The Balearic Islands are looking into ways to ban boat rentals for three months a year.

PalmThe Catalan government has reiterated its "outright" rejection of the Spanish government's authorization of the tourist rental of private recreational boats for three months of the year and is studying "all legal and administrative avenues" to prevent its implementation in the Balearic Islands.

In a press release, the Ministry of the Sea and Water Cycle considered that this decision "compromises the sustainability" of the coastline, increases pressure on coastal areas, and "opens the door" to new speculative activities in "saturated waters."

The measure has been promoted by the Ministry of Transport and will come into effect this Wednesday through a resolution published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). However, the new dispatches cannot be processed until August 15, the date on which the Regulation for the Management of Maritime Navigation (RONM), currently under consideration, will come into effect. Government sources assured that they "respect the State's authority" to regulate the maritime sphere, but stressed that each territory has its own specificities and that the circumstances of the Balearic Islands must be taken into account. In this regard, they argued that the pressure on the Balearic coast is not comparable to that of other mainland territories.

The executive's position is also supported by the nautical sector's employers' associations and the islands' nautical clubs, who have expressed their "deep concern" and rejection of the measure promoted by the Ministry.

Thus, the Government has emphasized that it will not authorize this activity in the ports under its jurisdiction. Finally, they regretted that a decision "of this magnitude" and with implications for safety, environmental protection, and the tourism model has been taken "without dialogue" with the autonomous communities and "without adequately assessing" the effects on particularly sensitive territories like the Balearic Islands.