The Consell Insular de Ibiza is working against the clock to bring to the February plenary session the proposal of quotas and begin to apply, from June, the Law 5/2024 to establish a “control of the influx of vehicles on the island of Ibiza for tourism sustainability”, approved on November 11 in the Parliament.
This regulation, in its general limitations, states that “the entry and / or stay on the island of Ibiza of all types of motor vehicles, including parking, is prohibited during the period of the year determined by the Plenary of the Consell Insular de Ibiza or entity to which its powers may be delegated for the purpose of ordering tourist flows. Prior to the agreement of the Plenary, the town councils of the island as well as the Consell de Formentera will be given a hearing”.
The details of the regulation that will begin to be applied this summer must be published in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB) “at least three months before the ban comes into force“.
Therefore, the deadline is February plenary session in order to be able to start applying the first limitations as of June 1, as agreed and as established by law.
Motorhomes at the top of the list
While the computer details are being finalized between the shipping companies and the Consell de Ibiza to transmit data digitally and instantly on passengers and vehicles boarding each boat, it is clear that its implementation will be progressive. The motorhome section will be one of the first to be implemented: fines will start to be applied from June 1st.
This has been confirmed by the Consell to La Voz de Ibiza. This includes the hundreds -if not thousands- of caravans and motorhomes that are on the island and serve as housing for workers.
“If they do not have a regulated place to camp, they will be sanctioned as the law says,” they said. According to them, the Consell does not have an estimate of the number of this type of vehicles.
The fines will be paid by the Transport inspectors, Guardia Civil and Local Police. Meanwhile, in rustic land the competence is the responsibility of the Consell, while in urban areas it is the responsibility of the municipalities.
“A problem.”
The regulation, approved in Parliament with the majority consensus of almost all majority consensus of almost all political parties, with the exception of with the exception of Vox, takes caravans and motorhomes as a problem.
Article 4 of the law establishes that, “given the problems caused by caravans and motorhomes on the island of Eivissa, the Plenary of the Consell Insular de Eivissa or the body to which its powers are delegated, when setting a quota for this type of vehicle, may also establish the obligation to have to prove that they have a prior reservation in a tourist camp on the island for their parking and overnight stay“.
In addition, in order to “avoid the proliferation of motor vehicles parked in certain places for long periods of time and which are used, in practice, for camping and overnight stays”, it prohibits the prolonged parking “of motor vehicles on the island’s rural land outside of the existing public parking areas specially designated for this purpose”.
In this sense, it is considered prolonged parking “to remain parked in the same location for more than three days“.
On the other hand, it is prohibited to “camp and spend the night with motor vehicles on the rural land of the island of Eivissa outside the legally existing tourist camps” and “any type of parking of motor vehicles on the rural land of the island of Eivissa that do not have the accreditation of entry and / or stay on the island that regulates this law”.
Sanctions
In accordance with the provisions of Article 16 on administrative offenses, the penalties related to motorhome violations could be considered as minor.
In this case, fines range from 300 to 1,000 euros.
Authorized
According to the new platform launched by the Consell Insular de Ibiza to consult all regulated tourist accommodation, there are 5 campsites on the island, with 1,598 places available.
In addition, vehicles that do not have authorization according to the established quotas may be sanctioned for driving on the streets and roads of Ibiza. So, if as expected, the quota of motorhomes is very low or non-existent, the reality is that caravans and motorhomes will be banned in Ibiza unless they are owned by residents of Ibiza or have a reservation in one of the tourist campsites on the island.
