The president of the Consell, Llorenç Galmés, gave the inaugural speech, in which he stressed that, ‘while some provinces are struggling to combat depopulation in rural areas, in Mallorca we are facing the challenge of demographic growth and saturation in certain places and at certain times of the year’.
The 6th Conference of Presidents of Provincial Councils, Island Councils and Provincial Councils began today at the Palma Conference Centre, with the presence of more than 30 heads of these institutions from all over Spain. The President of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, gave the inaugural address at the conference, organised for the first time by the island institution, together with the Fundación Democracia y Gobierno Local (Democracy and Local Government Foundation) and the Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias (FEMP) (Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces).
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Mallorca hosts for the first time the VI Conference of Presidencies of Provincial Councils, Cabildos and Councils of Spain, with more than 30 top institutional leaders
Galmés stressed the importance of intermediate local governments because of the primary competencies they manage but pointed out that they face different challenges: ‘While some provinces struggle to combat the depopulation of rural areas, on the islands we face the challenge of population growth and saturation in certain places and at certain times of the year. All of this, without forgetting the problems associated with this challenge, such as mobility or the price of housing.
The meeting, which was also attended by the Secretary of State for Territorial Policy, Arcadi España, aims to create a forum to coordinate and promote strategic policies in Spain’s intermediate local governments.
The President of the Consell de Mallorca, during his speech, also stressed that ‘the archipelagos suffer the costs and problems derived from insularity’. All of this,’ added Galmés, ’pushes us to commit to sustainability in all its aspects, which will ensure the well-being of future generations. Thus, this edition will address two key issues that will mark the future of our agendas, such as responsible tourism and digital transformation, with special attention to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Llorenç Galmés also referred to the competencies of the Consell de Mallorca, recalling that there is still a long way to go to achieve the full self-government set out in the Statute of Autonomy: ‘to date, the Consell de Mallorca manages most of the competences attributed by the Statute of Autonomy, such as territorial planning, social services, tourism promotion and planning, local government, culture, sports, roads, gender policies, guardianship and the fostering of minors, among many others. However, there is still some way to go, as the full achievement of the self-government provided for in the Statute of Autonomy requires the transfer of the still pending competencies by the Government of the Balearic Islands.
The conference began this morning with a tour of the Seu de Mallorca for all the authorities and those accompanying them. In addition to the president of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, the opening ceremony was attended by Lluïsa Moret, president of the Diputació de Barcelona, councillor of Sant Boi de Llobregat and president of the Fundación Democracia y Gobierno Local (Democracy and Local Government Foundation). The Secretary of State for Territorial Policy, Arcadi España, and the Secretary General of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, Luis Martínez-Sicluna, also took part. The inaugural conference was given by Tomàs Font, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Barcelona. This was followed by a guided tour of the Palau del Consell de Mallorca and a dinner in the cistern of the Es Baluard museum, by the chef Koldo Royo, with the collaboration of the chefs Andreu Genestra, Santi Taura, Jordi Cantó and Ariadna Salvador.
Two debates are scheduled for tomorrow: ‘Challenges of responsible tourism’ and ‘Digital transformation: artificial intelligence and cybersecurity’. The closing ceremony will take place tomorrow at midday, with a joint institutional declaration.