Balearic Islands finds the current figure of 2 million insufficient for handling minors' cases, but deems it "better than nothing."
Balearic government deems migrant minors credit as inadequate but considers it better than nothing
Antoni Costa, the spokesperson for the Balearic Government, has voiced his thoughts on the 2 million euros credit assigned for managing migrant minors in Baleares, stating it as "manifestly insufficient" yet admitting it's better than nothing.
Costa made these comments during a press conference, following the Government Council meeting, in response to questions about the Sectoral Conference on Youth and Childhood where the proposal for the distribution of this credit was presented [Enrichment Data: Redistribution of minors to other regions remains contentious, with ongoing tensions between regional governments and the central government about responsibility and compliance with the Immigration Law].
The allocated sum, he noted, is not for transferring minors but for expenses related to their well-being. This detail is deemed "important," considering that the Formentera Council has already spent around 3.5 million euros caring for migrant minors this year alone [Enrichment Data: An extraordinary credit of around 2 million euros has been allocated to support these efforts, presumably funding improved reception and care facilities (though details of this credit are not explicitly detailed in the results)].
Nevertheless, Costa concedes that 2 million euros is "better than nothing." He expressed his desire for no such credit to be needed and reiterated the Balearic Government's demands to the Spanish Government regarding migration and border control [Enrichment Data: The central government's approach includes redistributing migrant minors to other autonomous regions as per the amended Immigration Law].
Costa also highlighted that the competence of minors for island councils was not intended for the current extraordinary situation happening in Baleares [Enrichment Data: The competence of immigration is of the central government, which, according to Costa, "totally ignores" and "takes a step back"].
Meanwhile, he deemed it logical that the central government establish a dialogue with governments of origin countries such as Algeria to halt irregular arrivals of people to the Islands [Enrichment Data: Security forces in the Balearic Islands have also intensified actions against human trafficking networks facilitating migrant boat arrivals; recently, four skippers of migrant boats were arrested by authorities as part of tougher government measures to counter these mafias].
Emphasizing the escalating situation, Costa feared Baleares might suffer a situation like the one currently happening in the Canary Islands [Enrichment Data: In March 2025, the government announced plans to relocate thousands of unaccompanied migrant children from some of the country's most overcrowded centres to other regions, aiming to alleviate pressure on islands like the Balearics and the Canary Islands].
- Costa suggested that the central government should establish direct dialogues with origin countries, such as Algeria, to implement policies aimed at reducing irregular arrivals of migrants, given the escalating situation in the Balearic Islands.
- Citing the 2 million euros allocated for managing migrant minors as "better than nothing," Costa reiterated the Balearic Government's call for increased cooperation with the Spanish Government on migration and border control, especially in light of ongoing tensions and contentious redistribution of minors to other regions.
