Political corruption and language debates
Gabriel Cañellas Fons (right) was the first president of the autonomous government of the Balearic Islands since the territory gained autonomy in 1983, but was forced to resign in 1995 after being re-elected several times. He was implicated in a vast corruption affair in which a large part of the political class was implicated. This was followed by a political alternation between the Socialist Party of Francesc Antich i Oliver and the Popular Party, until a new corruption scandal broke in 2010 (Palma Arena), this time involving left-wing leaders. The Socialist president had to divest himself of some of his support, but this was not enough to consolidate his position, and the right won the following year, the year in which the King of Spain's son-in-law Iñaki Urdangarin found himself compromised in a case of misappropriation of public funds, the Babel affair, derived from the Palma Arena affair.
In the years following the global systemic crisis of 2008, Spain was not spared economic devastation, and the Balearic Islands even less so. As employment in the Balearic Islands is highly seasonal, the situation worsens in winter, especially on the smaller islands. As in all tourist destinations, the Balearic Islands are characterized by a work rhythm based on the arrival of tourists, especially on Ibiza and Formentera. Majorca and Menorca stand out for their greater industrial and agricultural activity. As for the job market, after going through a difficult period like the rest of Spain and much of Europe, unemployment figures have only improved. However, these figures should be treated with caution, as jobs are much more plentiful during the summer months.
This economic problem was soon compounded by the reform of the education system: José Ramón Bauzá's government decided to replace the use of Catalan in Balearic schools with English, creating deep social unrest on the islands. The reform was finally cancelled in autumn 2014, and Education Minister Juana Maria Camps was dismissed. Numerous demonstrations followed in support of Bauzá's resignation. Since then, language policy has featured prominently in political debates. In 2016, Francina Armengol's government made Catalan a compulsory requirement for access to a regional civil service post. In 2018, a decree was even put in place making Catalan a prerequisite for working in the Balearic Islands' public hospitals. A measure that provoked indignation in the health services and the departure of some foreign doctors (many from Latin America or Spanish regions where Catalan is not spoken), even though the health system was suffering from understaffing. In August 2023, the far-right political party VOX called for the decree to be rescinded; knowing how to speak Catalan was no longer compulsory to practice as a doctor or nurse. This came as a shock to the native population, who found themselves forced to express themselves in a language other than their own to explain situations that were sometimes very personal.
Agriculture in search of a better life
Before General Franco opened up the Balearic Islands in 1963, they had a typically Mediterranean economy, deriving their relative wealth from working the land. Their fertile soil and mild climate have made them a fruit and wine-producing region to this day, and almonds, carob and lemons are still cultivated. The olive tree, which for many centuries provided the island's wealth, was replaced in the 20th century by the orange tree, which continues to be intensively cultivated on Mallorca (particularly in Sòller). Fruits traditionally ignored by growers have also found a place of choice in the local economy, such as apricots. Over time, however, intensive farming has brought about profound changes to the island's landscape. The development of new land has caused the islands' vegetation cover and primeval forests to recede.
Fishing continues to occupy some families on Mallorca, as it does on Ibiza and Formentera, where fishermen are handed down from father to son. However, the flotillas of small boats that used to charm many Majorcan harbours have been replaced by trawlers, due to the need for productivity. As for the salt marshes, they are doomed to disappear. They were once the main activity of Ibiza and Formentera. Today, they have all but disappeared. Similarly, while cereals, fruit, vegetables, tubers and citrus fruits are still important crops, agriculture has been in constant decline since 1950. Tourism has become the archipelago's main economic resource.
Tourism to be mastered
As the country opened up to the outside world in the early 1960s, agriculture lost its status as the island's economic leader. Tourism is to blame. This mainly concerns foreign visitors, but also mainland Spaniards. In the 1960s, the country was cheap, as the Balearic faithful like to remind us. That's all changed nowadays. But every year, millions of lovers continue to follow in the footsteps of Frédéric Chopin and George Sand to spend a few blissful days on the shores of the mare nostrum.
Despite a bad period in 2009 due to the fall of the pound against the euro (resulting in a drop of 1 million visitors in just one year), the Balearics quickly recovered, benefiting from the events of the "Arab Spring", which brought in new visitors. In 2014 alone, the Balearics welcomed over 13.5 million tourists, more than 4% more than in 2013, with a sharp increase in Dutch, but also Spanish, tourists. With the new tourist tax that came into force at the beginning of summer 2016, the Balearic government managed to recover 40 million euros in one year, a budget reinvested in protecting the archipelago's heritage and nature. But the Balearic economy has become dependent on this flood of tourists. Tourism alone currently accounts for almost 35% of the archipelago's GDP. In 2018, the archipelago again welcomed over 16 million tourists to its territory. The following year, however, the figures dropped slightly. Naturally, the years 2020 and 2021 record a sharp drop in tourism, made almost impossible by travel restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. 2022, on the other hand, saw a sharp upturn in mass tourism to the Balearic Islands.
