SPAIN - Economy
President, Consell de Mallorca
Bio
Llorenç Galmés Verger was born in Santanyí on September 28, 1983. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of the Balearic Islands and a postgraduate degree as a University Specialist in Urban Planning Law and Territorial Planning from the same institution (2007-2008 academic year). He served as the mayor of Santanyí from 2013 to 2019, after previously holding the position of first deputy mayor and acting as the councilor for Economy and Finance, Interior, Public Administration, Public Works and Urban Planning, and General Services. In 2008, he was elected regional president of Noves Generacions of the Partido Popular of the Balearic Islands, a role he held until 2012. Between 2011 and 2015, Galmés served as a regional deputy in the Parliament of the Balearic Islands. During this time, he was a member of the Economic and Budget Committee, the Health Committee, and the Oversight Committee for the Public Broadcasting Service of the Balearic Islands. In the previous legislative session, he was the spokesperson for the Partido Popular in the island institution. Since 2021, he has served as the president of the Partido Popular of Mallorca. His political career has always been closely linked to social activities. A passionate musician, Galmés is a member of the Santanyí Municipal Band and has contributed to numerous charitable projects.
Tourism is our main economic industry in Mallorca, and it has contributed to significant growth and improvement in the quality of life in our region. However, we understand that if we want to continue being pioneers and an international benchmark, we must now focus on people at the center of our policies. We do this by improving social and environmental coexistence. We are committed to fighting against illegal accommodations, which harm the Mallorca brand and unfairly compete with legal businesses and individuals. We are also focusing on increasing value rather than volume. As part of this effort, we are working on reducing the maximum number of tourist accommodations in Mallorca from 430,000 to 412,000. Additionally, we are in the process of redefining the Mallorca brand because we want to position it as a higher-quality tourist destination, promoting added value beyond just sun and beach tourism. It is a privilege to live here in the Mediterranean. Therefore, we are prioritizing social and environmental coexistence in all our efforts.
Our growth forecast for 2025 is around 2.5%. We are satisfied with the fact that the service sector is the main economic driver of Mallorca. We are actively working on diversifying services across various strategic sectors, such as aeronautics, water management technologies, and, through Next Generation EU funds, we are aiming to strengthen the audiovisual sector. Renewable energy is another area with significant growth potential, not just globally, but particularly for us here in Mallorca. As an island with limited space and resources, separated by the sea, we face unique challenges in generating renewable energy. That is why we are keen to focus on this area, using the opportunities presented by the Next Generation funds from the EU to advance in this line of work.
One key element is the restoration of our historical and cultural heritage. In the past, what was primarily sold here was the sun and beaches; however, now we want to emphasize other aspects, especially in central Mallorca, to help boost the economies of towns across the island. These heritage funds allow us to define our tourism model and improve economic activity while maintaining our position as pioneers in the global tourism industry. Our goals are to achieve sustainable development for our destination, ensuring it contributes to balanced rural development, creating more job opportunities, and most importantly, improving the quality of life for residents. We have already seen economic growth in towns that previously did not receive many tourists. This growth has revitalized traditional establishments, many of which have been able to adapt to the modern realities we face. Additionally, we have witnessed the establishment of new brands in these areas, further boosting the local economy.
We are working on ensuring legal security because we cannot afford to have regulations changing every few months. What we aim to offer from the institutions is legal certainty. Additionally, we are focusing on administrative efficiency. It cannot take four to five years for an investor to secure the necessary permits to develop their business, as this has often led to investments being diverted to other international destinations. We also want to promote tax benefits. We have our own system in place, offering support to both investors and companies developing in Mallorca. Moreover, we want to strengthen Mallorca’s connectivity. Within Europe, we practically have year-round flights to almost any destination. With new direct flights to Asia and North America, this proximity adds a significant value, a plus for anyone looking to invest in Mallorca.
We are committed to developing an even higher quality of life than we currently enjoy. We want to improve the coexistence between residents and tourists, and we also want to encourage international investments that contribute to this economic development. From the administration’s side, we need to lay the groundwork to ensure that investments here are not only profitable, but also attractive for people from anywhere in the world to choose Mallorca. We are working to streamline all administrative processes related to investments through the Consell de Mallorca, ensuring there are no abrupt regulatory changes, that investors know what to expect, when, and how. It is true that we face challenges in terms of connectivity with the rest of Europe, especially when it comes to the movement of goods or maintaining certain business costs. However, both the Consell de Mallorca and the Government of the Balearic Islands are advocating before Madrid for more fiscal advantages to offset these disadvantages. We can look to the Canary Islands, which benefit from a special status under the EU’s classification as ultra-peripheral regions, which grants them certain economic aids. Unfortunately, we do not have that same classification here in Mallorca, and we believe that Spain’s government should support us with more economic aid to make us competitive in terms of investment in our land.
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