The Consell eliminates direct aid to the OCB and Jóvenes por la Lengua from the 2026 budget

During the processing of the 2025 budget for the island council, Vox had already stated its objective was to eliminate all funding for organizations that fight for the protection and promotion of the Catalan language. And it has succeeded. The Consell de Mallorca has eliminated the earmarked (direct) funding for the Obra Cultural Balear (OCB) and Jóvenes por la Llengua (Youth for the Language) for the first time in its history. This was a demand that Vox had repeatedly made to its governing partners since the beginning of the legislative term. In the first budget, the far-right party managed to get the People's Party to reduce... 25% of these grants benefit both entitiesIt's worth remembering that, after agreeing to this reduction, Vox voted against these subsidies, and the left, despite disagreeing with the cuts, saved the funding for both organizations that defend the Catalan language on two occasions. Thus, Jóvenes por la Llengua (Youth for the Language) went from receiving €60,000 and the OCB (Catalan Cultural Organization) €50,000 in 2023, to receiving €45,000 and €35,000, respectively, in 2024. The far-right spokesperson criticized the Council of Mallorca for both organizations and also for this type of subsidy. In fact, he accused his government partners of allowing...a linguistic apartheid"Seeing that the Popular Party was supporting these entities, I said, 'It's just as immoral for the PSOE to spend money on prostitutes and cocaine as it is for you to vote in favor of these subsidies,'" he said in a plenary session of the island institution that took place in July of this year.

Despite the fact that in July the First Vice President and Councilor for Culture and Heritage of the Consell (PP), Antònia Roca, asserted that both entities were "necessary" for our island, the Popular Party has yielded to pressure from Vox. For its part, the PP claimed that the elimination of earmarked subsidies from the 2026 budget is due to "technical issues." The PP's deputy spokesperson in the island institution, Bernat Vallori, assured that "all entities will receive aid" and insisted that "none will be left out," but justified the decision by stating that these direct subsidies should be open to competition. "The technicians say that earmarked subsidies should become open to competition, and applications can be submitted there," he emphasized.

The spokesperson for Jóvenes por la Llengua (Youth for Language), Josep Buades, explained to ARA Baleares that the elimination of this aid was unexpected. "It's a very old grant that has yielded very fruitful results." They also denounced that "every time the PP needs something (budgets, among other things), the first thing they sell is the language." Along the same lines, they warned that "the far right can't be blamed alone because it's the PP that decides what to do." This organization has a meeting scheduled with the island institution's Department of Culture "shortly." For their part, sources from the OCB explained to ARA Baleares that they are surprised by this termination of a long-standing grant and stated that they await the institution's justifications for the decision.

2026 Budget

The 2026 budget for the Consell de Mallorca amounts to 761.7 million euros, a figure that represents a 10% increase compared to the previous year. The president of the Consell de Mallorca highlighted the significant allocation for Social Welfare, which, he stated, will receive six out of every ten euros of the budget, reaching 426 million euros, 9% more than in the previous fiscal year. Territory, Mobility, and Infrastructure will be the second largest recipient, with a total of 133.8 million euros, which will be used to begin construction on the first section of Palma's second ring road. The largest percentage increases have occurred in the Tourism department, with 20.6 million euros – almost 52% more thanks to funds from the sustainable tourism tax –; followed by the Environment department, with 54 million euros – a 39% increase –; The Treasury, with 81.1 million euros – an 18% increase – and Culture, with 39.5 million euros – a 13% increase. On another note, the president highlighted that there will be a specific allocation for the center for unaccompanied migrant minors planned to open in Son Tous.

What does the opposition say?

The PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) believes that the president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, has switched to the far-right wing of Vox and become the "co-pilot" of the vice president and island councilor for the Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports, Pedro Bestard. The PSIB spokesperson in the island institution, Catalina Cladera, stated that these public accounts represent an "attack" on the Catalan language because they have eliminated the nominal subsidies for the Balearic Cultural Association (OCB) and Youth for the Language. "This is doing unprecedented damage to Balearic culture," she declared. Meanwhile, MÁS per Mallorca (More for Mallorca) has rejected the Council of Mallorca's 2026 budget and accused the president of the island institution of "paying a very high price to remain in office." This was stated by the spokesperson for the eco-sovereignists in the Consell, Catalina Inés Perelló, after the island's governing team presented the budget for next year. According to Perelló, the budget represents "a serious setback" in linguistic rights due to the elimination of earmarked funds for the OCB (Cultural Organization of the Balearic Islands) and Jóvenes por la Llengua (Youth for the Language).