The Balearic government has confirmed that the planned subsidised homes in the district of Can Escandell in Eivissa are to be allocated to people who have been registered as resident on the island for at least five years. Government spokesperson Antoni Costa referred on 18 September, after the Consell de Govern meeting, to the legal basis in Balearic housing legislation, which allows such a residence requirement under certain forms of protection.
The regional government’s proposal conflicts with recent statements by Spain’s housing minister Isabel Rodríguez. During a visit to Eivissa on 17 September, she said it should be sufficient to be registered in the municipal register (padrón) when signing the contract; no priority for applicants already living locally was envisaged. The statement immediately drew criticism on the island. Representatives of the Partido Popular and Vox on Eivissa called for allocation to be clearly reserved for residents with longer-standing ties, given the pressure on the housing market.
Specifically, this concerns a large-scale new-build project in Can Escandell, with around 532 homes planned in the price-controlled segment. The project is being implemented jointly by state bodies and the regional government; at regional level, the housing provider IBAVI is involved. According to the Govern, the specific allocation criteria and deadlines are now to be agreed and formally set by the Ministerio de Vivienda, the Govern de les Illes Balears, the Consell d’Eivissa and the Ayuntamiento de Eivissa and other parties.
Costa justified the five-year rule by pointing to the particular pressures on the Pityuses and described it as a necessary measure to safeguard local housing provision. He also made clear that regional rules would have to be applied within the framework of applicable Spanish and European law. In practice, the details will depend on how responsibilities for allocating public housing are divided between the state and the autonomous region.
The dispute highlights a fundamental tension: while Madrid seeks to standardise access by opening it up more broadly, Palma de Mallorca is pressing for regionally based criteria that give priority to residents of Eivissa. The timetable for tenders and allocations has not yet been set. The administrations involved agree that the allocation rules should be transparent and published before the process begins.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).