During the debate on the motion regarding the Coastal Regulations in the Senate, Councillor Lafuente called for streamlining procedures and effective collaboration between administrations to resolve the problems of the island's citizens.

The Balearic Islands' Minister for the Sea and Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente, today demanded in the Senate a review of the current coastal management model so that the Balearic Islands can exercise real control over its coastline and ensure that the economic resources it generates benefit the region itself. Lafuente made this demand during his address to the General Commission of the Autonomous Communities, as part of the debate on the motion urging the Government to guarantee transparency, legal certainty, and institutional loyalty in the amendment of the General Coastal Regulations.

During his speech, the regional minister focused on the limitations of the current state model and defended the need to strengthen the decision-making power of the autonomous communities. In this regard, he pointed out that, in the case of the Balearic Islands, "we have powers on paper, but we don't have real control."

Along these lines, he recalled that the transfer of powers regarding coastal areas, formalized in 2023, "was an incomplete and underfunded transfer," which limits the autonomous community's capacity to effectively manage its coastline. One of the main examples is the fee for the public maritime-terrestrial domain: the Balearic Islands assume management, inspection, and processing, but the revenue—around 12 million euros annually—remains in the hands of the central government and does not benefit the islands. As he pointed out, "The Balearic Islands manage, inspect, and process, but the money doesn't stay here."

In this context, Lafuente denounced the lack of institutional coordination and pointed out that the Bilateral Commission has not been convened and that no Sectoral Conference on coastal issues has been held in three years, hindering progress on joint solutions and genuine co-governance. As stated in the motion debated in the Senate, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation mechanisms and guarantee the effective participation of the autonomous communities in decision-making.

The regional minister also warned that the central government has significantly increased fees for the maritime-terrestrial public domain, doubling or even tripling the amounts that users must pay, without this increase having a direct impact on the Balearic Islands. In this regard, he demanded that these resources be reinvested in the region to improve coastal management, boost investment, and provide better services to the public.

The regional minister also criticized the Ministry's lack of clarity regarding projects such as the ecological buoy fields and demanded that it provide details of its proposal. Lafuente denounced the constant changes in criteria and the lack of information on key aspects such as deadlines, funding, and the division of responsibilities, a situation that, in his opinion, "generates uncertainty and paralyzes management." Furthermore, he warned that this shift in approach makes it impossible for the projects to be operational this summer.

He also warned that dependence on the State in key decisions, such as concessions or boundary demarcations, causes administrative delays, legal uncertainty and limits the ability to respond to the needs of the Balearic coast.

During his speech, Lafuente emphasized the unique character of the islands' coastline and argued that state regulations must be adapted to the reality of each territory, from an environmental, economic, and social perspective.

The minister reiterated that the Government is committed to a balanced management that combines the protection of the natural environment with the maintenance of economic activities and traditional uses, and stressed the need to strengthen cooperation mechanisms between administrations from a constructive perspective.

Along the same lines, an amendment was also defended during the debate calling for an immediate moratorium on the maritime-terrestrial public domain demarcation procedures currently underway along the entire Spanish coast, until Congress processes the bill approved by the Senate to protect traditional coastal settlements with ethnographic value. The proposal seeks to suspend actions that could lead to reversions, demolitions, or limitations on the rights of affected citizens, with the aim of providing legal certainty and preventing irreversible damage.

Finally, Lafuente stressed the need to correct the current model and demanded that "the resources generated by our coast stay on our coast," for the benefit of its conservation, management, and development.