proposals presented by the Ministry of Mobility. The options proposed a gradual reduction of the most polluting vehicles, the distribution of parking permits based on environmental criteria, and maintaining the limit on rental vehicles, already reduced by 16% between 2019 and 2023. They also included measures such as the creation of a specific permit for non-resident workers, public transport, and bicycles. The main difference between the proposals lies in the pace of implementation. Option A advocates for gradual changes and maintains the Category B category for older vehicles, while Option B plans to eliminate parking spaces without an environmental sticker sooner and phase out Category B within two years, while also promoting hybrid and ECO vehicles. In total, 36 associations participated: 21 abstained, nine supported option A, and six supported option B. Given the lack of consensus, the Formentera Council will now begin a dialogue process with social organizations, opposition groups, and the independent councilor to try to reach an agreement.

The Formentera Council has presented to the Council of Entities a multi-year proposal for the continuity and evolution of Formentera.eco, the initiative of the smaller Pitiusa island to regulate vehicle access during the summer. The proposal aims to gradually reduce the entry of the most polluting vehicles, distribute visitor quotas according to environmental criteria, and maintain the quota of rental vehicles, which have already decreased by 16% from 2019 to 2023This proposal is based on the technical reports submitted to evaluate the operation of the island's ecological initiative, which reveals that more than 74% of the vehicles circulating in Formentera this summer belonged to tourists. The reports confirm the effectiveness of the measures implemented through the Formentera.eco program and should serve as the basis for defining the multi-year proposal to regulate the entry and circulation of vehicles on the island for the period 2026-2029, Castelló explained. The Minister of Mobility and the Environment, Verónica Castelló, explained that they are also considering creating a specific quota for non-resident workers and consolidating a more efficient, organized, and sustainable mobility model, moving towards a seasonal Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and promoting the use of public transport and bicycles.

The Palma Local Police have arrested a 21-year-old man accused of damaging several vehicles parked on Aragó Street and seriously resisting arrest. The incident occurred early Wednesday morning, around 1:30 a.m., when a resident called the 092 emergency line to report that an individual was hitting cars parked on the street. A patrol was dispatched to the scene and located a man matching the description provided by the witness, who confirmed his involvement. During the identification process, the suspect became hostile and actively and aggressively resisted the police action, even hurling insults at the officers, who were forced to subdue him. Subsequently, the police located the owners of the damaged vehicles. A motorcycle sustained damage estimated at approximately €3,000, while a car had its rearview mirror broken.

Time is running out for Llorenç Galmés, the president of the Council of Mallorca. Only a year and a half remains in his term, and just one peak tourist season before the 2026 elections. It is at this point that his flagship proposal, limiting vehicle access to Mallorca, could gain greater visibility if implemented. However, this possibility is being complicated by the veto of Vox, with whom, despite the split in the Balearic Parliament, he continues to govern the island institution. Sources within the institution insist that they are still negotiating with the other groups to bring their proposal to the Parliament, but this process seems to be slowing down. Even so, the People's Party (PP) is not yet open to accepting the Socialist Party's (PSIB) offer to jointly approve the bill with the same objective that the Socialists have registered in the Parliament.

The PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) has registered a proposed law in the Balearic Parliament and the Council of Mallorca to regulate vehicle access and promote sustainable mobility on the island, citing the "inaction" of the island institution, according to a party statement. The initiative registered by the Socialists is the same text that the President of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, publicly presented on June 13th, about which nothing has been heard since, the statement notes. The Secretary General of the Socialist Federation of Mallorca, Amanda Fernández, has called for the swift processing of the legislation so that it can come into effect next summer. "We've gone three years without taking any action, and we have nothing six months after presenting the law. We don't know if it's due to incompetence or a desire not to upset certain interests," Fernández criticized. "The PP only talks about roads. They have again requested a meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss roads, with a list that they haven't even agreed upon with the other parties," said Catalina Cladera, spokesperson for the PSOE in the Consell de Mallorca.

Vehicle access restrictions to Formentor will begin on May 15th next year. This decision was reached on Wednesday by the Pollença Town Council and the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca) at a meeting where they agreed to extend the restriction until October 15th. Closing times will be set from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. "This change is due to the decrease in activity during the second half of October. The Pollença council requested that these two weeks be added to May, as the number of visitors is higher then," sources from the Consell stated. Until last year, driving on the Formentor road was prohibited from June 1st to September 30th, and this year the restriction was extended until the end of October. As in previous years, access to Formentor will only be permitted by public transport, on foot, or by bicycle. This meeting consolidates two levels of restrictions, allowing only authorized vehicles, public transport, emergency services, and bicycles to circulate. The first level begins at the port of Pollença and extends to Formentor beach. The second level runs from Formentor beach to the lighthouse.

Freedom and abuse: these are two of the words used by witnesses who have spoken about their relationship with cars. The Balearic Islands have approximately one vehicle for each of their 1,231,768 inhabitants (cars, motorcycles, vans, etc.), a ratio that reaches 1.1 in Mallorca. The authorities are pushing to limit the entry of rental vehicles, but experts are calling for bolder action: without measures that affect residents and, therefore, the votes that political parties will receive in elections, there will be no real change.

The shipping companyBaleariahas filed a lawsuit against the Ibiza Council's March 28th resolution on the Law on Vehicle Traffic Control on the island and has requested the annulment of the restriction. In the document, the shipping company asks the judge to raise a question of constitutionality, considering that this regulation "violates the fundamental rights of equality and mobility."

Although 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.

The Ibiza Council has imposed the first two sanctions on a caravan for being parked on rural land and not having theauthorization to access the islandAccording to details, the fines could total up to 40,000 euros.