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 archipelago is highly seasonal, the situation worsens in winter, with Ibiza standing out for its rhythm of work based on the arrival of tourists. This economic problem was 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 island. 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 mandatory requirement for access to regional civil service positions. 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, even though the current healthcare system suffers from understaffing. The dynamic has been reversed since the election of Margarida Prohens (PP, right) as President of the Balearic Islands in 2023. However, lacking a majority, she is forced to govern with the support of the Spanish far-right (VOX), a party that has no hesitation in speaking out against the use of Catalan languages in the archipelago. Indeed, since Prohens was elected in the spring of 2023, attacks on Catalan speakers have increased.
Agriculture in search of a better life
Ibiza and the Balearic Islands had a typically Mediterranean economy before General Franco opened up the region in 1963, deriving their relative wealth from working the land. To this day, the fertile soil and mild climate have made the region a producer of fruit and wine: almonds, carob and lemons are still grown. The olive tree, for many centuries the island's main source of wealth, continues to be cultivated in Ibiza, with no fewer than nine official producers. Over time, however, intensive farming has led to profound changes in the landscape: the island's vegetation cover and primeval forests are receding. In recent years, however, Ibiza has witnessed a new agricultural revival, led by neo-peasants who are fervent supporters of km0 and know how to make the most of the island's fertile soils.
Fishing also continues to occupy some families on Ibiza, where fishermen are handed down from father to son. However, the flotillas of small boats that used to charm many of the island's harbours have been replaced by trawlers, in response to the need for productivity. Although they have been the object of renewed interest in recent years, the saltworks, which were once one of Ibiza's main activities, are tending to disappear. Tourism has become the island'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 Ibiza faithful like to remind us. That's all changed nowadays. But every year, millions of lovers continue to follow in the footsteps of the hippies, in the nightclubs or on the golden seashores of the beautiful white island.
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), Ibiza (and the Balearic Islands in general) quickly recovered, taking advantage of the events of the "Arab Spring" to attract new visitors. In the years that followed, tourism only increased, reaching a record number in 2016: 7.1 million visitors to Ibiza alone! An increase of 14.6% on the previous year. With the tourist tax that came into force at the beginning of summer 2016, the Balearic government has managed to recoup 40 million euros in one year, a budget reinvested in protecting the archipelago's heritage and nature. But the economy of Ibiza and the Balearic Islands has become dependent on this flood of tourists. While tourism alone accounts for almost 35% of the archipelago's GDP, in the case of Ibiza, the figure is as high as 90%! In 2018, the island welcomed just over 4 million visitors, significantly fewer than two years earlier, only to fall again the following year. Then came 2020 and the global pandemic, almost bringing tourism to a standstill...
However, as living conditions are not unpleasant and entry controls are rather flexible, the island became a home for teleworkers in 2020-2021. At the same time, the many foreigners with second homes on the island decided to make Ibiza their permanent home. A few years later, tourism figures are once again in the black for the white island! This was the case in the summers of 2022, 2023 and 2024.
