Mallorca joins Canaries bid to curb non-resident home sales

Mallorca’s housing problems take centre stage as Coalició per Mallorca joins forces with Coalición Canaria to press for limits on non-resident home buyers. The parties sealed their collaboration agreement in Tenerife on Friday, 18 September, with housing access, mobility and migration among the issues on the table.

Coalición Canaria’s David Toledo said the two island regions face the same pressures: population growth, difficulty finding a home and getting around. He said his party had set out work it is pursuing in Europe to allow restrictions on property purchases by people who do not live on the islands.

Toledo said there were two possible routes. One is through Europe, where some regions already have limits. The other would be through the Spanish state: Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo has proposed changing the local government law so mayors could impose restrictions on such sales.

Tolo Gili, secretary-general of Coalició per Mallorca, said the cost of living on an island creates shared challenges with the Canaries. His party has less political weight in Spain’s national government and in regional government, he said, making the new partnership important for pushing island concerns in Madrid and Europe.

Migration is another shared concern. Gili pointed to an established route from Algeria and said centres for minors were overstretched. He said the rights of the young people must come first, but called for more help from the Spanish government and other regions to provide the services they need.

The Tenerife meeting follows earlier contacts in Spain’s Congress of Deputies, including work meetings involving Coalición Canaria MP Cristina Valido. Both parties want the Canary and Balearic Islands to carry more weight in decisions on funding, housing, mobility, population pressure and the added costs of distance and island geography.

Topics: Tourism · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com