The Congress of Deputies has approved this Tuesday, at the request of VOX, a proposal to extend the 75% discount on air and sea transport to non-residents who, for family reasons, must travel to island territories such as Ibiza and Formentera. The measure would benefit non-custodial parents, minors and relatives of dependents residing in the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.
An initiative driven from the Balearic Islands
The non-legislative proposal was defended by the national deputy of VOX for the Balearic Islands, Jorge Campos, who celebrated its approval in the Commission of Territorial Policy. According to the deputy, the measure aims to “guarantee family ties” and prevent transport costs from being an obstacle for parents and children separated for judicial reasons. “Families cannot continue to be victims of legislation designed with their backs turned to their reality,” said Campos.
VOX stresses that this is a correction of the current system, which penalizes those who, for example, live on the mainland but must visit their children in Ibiza, or care for dependent relatives on the island. The new regime would seek to equalize rights and “eliminate inequalities resulting from complex family situations“.
Who will benefit?
The initiative, which urges the government to modify the current regulations, contemplates three main cases:
-
Non-custodial parents or parents with shared custody who have to travel to Ibiza to exercise their visitation regime.
-
Unemancipated minors who must travel from outside the islands to visit their resident parent.
-
People with ascendants in a situation of dependency who reside in Ibiza or in the rest of the extrapeninsular territories.
Accusations against the PSOE for voting against
Campos harshly criticized the Balearic PSOE, especially the deputies Pepe Mercadal and Milena Herrera, for voting against a proposal that “directly benefits thousands of families in the islands“. VOX described this attitude as “hypocritical” and denounced that “the PSOE of Armengol shows its paw against the resident discount“, even accusing the Government of proposing that the payment of the discount falls on the autonomous communities.
