The Balearic Government has urged the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to pay in the first quarter of 2025 the 63 million euros e armarked for the free public transport in the archipelago. in the archipelago. This has been expressed by the spokesman of the autonomic executive, Antoni Costa, at the press conference after the Consell de Govern, where he criticized the delays in the transfer of funds.
Costa has pointed out that, although the central government included this item in the economic memory of the Royal Decree-Law 9/2024, approved last December 23, so far it has not been officially confirmed that the Balearic Islands will receive this amount.“We ask that they do not wait a year and that they proceed to the payment as soon as possible,” he insisted.
Pressure on public transportation
The spokesman has argued that the operating costs of the Municipal Transport Company of Palma (EMT), which bears much of the demand, reached 19 million euros in 2024. According to Costa, the delay in payments could compromise the sustainability of the service. In parallel, the Govern continues to demand that the updates of the advances on account received by the autonomous communities are decoupled from the approval of the General State Budget (PGE), thus allowing a more agile management of resources. “They are not a gift from Sánchez, but taxes paid by the citizens of the Balearic Islands,” Costa stressed.
Position of the PP on the omnibus decree
When asked about the PP ‘s support for the Government’s new omnibus decree, Costa defended the party’s position, describing it as a “responsible decision in favor of the interests of the Spanish people”. However, he has avoided assessing in detail the content of the decree and its implications for the Balearic Islands. The Govern maintains the pressure so that the funds arrive as soon as possible, with the objective of avoiding financial problems in the public transport system of the islands and to guarantee the continuity of the gratuity for the users.
