The Balearic Islands regional budgets for 2025 contemplate an investment of 450,000 euros for the creation of two new units: the Investment Accelerator Unit, with a budget of 250,000 euros, and the Administrative Simplification Unit, which will have 200,000 euros. This was announced by the Councilor for Economy, Finance and Innovation, Antoni Costa, during his appearance before the Finance and Budget Commission to present the accounts of his Conselleria for next year.
Opposition asks for specifics on new units
During the session, the opposition parties have demanded more details on the operation of these new structures. The deputy of Vox, Patricia de las Heras, asked about the procedure to be used to audit the administrative simplification and the method of action of the Accelerator Unit. Costa explained that this unit aims to speed up strategic projects by assigning specific resources so that certain projects receive preferential processing. For his part, the socialist deputy Carles Bona has shown his skepticism about the effectiveness of this measure, recalling that it had been previously raised without success. In response, Costa has assured that these units will be managed by the Directorate General of European Funds, which will also include the supervision of Strategic Projects and Administrative Simplification.
Main items of the new budgets
The total budget of the Regional Ministry of Economy, Finance and Innovation amounts to 88.1 million euros, an increase of 16.3% over the previous year. The increases in spending include 27.6 million euros in personnel, affected in part by a court ruling that requires compensation for the salary freeze in 2020 and 2021. Among the most outstanding projects, Costa announced the upcoming publication of the Balearic Islands Strategic Investment Framework (Meiib), a framework that will guide strategic investments and will be accompanied by an investment impact assessment plan endowed with 80,000 euros.
Reduction of public debt and new economic studies
The public debt budget will be reduced by 6.2% due to the early repayment of more than 450 million euros in 2023-2024. Opinion surveys will also be carried out with an investment of one million euros to ascertain citizens’ perceptions on key issues such as housing, tourism and immigration. At the same time, a study will be carried out on the de minimis regulation with an 80,000 euro allocation, with the aim of improving the competitiveness of local companies compared to those on the mainland.
Digital modernization and bridging the wage gap
The Tax Agency of the Balearic Islands (ATIB), with a budget of 16.5 million euros, will implement a system that will allow the payment of taxes in installments throughout the year. In the field of digitalization, the Conselleria will allocate 16 million euros to develop a new contracting platform and 10 million euros to the cybersecurity plan. In addition, 5 million euros will be allocated to reduce the digital divide through free training in basic skills for 22,465 elderly people. In the section of investments for innovation and digital transformation, the Conselleria has budgeted 12.5 million euros to start the digital twin project of the Balearic Islands, with which the territory will be monitored in areas such as environment, emergencies and tourism.
Investments in infrastructure and support for SMEs
The insularity factor will contribute 3.5 million euros to the new Centro Bit in Ibiza and 2.1 million euros to improvements in the Parc Bit in Palma and the Centro Bit in Menorca. In addition, the Directorate General of the Treasury will support SMEs with aid for the cost of the ISBA, SGR guarantee.
Decrease in funds for Island Councils
Finally, the opposition has criticized that the island councils will receive less funds next year due to the tax cut promoted by the Govern. The deputies of MÉS per Mallorca and Més per Menorca regretted this reduction and requested compensatory measures for the budgets of these institutions.
