By Andrew Ede

Copyright majorcadailybulletin

In early September, the Balearic Government approved a decree law for urgent measures to accelerate strategic projects in the region. In broad outline, these were measures to attract high value-added investments, to promote economic diversification, and to create stable, quality employment.

The decree law had to be taken to the Balearic Parliament for ratification. On Tuesday, the government was defeated. The motion to approve the decree didn’t receive the backing of opposition parties, which could have been expected, but nor did it get the support of Vox, the party on which the Partido Popular government relies, given that it has a minority.

This was the first time that Vox had voted against a decree law of this kind. Their justification for doing so once again had to do with their insistence on the use of Castellano in education. An angry vice-president, Antoni Costa, told the house that Vox had registered a motion to do with language that “completely broke agreements”.

“We do not and will not accept blackmail. They told us either you accept what we say or we will vote against it. We conveyed to Vox our willingness to comply with all the agreements signed with them, but the reality is that this has not been enough. This government has had enough.”

The rejection of this decree was therefore unrelated to its content, but was linked to language demands which went far beyond what had been agreed. Costa argued that the decree was beneficial to the citizens of the Balearic Islands. “Those who voted against it should explain to the business community why they did so.”

Relations between the two parties have never been straightforward, with language in particular having been an issue on which they have had to iron out their discrepancies. They have managed to do so in the past, but with today’s vote, a question arises as to how much trust the PP can have in Vox going forward. Costa insisted that the government “will continue its roadmap, and others will have to decide whether to support it”. But will the government be able to continue with its roadmap?